On
this page you have the places to see in Cooktown Queensland.
There
is a fair bit in this town with a beautiful
setting - you only need to have a look at the almost 360 degree views from
up the Grassy Hill.
But more than anything, this town has some unique history,
found nowhere else in Australia.
It's the place for
captain James Cook's longest stay in Australia, so the
most unique things to see are his landing point in the riverfront park,
and the story displayedin the excellent James Cook
Museum.
Later came the gold rush,
and you can see the history of that in places like the Powder Magazine
and the historical cemetery.
And
in case you are not
into the history - there is always the wharf - some of the
best fishing
in Cape York!
Waterfront Parks
in
Cooktown
The James Cook landing point is
on the waterfront near the mouth of Endeavour
River,
along with the Aboriginal Milby Wall, a statue of James Cook, a
monument for him, a canon from the times of fear for a Russian
invasion, and Queen's steps - commemorating Her visit in 1970 - for
Bicentennial celebrations.
North
and West from the
Waterfont Parks
Further
north is Cook's Landing
Cafe
and the famous Fishermans
Wharf building with some great
places to eat. The wharf itself is very popular with fishing.
North of the wharf is the old Powder
Magazine that was built to store gunpowder that was used
at Palmer
River
Goldfields. NEW 2017 - there is now the new Foreshore Park.
One block
back from the waterfront is James
Cook Museum
- one of the best museums in Australia. It has his original anchor as
well as the Aboriginal version of the story, and lots and lots of
different displays and items from around the area.
North is Grassy Hill Lookout
with some great views over Endeavour River and Cooktown. Cook's crew
climbed the hill and there is a statue for the first
kangaroo they spotted.
You
can walk from the hill to Cherry
Tree
Bay and Finch
Bay, and
to the Cooktown
Botanic Gardens. It's one of the most beautiful walks
in town,
with
some nice coastal views.
Botanic Gardens (of
course
you can drive here too) there are some
different sections with a few different vegetation types, and a
statue of amethystine
python
- the largest snake in Australia. Here is also the town's tourist
information centre, a cafe and a souvenir shop.
South
from the Waterfont Parks
South
from the waterfront parks you walk past some beautiful old buildings
in Charlotte St. There is the Jackey Jackey Store, the
Old Bank, the town's two pubs, the ticket office of the old Cooktown -
Laura Railway.
South
of
Charlotte Street is the historical Cooktown
Cemetery. It's
a great place for a stroll and a look around - there are different
sections such as Anglican, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Chinese.
East
of
the cemetery are some streets with some more old buildings, and
from here, you can walk (or drive) to Mt
Cook.
You
can climb up to Mt
Cook, but in parts the climb is steep.
The
views from the top are
beautiful.
Endeavour
River
Endeavour
River is just north of Cooktown.
It was
here
that Captain James Cook landed and stayed for weeks to repair
his ship that had got stuck on coral reef.
The crew stayed long enough that it became known as the "first European
settlement" on this continent.
Today, the river is very popular with fishing,
and some great tropical fish can be caught from here. Cooktown Wharf is
the most popular
place to fish in Cooktown,
but
there are many other spots from which you can reach the river and throw
your line in.
The
river mouth is right
in town, and
close to the wharf is also a boat ramp.
Drive out of the town in the northern direction and you see the national park signs
- the
coastal area north of the
river is
protected in the Endeavour
River National Park.
Turn
into
Marton and
there is another boat
ramp.
Take
a boat out for a ride,
and you may
even spot a crocodile
:-)
Get
this 50 pages
guide totally for FREE.
It
contains information that helps you getting started with planning of your trip.
You get to make early-stages desicions such as when to go, how long time you
should take, how to get
there and get
around, where
to stay (general info), what
will it cost..
and a short insight to what is there to see and do in Cape York.
This complete 300 pages
travel guide is all you need before and during your trip. Besides the
background chapters on the peninsula's history and wildlife; and the comprehensive detail about all
the places (down to prices, opening hours and full contact
detail), it has invaluable information on at least 10 four wheel drive tracks,
at least 30 guaranteed FREE
camping spots on the Cape (and at least 150 on your way to
the Cape), at least 40 best
swimming holes, all mapped; as well as practical things -
from fuel, roads, wireless internet and mobile phone reception,
how to deal with the national
parks booking rules; and Aboriginal land entrance and camping permits
and alcohol restrictions - to vehicle preparation and accessories and necessary recovery
gear by my vehicle-recovery-guy partner).
Not to mention locals'
tips on how to spot that croc and palm cockatoo ;-)
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This site uses British
English, which is the English we use in
Australia.
Disclaimer:
Although
best efforts have been made to ensure that all the information on this
website is correct, this site is not to be blamed should there be a
mistake.
This is the ORIGINAL Cape York Travel Guide run Locally on the Peninsula.