On
this page are some great Cooktown walks for you.
I used to
think it's a small
country town and there are probably not so many places to exercise, but
I was surprised!
It is a hilly town, with
some great
slopes and mountainous terrain, but there are also
easy and level Cooktown walks.
And on top of what's in town, there are more great walks both north and
south of Cooktown (I will add those in the future).
In the town,
there are the
following fun walks that you can do
separately, and together they are known as the Cooktown Scenic Rim
Walk.
Historical
Main Street Walk
The easiest walk is a stroll along Charlotte street, past the town's
two old pubs, ANZAC park, the Old Railway Station, the Boat House, the
Old Bank, Mrs Watson's Monument, and the town's post office.
Do not
miss James Cook Museum just one street back on Helen St.
Waterfront
to Historical Cemetery
Further north on Cooktown
waterfront
are different monuments in Endeavour Lions Park,
Bicentennial Park,
at the boat ramp; and the popular Fisherman's Wharf. If you walk back
south along Adelaide Street and follow the track through mangroves, you
come to the Historical Cemetery.
Grassy
Hill
While the two above Cooktown walks were easy, Grassy Hill is fairly
steep so this
walk requires some more fitness and motivation, as well as proper
walking shoes or
sand shoes. At the top is an old lighthouse, a nicely decorated viewing
platform, and great views (you can also drive up here), particularly at
the sunrise or sunset.
Scenic
Rim Walk to Cherry
Tree Bay On the
walk
(drive) up to
Grassy Hill, there is the start of the track to Cherry Tree Bay, which
later continues to the Botanical Gardens and Finch Bay as part of the Scenic Rim Walk
of Cooktown. The first
section to Cherry Tree Bay first goes through some eucalypt forest, and
later some beautiful rainforest before it comes to the beach.
Scenic
Rim Walk to Finch Bay From
Cherry Tree Bay, the
Scenic Rim walk continues to Finch Bay. Before you get to Finch Bay,
you can turn
into a side track to Botanical Gardens.
Most of this Cooktown walks
is coastal and beautiful, with some great lookout points but also
moderately hard steps. You need some fitness and proper walking shoes
or sand
shoes.
Mount
Cook
Walk
But highest than all of the hills is Mount Cook, and this walk is quite
steep,requires
good fitness, takes
3-4
hours, so needs to be done at the right
time of
the day and year. Drinking water and proper
walking shoes necessary. The views are fantastic, most from granite
boulders.
Cooktown
History Walk
You can
discover Cooktown history by walking along the main street.
It is an
easy stroll, not
too long, not too steep, and it goes
past some great historical buildings, as well as many good
places to eat and drink. In the
southern end of the
main street, the first thing you pass by is
the Top Pub
- a great place to enjoy a lunch and a coldie.
And the next one is West
Coast Hotel - another historical pub in town. UPDATE - this hotel lost
the roof in cyclone
Ita and and is currently closed (May 2014).
Across the street is Cooktown's ANZAC
Park (update 2015 there is now a new entrance arc in black
marble, and also the old toilet has been painted for the 100th
anniversary of Gallipoly - well done locals :-)
The next one, on the same side of the street, is the Cooktown Old Railway Station
- now the local Art and Craft Association, but once the Cooktown - Laura
Railway ticket office.
Further down the street are the Boat
House - the association for the Re-enactment of Cook's
Landing on the Annual Cooktown
Festival;
... the Old Bank
(with quite an in-depth Cooktown history display inside),
... and a
monument for Mrs. Watson,
who tragically died near Lizard Island in 1883.
After a few other beautiful historical buildings, you come to the
town's post office,
established in 1880 and still in operation.
After that you pass by the historical Jackey Jackey Store,
and the town's RSL and Bowls Club, before you come to the Endeavour Lion's Park,
and can continue north along the waterfront
of Cooktown.
Cooktown
Waterfront Walk
Cooktown
waterfront is full of history.
There are
beautiful parks,
statues and monuments, and great fishing
at the
boat ramp and Fisherman's Wharf.
There is even more than you discovered along the Cooktown history walk
along the main
street of the town - the Charlotte Street. After
most of the historical
buildings, as well as the RSL and Bowls Club, Charlotte Street comes to
the waterfront.
You first come to the Endeavour
Lions Park, with toilets, BBQs and childern's playground,
... Captain Cook's
monument, a cannon and a musical ship,
... and then you enter the Bicentennial
Park ...
... with a Captain
Cook's statue,
... a cairn
that marks the exact location of Cook's landing,
... and the Aboriginal Milbi
Wall.
Then you come to the boat
ramp,
... where there are the Queen's
Steps and a miner's
statue,
... before you pass by Cook's
Landing Kiosk (great for lunch),
... and come to Fisherman's
Wharf (great for dinner),
... which is also very popular with fishing.
If you still want to keep going along the Cooktown waterfront, there is
the town's Powder
Magazine in the end of the Webber Esplanade.
It is where, in the days of Palmer
River Goldfields, gunpowder (that was used in the mines) was stored. Just be aware it
is a little walk away, just continue along the Cooktown waterfront.
If you turn back and turn into Adelaide Street at the waterfront, and
follow the marked
track through mangroves, you can continue
the Scenic Rim Walk to Cooktown Historical Cemetery.
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