Mt Cook National Park

It is in the southern edge of the town, you see the sign as you drive in.


And you can get to it via the southernmost streets in the town.
  

The park protects 508ha of rainforest and woodland, and contains the 431 metre Mount Cook, Waymbuurr for the local Guugu Yimmithirr Aboriginal people.
   

Human History

Cooktown and Mt Cook National Park are in the middle of the traditional lands of Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal people (including Kuku Nyungkul, Kuku Bididji and Yuku Baja-Muliku) in the south, and Guugu Yimithirr and Gungarde Aboriginal people (including Gamay and Waymbuurr) in the north.


During his stay in 1770 Captain James Cook named what is now Mount Cook 'Gores Mount' after after his third Lieutenant, John Gore. Unaware of that, during his voyage in 1819, Lieutenant Phillip Parker King named Mount Cook after captain James Cook.
   

Geology

The oldest rock material around Cooktown, found in our orange soils, is believed to be 420 million years old. The granites found in Mount Cook National Park and Black Mountain (where they are black due to an algae that grows on them) are about 260 million years old.
   

Plants and Vegetation

The different types of vegetation include grasslands (on lower slopes), and tropical woodlands and rainforest (on upper slopes). Amongst the many species of different plants there are the ancient cycads, ferns and tree ferns, paperbark and ironbark eucalypts, and lots of different rainforest species.
   

Birds and Animals

Animals include northern quolls, amethystine pythons, rainbow skinks and many others. Birds include bush turkeys, and the migratory buff breasted paradise kindfishers and imperial pigeons that arrive from Papua New Guinea for the summer.
   

Things to Do

The best thing to do if you are fit enough is walking to the top of Mount Cook. The walk is only three kilometres one way, but due to the steepness the Mount Cook Summit Walk is not an easy one.

Mt Cook National Park Walk

There is a great walk in Mount Cook national park in Cooktown.

You have to be fit enough, but if you are, and if you like bushwalking, you will love this walk.

You find it in the southern end of the town,
   

... in Mt Cook national park, follow the signs from the end of Ida Street, the entrance is towards the end of Hannan Drive.
   

Follow the signs and you get to this carpark:
   

And this is where the Mt Cook national park walk starts.
   

In the beginning it is not steep,
   

... you first come to a rocky open area,
   

.. and then continue through open woodland,
   

.. then pass through areas with granite boulders,
   

.. before you get to the first lookout platform, where you have views over Cooktown and Grassy Hill.
   

Then the walk continues,
   

... the vegetation is gradually turning more and more into rainforest,
   

... and it gets steeper and passes by more lookout points.
   

Sometimes you have glimpses of water,
   

... then the track,
   

... and then again another lookout point.
   

The further you proceed the steeper it gets,
   

... sometimes it is quite exhausting,
   

... but the views are well worth it!
  

It is a good idea to allow about six hours for the return walk in Mt Cook national park, and try to avoid the hottest part of the day. Bring water, and wear a hat, good walking shoes, and sunscreen.

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Plan and Bring to the Trip... the full Destination Cape York Travel Guide

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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