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| Sunset over Endeavour River |
We spent a few days walking around the town, exploring and getting ready to head further north to Lizard Island when.....the infamous weather of Cooktown set in: miserable stuff. At times it was difficult to hop into the tender the harbour was sooo rough. So we made the most of our forced stay and ended up loving the place.
The banks of the Endeavour River are parkland and the main street almost follows the river. Of course there are lots of monuments to Cook. A short stroll along from where the Endeavour careened for repairs is a spot named reconciliation rocks. "It was on these rocks that a group of eleven Guugu Yimithirr men and James Cook and several of his companions reconciled their differences and restored the peace and friendship that was the defining nature of the Europeans' stay in Endeavour River."
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| Reconciliation Rocks |
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| Cooks memorial near careening spot of Endeavour |
The parks had copious numbers of mango trees bursting with fruit. Lucky us! It wasn't tourist season as it was too hot and cyclone season was almost upon us, so we probably saw Cooktown at its best and most relaxed.
Lynda and Charlie from yacht New Horizons were also in town from Townsville (as were 2 other yachts) so we tried out barefoot bowling with them and had many laughs, mainly at my expense because I'm a crappy bowler!
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| the bowling team |
The Musuem, which was once a convent boarding school was fantastic, we spent hours there checking out the Endeavour memorabilia, reading stories of the Guugu Yimithirr people as well as contemplating the Catholic relics.
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| Cooktown museum...sure looks like my old convent school |
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| recovered Endeavour anchor, with canon in background |
One early story......" Prior to the 10th June 1770, we the Koko Yalanji and Guugu Yimithirr were open to the concept of others. We would observe strange sailing vessels going by and we were usually aware of their purpose. They would be looking for fish, dugong, beche de mer, trochus or shells. But they were transients. They did not intend to stay. And they always left.On the morning of 11th June, 1770 a strange large canoe which the coastal people had kept under observation was seen just east of Kurangee now known as Cape Tribulation. It appeared that something was not right. Our Guugu Yimithirr ancestors considered that these boat people like others who came and went would not cause problems." Wonderful stuff.
The Europeans did leave more than memories- their pigs escaped while work was underway and the "Captain Cooker", a descendant of the European wild boar, made its entry into the area. The ship's botanists recorded 180 plants new to science, including the cabbage tree palm and the Cooktown orchid.
In 1873 Cooktown became the sea port for the rapidly growing Palmer Goldfields. At one time Chinese made up the bulk of the population and merchants did business via trading ships with China and Singapore. Cooktown's Chinatown was enormous and included a temple. Unfortunately nothing of it now remains, although the cemetery does carry reminders.
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| Photo of Cooktown's tent city during the Palmer gold rush |
One morning we set out walking up the hill (Grassy Hill) which we were told had amazing views in addition to a lighthouse. We were doing well until a local woman insisted we get into her car "you girls ARE NOT walking up that hill in this heat". Oh well we tried, and yes the views were spectacular.
"Before long the bright rays of our light will be glowing over the waste waters, carrying comfort and an assurance of safety to mariners who have to thread the intrictate navigation of our coast-no better monument could be erected to the memory of Capt James Cook." Cooktown Courier, 1885.
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| Marg doing the tourist bit |
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| views over the river |
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