Cooktown 12/5

We took a 270km journey north to Cooktown. The inland road has only recently been completely sealed, so Cooktown is a relatively new tourist destination. We drove over the Great Dividing Range once more and back into the outback for part of the journey. The cattle were puzzled by our appearance.



The Black Mountain national park is just outside Cooktown. The area is the northernmost tip of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. The mountain is formed by giant piles of black granite boulders.



The town gets its name from Captain Cook who after 'discovering' Australia made his way up the east coast. In 1770 after the HM Barque Endeavour hit a reef at Cape Tribulation, Captain Cook beached the ship in the river on the edge of the town.



The ship and crew remained in the area for 48 days therefore being the first white settlers in the country. This cairn marks the spot where the ship was beached so repairs could be carried out.



Cooktown was very attractive and not too busy as its still off the beaten track. There are some impressive historic buildings in the area. This is the old bank.



The area also thrived during the gold rush days and was an important base during World War 2.



The Captain Cook museum houses this original anchor and cannon from the Endeavour.



David on the balcony of the museum.



Cooktown marks the furthest point up the east coast that we will be travelling. It stands at the base of the Cape York peninsula which is only accessible by dirt tracks and is one of Australia's last untouched frontiers.