Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Cooktown
POP 2339
At the southeastern edge of Cape York Peninsula, Cooktown is a small place with a big
history: for thousands of years, Waymbuurr was the place the local Guugu Yimithirr and
Kuku Yalanji people used as a meeting ground, and it was here that on 17 June 1770,
Lieutenant (later Captain) Cook beached the
Endeavour
. The
Endeavour
had earlier
struck a reef offshore from Cape Tribulation, and Cook and crew spent 48 days here while
they repaired the damage - making it the site of Australia's first, albeit transient, non-Indi-
genous settlement.
Cooktown is a hotspot for history hounds, those looking to work on banana plantations
and folks who believe that happiness is a fishing rod and an Esky full of beer.
TOURS FROM COOKTOWN
Although the reef is not far away, there are no regularly scheduled dive or snorkelling trips. Water-based tours de-
part from the wharf.
Guurrbi Tours
( 07-4069 6043;
www.guurrbitours.com
; tours 2/4hr $95/120, self-drive $65/85;
Mon-Sat) Nugal-warra family elder Willie Gordon runs revelatory tours that use the physical landscape to de-
scribe the spiritual landscape. The morning Rainbow Serpent tour involves some walking, bush tucker and rock-
art sites, including a birthing cave. The afternoon Great Emu tour is shorter and visits three rock-art sites. Self-
drivers meet near the Hopevale Aboriginal Community.
Maaramaka Walkabout Tours
( 07-4060 9389;
irenehammett@hotmail.com
; tours 1/2hr $84/42) Aborigin-
al cultural stories, rainforest walks and bush tucker in a gorgeous setting near Hopevale.
Cooktown Barra Fishing Charters
( 0408 036 887; half-/full day $120/220, minimum two people) Fishing
and heli-fishing trips, plus croc-spotting, bird-watching, mud-crabbing and eco tours.
Cooktown Tours
( 1300 789 550;
www.cooktowntours.com
) Two-hour town tours (adult/child $55/33) and
half-day trips to Black Mountain and the Lion's Den Hotel (adult/child $110/77).
Saratoga Fishing & Hunting Adventures
(
07-4069 6697;
www.capeyorksafaris.com
)
Fishin' and piggin'
up the Cape York Peninsula.
Sights
Cooktown hibernates during the Wet, and many attractions and tours close or have re-
duced hours. The main street, Charlotte St, has some beautiful 19th-century buildings.
