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Cooktown is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Cook,
Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, Australia. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on
Cape York Peninsula The Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth's last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación Sierra Madre, ...
in
Far North Queensland Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns, Queensland, Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stret ...
where
James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...
beached his ship, the '' Endeavour'', for repairs in 1770. Both the town and Mount Cook (431 metres or 1,415 feet) which rises up behind the town were named after James Cook. Cooktown is one of the few large towns in the Cape York Peninsula and was founded on 25 October 1873 as a supply port for the goldfields along the Palmer River.Pike (1979), p. 23.Holthouse, Hector (1967). ''River of Gold: The Wild Days of the Palmer River Gold Rush''. Angus & Robertson. Reprint 2002. HarperCollins ''Publishers'', Australia. ; pp. 27–28. It was called "Cook's Town" until 1 June 1874.Pike (1979), p. 26. In the , the locality of Cooktown had a population of 2,746 people.


Geography

Cooktown is located about north of
Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...
and north of
Cairns Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...
, by road. Cooktown is about south of Cape York by road. Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on
Cape York Peninsula The Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth's last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación Sierra Madre, ...
in
Far North Queensland Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns, Queensland, Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stret ...
where
James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...
beached his ship, the '' Endeavour'', for repairs in 1770. The town was named after Cook.Phillip Parker King Phillip Parker King (13 December 1791 – 26 February 1856) was an early explorer of the Australian and Patagonian coasts. Early life and education King was born on Norfolk Island, to Philip Gidley King and Anna Josepha King ''née'' Coo ...
on 27 June 1818, after James Cook. It forms a backdrop to the town and is now part of the Mount Cook National Park. The area around Cooktown is unusually rich in
biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...
, being close to three major
ecozones An ecozone may refer to: * Biogeographic realm, the broadest biogeographic division of Earth's land surface (referred to as ''ecozone'' by BBC) * Biome, a large collection of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat * Bioregion, an ecologically ...
. Hence, it contains a large proportion of the 3,000 plant species, and the more than 500 terrestrial vertebrates, recorded on Cape York Peninsula. The region contains many rare or unusual species that are of great interest to botanists and zoologists.


History


Aboriginal history

Guugu Yimithirr (also known as Koko Yindjir, Gugu Yimidhirr, Guguyimidjir) is an
Australian Aboriginal language The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...
of Hope Vale and the Cooktown area. The language region includes the local government area of the Aboriginal Shire of Hope Vale and the Shire of Cook, particularly the localities of Cape Bedford, Battle Camp and sections of the Normanby River and Annan River. In the local Guugu Yimithirr language the name for the region is ''Gangaar'' , which means "(Place of the) Rock Crystals". Quartz crystals were used in various Aboriginal ceremonies across the continent and are found in the vicinity; they were traded from the Cooktown region at least as far as Mossman, about south of Cooktown, and possibly much further. '' Yalanji'' (also known as ''Kuku Yalanji'', ''Kuku Yalaja'', ''Kuku Yelandji'', and ''Gugu Yalanji)'' is an
Australian Aboriginal language The Indigenous languages of Australia number in the hundreds, the precise number being quite uncertain, although there is a range of estimates from a minimum of around 250 (using the technical definition of 'language' as non-mutually intellig ...
of
Far North Queensland Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns, Queensland, Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stret ...
. The traditional language region is Mossman River in the south to the Annan River in the north, bordered by the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
in the east and extending inland to west of Mount Mulgrave. This includes the local government boundaries of the
Shire of Douglas The Shire of Douglas is a Local government in Australia, local government area in Far North Queensland. It is located on the coast north of the city of Cairns, Queensland, Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Mossman, Queensland, Mos ...
, the Shire of Cook and the Aboriginal Shire of Wujal Wujal and the towns and localities of Cooktown, Mossman, Daintree, Cape Tribulation and Wujal Wujal. It includes the head of the Palmer River, the Bloomfield River, China Camp, Maytown, and Palmerville.


Arrival of Captain Cook

The site of modern Cooktown was the meeting place of two vastly different cultures when, in June 1770, the local Aboriginal Guugu Yimithirr tribe cautiously watched the crippled
sailing ship A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on Mast (sailing), masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing Square rig, square-rigged or Fore-an ...
– His Majesty's Bark ''Endeavour'' – limp up the coast seeking a safe
harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...
after sustaining serious damage to its wooden hull on the Endeavour Reef, south of Cooktown. The Guugu Yimithirr people saw the ''Endeavour'' beach in the calm waters near the mouth of their river, which they called "Wahalumbaal". The captain of the Endeavour,
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
James Cook, wrote: "... it was happy for us that a place of refuge was at hand; for we soon found that the ship would not work, and it is remarkable that in the whole course of our voyage we had seen no place that our present circumstances could have afforded us the same relief". The British crew spent seven weeks on the site of present-day Cooktown, repairing their ship, replenishing food and water supplies, and caring for their sick. The scientist
Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English Natural history, naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the European and American voyages of scientific exploration, 1766 natural-history ...
and Swedish
naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...
Daniel Solander Daniel Carlsson Solander or Daniel Charles Solander (19 February 1733 – 13 May 1782) was a Sweden, Swedish naturalist and an Apostles of Linnaeus, apostle of Carl Linnaeus. Solander was the first university-educated scientist to set foot o ...
, who accompanied Cook on the expedition, took advantage of the 7-week stay to collect, preserve and document over 200 new species of plants, which formed the vast majority of the collection brought back to England from Australia. The young artist
Sydney Parkinson Sydney Parkinson ( 1745 – 26 January 1771) was a Scottish botanical illustrator and natural history artist. He was the first European artist to visit Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti. Parkinson was the first Quaker to visit New Zealand. ...
illustrated the specimens and he was the first British artist to portray Aboriginal people from direct observation. The illustrations were later published as the famous '' Banks' Florilegium''. After some weeks, Joseph Banks met and spoke with the local people, recording about 50 Guugu Yimithirr words, including the name of the intriguing animal the natives called gangurru (which he transcribed as "Kangaru"). Cook recorded the local name as "Kangooroo, or Kanguru". The first recorded sighting of kangaroos by Europeans was on Grassy Hill, which rises above the place where the ship was beached. Cook climbed this hill to work out a safe passage for the Endeavour to sail through the surrounding reefs, after it was repaired. "The visit on the 19th of July 1770 ended in a skirmish after Cook refused to share the turtles he kept on the Endeavour with the local inhabitants. They set fire to the grass around Cook’s camp twice, burning the area and killing a suckling pig. After Cook wounded one of the men with a musket, they ran away. Cook, Banks and some others followed them and caught up with them on a rocky bar near Furneaux Street, which is now known as Reconciliation Rocks. A "little old man" appeared from the group of Indigenous Australians and they were reconciled. This was an important historic event as it is believed that this is the first recorded reconciliation between Europeans and
Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...
ever". Cook named the river the "Endeavour" after his ship, and, as they sailed north, he hoisted the flag known as the " Queen Anne Jack" and claimed possession of the whole eastern coast of Australia for Britain. He named
Cape York Peninsula The Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth's last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación Sierra Madre, ...
after the then-
Duke of York and Albany Duke of York and Albany was a title of nobility in the Peerage of Great Britain. The title was created three times during the 18th century and was usually given to the second son of Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs. The predeces ...
(" The Grand Old Duke of York"). :"In 1886 the people of Cooktown were anxious to recover the brass guns of the Endeavour which were thrown overboard, in order to place them as a memento in their town; but they could not be found, which is not altogether surprising."From: ''Captain Cook's journal during his first voyage round the world made in H.M. Bark "Endeavour" 1768–71: a literal transcription of the original MSS. : with notes and introduction''. Edited by Captain W. J. L. Wharton. Elliot Stock, London. 1893 In 1969 an American-sponsored expedition discovered six of Cook's cannons, as well as ballast from his ship. These artifacts are now in various museums around the world.


Expedition of Phillip Parker King

The next recorded European expedition to the area was in 1819, when Captain
Phillip Parker King Phillip Parker King (13 December 1791 – 26 February 1856) was an early explorer of the Australian and Patagonian coasts. Early life and education King was born on Norfolk Island, to Philip Gidley King and Anna Josepha King ''née'' Coo ...
on board HMS ''Mermaid'', visited the Endeavour River during his surveying voyage around Australia. They camped for two weeks at the mouth of the river in order to construct a new dinghy, and had mostly friendly interactions with the local Aboriginal people until an argument occurred over the possession of clothes. Spears and musket-fire were exchanged but no injuries were sustained. A botanist, Allan Cunningham, accompanied King on this journey and collected numerous botanical specimens for the
British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...
and
Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1759, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...
. King returned again to the region in 1820 as part of the same surveying expedition and this time collated a small record of the local Aboriginal language. He established that Captain Cook was incorrect in the interpretation of the word ''kangaroo'', with King noting that ''menuah'' was the local name for the large macropod. Large
outrigger canoe Outrigger boats are various watercraft featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers, which are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull (watercraft), hull. They can range from small dugout (boat), dugout canoes to large ...
s made by the resident Aboriginal people were also noted.


Port for the Palmer River Goldfields

In 1872, William Hann discovered gold in the Palmer River, about inland from the Endeavour River. His findings were reported to James Venture Mulligan who led an expedition to the Palmer River in 1873. Mulligan's expedition found quantities of alluvial gold and thus began the
gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...
that was to bring prospectors from all over the world. The Queensland government responded quickly to Mulligan's reports, and dispatched Archibald Campbell MacMillan to lead a party in establishing a port on the Endeavour River and a road from there to the goldfields. MacMillan arrived at the river on 25 October 1873 on board the vessel ''Leichhardt'' with an entourage of around seventy other government men and prospectors. A new township was immediately established on the southern bank of the river which was later officially gazetted under the name of Cooktown. A local Aboriginal man who took a surveying flag while the area was being initially charted was shot at with a barrage of gunfire from both colonists aboard the ''Leichhardt'' and from
Native Police Australian native police were specialised mounted military units consisting of detachments of Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal troopers under the command of European officers appointed by British colonial governments. The units existed in va ...
under the command of Robert Arthur Johnstone. The man managed to survive unharmed. MacMillan soon after led an expedition of 110 diggers, police and officials to blaze a trail from Cooktown to the Palmer River Goldfields. They "shot a lot" and "hunted" Aboriginal people along the way at the Normanby River, Kennedy River, Kavanaugh Creek, St George River and at Battle Camp. At Battle Camp, a large group of Aboriginal men approached MacMillan's camp yelling a war cry, but were forced back by gunfire, some of whom fell. The expedition members then pursued them to a lagoon where many more were shot. Two Aboriginal women and three children were brought back to the camp by the diggers after one of the shootings, where they had in their possession a number of items from a digger who was supposed killed. A later government enquiry into the events found that the expedition members had acted in self defence and were justified in their actions. The Palmer River Goldfields and its centre, Maytown grew quickly, the recorded output of gold from 1873 to 1890 was over half a million ounces (more than 15,500 kg). Cooktown was the port through which this gold was exported and supplies for the goldfields brought in. Word of the gold quickly spread, and Cooktown was soon thriving, as
prospectors Prospecting is the first stage of the geological analysis (followed by exploration) of a territory. It is the search for minerals, fossils, precious metals, or mineral specimens. It is also known as fossicking. Traditionally prospecting rel ...
arrived from around the world. Cooktown Post Office opened on 1 January 1874.


Township of Cooktown

Population estimates vary widely, but there were probably around 7,000 people in the area and about 4,000 permanent residents in the town by 1880. At that time, Cooktown boasted a large number of hotels and guest houses. There were 47 licensed pubs within the town boundaries in 1874 although this number had dropped to 27 by the beginning of 1880. There were also a number of illegal
grog Grog is a term used for a variety of alcoholic beverages. Origin and history Popularization of rum and invention of grog Following Invasion of Jamaica, England's conquest of Jamaica in 1655, rum gradually replaced beer and brandy as the drink ...
shops and several brothels. There were bakeries, a brewery and a soft drinks factory, dressmakers and milliners, a brickworks, a cabinetmaker, and two newspapers. The port of Cooktown served the nearby goldfields and, during the goldrush of the 1870s, a Chinese community many thousands strong grew up in the goldfields and in the town itself. The Chinese played an important role in the early days of Cooktown. They came originally as prospectors, but many established market gardens, supplying the town and the goldfields with fruit, vegetables and rice, while others opened shops. However, largely through cultural misunderstandings, conflict broke out between the Aboriginal people and the new settlers, and the diggers. ''The Cooktown Herald'', 8 December 1875, reported: "The natives wholly ignorant of the terrible firepower of fire-arms, and confiding in their numbers, showed a ferocity and daring wholly unexpected and unsurpassed. Grasping the very muzzles of the rifles they attempted to wrest them from the hands of the whites, standing to be shot down, rather than yield an inch...." It was an unequal struggle. Whole tribes were wiped out as European settlement spread over
Cape York Peninsula The Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth's last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación Sierra Madre, ...
. In 1887, a Chinese Investigation Commission to South-East Asia arrived in Cooktown from Canton to investigate the social conditions of Chinese living in the colonies and to establish consulates in them. The visit went well, General Wong Yung Ho was pleased with what they had found, and cheers were exchanged between the Commission members and local residents as they left on 7 August 1887. Transport was an ongoing problem for the new settlers. Getting supplies and people to the goldfields often took three weeks. After every
wet season The wet season (sometimes called the rainy season or monsoon season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Generally, the season lasts at least one month. The term ''green season'' is also sometimes used a ...
the tracks and bridges had to be remade. A railway line from Cooktown to Maytown, was planned, but it took five years to get the to Laura – and that is where it stopped. By that time the gold was petering out, so the Queensland Government refused further funding for the venture. In spite of this, the train proved to be a lifeline for the Peninsula people connecting the hinterland to Cooktown, from where one could catch a boat to
Cairns Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...
and other southern ports. The line was closed in 1961 after the Peninsula Development Road was built connecting Cooktown and other Peninsula communities with Cairns and the
Atherton Tableland The Atherton Tableland is a fertile plateau, which is part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland, Australia. It has very deep, rich basaltic soils and the main industry is agriculture. The principal river flowing across the plateau is the B ...
to the south. The Cooktown Parish of the Roman Catholic Church was established in 1874 with the Cooktown becoming the seat of the Vicariate Apostolic of Cooktown in 1877 (which became the Diocese of Cairns in 1941). Cooktown State School opened on 25 January 1875. On 19 January 1885, it was split into Cooktown Boys State School and Cooktown Girls and Infants State School. In January 1921, the two schools were amalgamated to become Cooktown State School again. Cooktown's magnificent Botanic Garden of was established near the town in 1878. Much work was done in the early stages – with wells sunk, water reticulated, garden beds enclosed, stone-lined paths, stone-pitched pools and footbridges made, and lawns, trees and shrubs planted. Although the gardens fell into disrepair, in recent years they have been expanded and are a popular destination for botanists and nature lovers. Most of the early stonework has been restored, and beautiful walking tracks lead the visitor through the Botanic Garden to the magnificent beaches at Finch Bay and Cherry Tree Bay. In 1881, a bridge over the Endeavour River was completed, which opened up the richer pastoral lands of the Endeavour and McIvor River valleys.
Tin Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin makes a sound, the ...
was found in the Annan River area, south of Cooktown, in 1884. In 1886, Lutheran missionaries came to Cooktown to establish a secure place for the Aboriginal people who were living in abominable conditions on the edge of the town. Missions were established at Elim on the beach (later they moved inland to Hopevale), and Wujal Wujal, near the mouth of the Bloomfield River. Also in 1888, five Irish nuns from the
Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute for women in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. In 2019, the institute had about 6,200 Religious sister, sisters worldwide, organized into a number ...
Order arrived in Cooktown and established a Catholic convent school. The original building is now used as the Cooktown Museum (formerly the James Cook Historical Museum). In 1893 the town was described as follows: :"Cooktown, which now stands on the Endeavour River, is a thriving place, and the northernmost town on this coast. It has some 2000 inhabitants, and is the port for a gold mining district. A deeper channel has now been dredged over the bar that gave Cook so much trouble, but it is not a harbour that will admit large vessels." With the gold rush over, the number of people living in the area started dwindling. Two major fires struck Cooktown – in 1875 and, again, in 1919 when whole blocks of buildings in the main street were burned to the ground. A major
cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an ant ...
in 1907 added to the destruction. In February 1908, a new St Mary's Catholic Church was opened and dedicated by Bishop Murray to replace the one destroyed in the cyclone.


World War II

By 1940, little evidence of Cooktown or Maytown's interesting past remained. During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Cooktown became an important base for the war effort. The civilian population of Cooktown was encouraged to evacuate in face of the Japanese advances and by 1942 the vast majority had left. The Aboriginal people of the Lutheran missions at Hope Vale and Bloomfield were forcibly removed – most being taken south to Woorabinda in May, 1942, while some of the elderly people were sent to Palm Island. The senior missionary, Pastor Schwartz (known as Muni to the local people), was arrested and placed in internment, suspected of being an enemy sympathiser. The Aboriginal people were not allowed to return to their homelands until 1949. Many Aboriginal people died when moved from their traditional lands, and many Aboriginal and white families never returned from their exile. In October 1942 detachments of 16 Australian Field Company,
Royal Australian Engineers The Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) is the military engineering corps of the Australian Army. The RAE is ranked fourth in seniority of the corps of the Australian Army, behind the Corps of Staff Cadets, Staff Cadets, Royal Australian Armoured C ...
travelled to Cooktown, Mount Surprise and Coen to build Repeater Huts. Some 20,000 Australian and American troops were stationed in and around the town. The busy airfield played a key role in the crucial
Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the battle ...
when Japanese expansion towards the Australian mainland was finally halted. The last military unit, the 27th Operational Base Squadron of the
RAAF The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the governor-general of Aus ...
, ceased operations in Cooktown in April 1946.


Since World War II

In 1949, another cyclone devastated the town, and Cooktown's population declined further. With the closure of the rail link to Laura in 1961 and the "Peninsula Development Road" opened up to the south, the population declined to just a few hundred people before it gradually began to climb again. Since then, Cooktown and the Endeavour River Valley area have become a major attraction to biologists and illustrators of plants and animals. Vera Scarth-Johnson (1912–1999), spent almost thirty years (1972 to 1999) illustrating the flowering plants of the region and then gave her collection to the people of Cooktown. Following her wishes, a beautiful gallery and nature interpretive centre was built in the Cooktown Botanic Gardens to house her collection and promote the study and appreciation of the flora and fauna of the area, which she named "Nature's Powerhouse." The Cooktown Public Library opened in 1995 and underwent a major refurbishment in 2013 and a minor refurbishment in 2015.


21st century

Endeavour Christian College opened in 2012 to provide an alternative Christian school. In 2015, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns opened the Holy Spirit College as a secondary school for disengaged and marginalised young people. It has with two campuses, one in Cooktown and one in
Cairns Cairns (; ) is a city in the Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. In the , Cairns had a population of 153,181 people. The city was founded in 1876 and named after William Cairns, Sir W ...
. The school draws students from a wide area. The Cooktown campus includes a 32-bed boarding facility to offer weekly boarding so that students can return to their families and communities on the weekends.


Demographics

In the , the locality of Cooktown had a population of 2,631 people. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 14.5% of the population. 69.9% of people were born in Australia and 78.4% of people spoke only English at home. The most common response for religion was No Religion at 31.5%. In the , the locality of Cooktown had a population of 2,746 people.


Economy

Cooktown has become a popular tourist destination. The paving of the Mulligan Highway now provides all-weather access by road for the first time. There are two flights a day connecting Cooktown with Cairns. The town now has good communications, more services, better roads, and offers residents a relaxed and healthy lifestyle. Cooktown is a service centre for the district including the Aboriginal communities of Hope Vale, to the northwest, and Wujal Wujal, to the south.


Heritage listings

Cooktown has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Early Granite Kerbing and Channelling, Adelaide, Charlotte, Furneaux, Green, Helen, Hogg, Hope and Walker Streets and Webber Esplanade * Westpac Bank Building, 120 Charlotte Street * Cook Shire Council Chambers (now Cooktown History Centre), 121 Charlotte Street * Seagren's Building, 124 Charlotte Street * Ferrari Estates Building, 126 Charlotte Street * Cooks Monument and Reserve, Charlotte Street * Cooktown Cemetery, Charlotte Street * Mary Watson's Monument, Charlotts Street * Gallop Botanic Reserve, incorporating Cooktown Botanic Gardens, Finch Bay Road * Cooktown Museum (formerly James Cook Historical Museum), Furneaux Street * Grassy Hill Light, Grassy Hill * Cook Shire Hall, Helen Street: * Old Cooktown Hospital (now Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall), May Street * Cooktown Powder Magazine, Webber Esplanade


Education

Cooktown State School is a government primary and secondary (Prep–12) school for boys and girls at 10 Charles Streets (corner May Street, ). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 394 students with 40 teachers (39 full-time equivalent) and 33 non-teaching staff (20 full-time equivalent) including students from Rossville and Lakeland. It includes a
special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...
program. Endeavour Christian College is a private primary and secondary (Prep–12) school for boys and girls at 12 Charles Street (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 126 students with 16 teachers (13 full-time equivalent) and 10 non-teaching staff (7 full-time equivalent). Holy Spirit College is a Catholic secondary (7–12) school for boys and girls at the corner of Hope and Burkitt Streets (). In 2018, the school had an enrolment of 85 students with 11 teachers (10 full-time equivalent) and 17 non-teaching staff (16 full-time equivalent).


Media

Radio stations that broadcast to the town are ABC Far North, Star 102.7,
Triple M Triple M is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by Southern Cross Austereo. The network consists of 45 radio stations with flagship stations broadcasting a mainstream/classic rock music format in Sydney, Melbourne, and B ...
(formerly Sea FM), and Black Star Radio, a community based station which broadcast from the town. Cooktown is served by five television stations, three commercial television stations (
WIN Television WIN Television is an Australian television broadcasting, Australian television network owned and operated by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television stat ...
, Seven Queensland and
Network 10 Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's UK & Australia division and is one of the five national free-to-a ...
) which are regional affiliates of the three Australian commercial television networks ( 10, Seven and
Nine 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...
), and public broadcasters the ABC and SBS services. Local newspapers is served by the ''Cape York Weekly'' and ''The Express Newspaper'' which both cover the town.


Amenities

The Cook Shire Council operates a public library at 33 Helen Street. The Cooktown branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at 107 Charlotte Street. There is a Police-Citizens Youth Club (PCYC) at 3 May Street in Cooktown with amenities including a gymnasium and function rooms. St Mary's Catholic Church is at 8 Furneaux Street. It is within the Cooktown Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cairns. Cooktown has a bowling green, swimming pool, golf, tennis and turf clubs, historic cemetery, Chinese shrine, Cooktown Museum, Botanic Gardens with walks through to the beaches, the heritage-listed Grassy Hill lighthouse, and a new $3 million Events Centre next to the Cooktown State School, built to double as an emergency cyclone shelter for Cooktown. The Information Centre and an Environment Display are in Nature's Powerhouse in the Cooktown Botanic Garden. There is an active Aboriginal Community Centre on the main street called Gungarde (from the original Guugu Yimithirr name for the region).


Events

The Cooktown Re-enactment Association started performing a re-enactment of Cook's 1770 landing in 1959 and have continued the tradition each year, with many of the local Guugu Yimithirr people as enthusiastic supporters. They celebrate the first act of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, based on the incident recounted above, when a Guugu Yimithirr elder (the "little old man") stepped in after some of his men had violated custom by taking
green turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exte ...
s from the river and not sharing with the local people, presenting Cook with a broken-tipped spear as a peace offering and thus preventing possible bloodshed. Cook recorded the incident in his journal. The Guugu Yimithirr people celebrate the actions of "the little old man" who brokered the peace; Guugu Yimithirr historian Alberta Hornsby said she shares the story to honour her ancestors, and to promote cross-cultural understanding. Cooktown was to have held an "Expo 2020" festival to mark 250 years since the arrival of Cook, but due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Australia The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia was a part of the COVID-19 pandemic, worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case in Aust ...
, the event was postponed until 2021. It was to have included a major musical festival involving local people, international stars and a visit by the replica of Cook's ship, the HM Bark ''Endeavour'' Replica.


Attractions

Cooktown is of particular interest to botanists since the time of
James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...
's visit when extensive collections and illustrations were made of local plants. It is situated at the junction of several vegetation zones including tropical rainforest,
sclerophyll Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short Internode (botany), internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is parallel or ...
forests, sandy dunes and lagoons. Vera Scarth-Johnson, a local resident, gave a priceless collection of her botanical illustrations to the people of Cooktown, which are now housed in a dedicated gallery at Nature's PowerHouse situated in the Botanic Gardens, and features displays of local flora and fauna. The "Milbi Wall" (or "Story Wall") marks the place of the first encounter between the British seafarers and the local Aborigines. The Milbi ('Story') Wall tells the story of Cooktown and the Endeavour River from the perspective of the Aboriginal people in tiles, and is an outstanding monument to reconciliation. Charlotte Street is the main heritage precinct. Cooktown is the northern terminus of the Bicentennial Heritage Trail, which, at , is the longest trail of its type in the world. The southern end of the trail is at Healesville, Victoria, a town north-east of Melbourne.


Climate

Cooktown has a tropical savannah climate ( Köppen: Aw), with a hot, humid
wet season The wet season (sometimes called the rainy season or monsoon season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Generally, the season lasts at least one month. The term ''green season'' is also sometimes used a ...
between December and April and a very warm, less humid
dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The t ...
from May to November. Warm to hot weather is prevalent in all months, with average maxima ranging from in January to in July. Extreme temperatures have ranged from on 27 November 2018 to on 14 July 1958; combining data from the three weather stations in Cooktown: at the Post Office (1874–1987), at the Mission Strip (1942–2018) and the Airport (open since 2000). Annual rainfall averages , with a defined maximum in late summer. The highest daily rainfall in Cooktown has been on 22 January 1914 and the record monthly rainfall in January 1979. The driest calendar year was 2002 with only at the newer Cooktown Airport site.


See also

* Cooktown Airport


References


Sources

* Pike, Glenville (1979). ''Queen of the North: A Pictorial History of Cooktown and Cape York Peninsula''. G. Pike. . * Shay, John, ed. (2009). ''Cooktown Through the Years''. Edited John Shay, The Cooktown & District Historical Society. . *Scarth-Johnson, Vera. 2000. ''National Treasures: Flowering plants of Cooktown and Northern Australia''. Vera Scarth-Johnson Gallery Association, Cooktown. (pbk); Limited Edition – Leather Bound. *Sinclair, Don. 2005. ''Cooktown at War: A Record of Activities in Cooktown During World War II''. Edition 2. Cooktown and District Historical Society. First Edition 1997.


Further reading

*Aughton, Peter. 2002. ''Endeavour: The Story of Captain Cook's First Great Epic Voyage''. Cassell & Co., London. *Duyker, Edward. 1998. ''Nature's Argonaut: Daniel Solander 1733–1782: Naturalist and Voyager with Cook and Banks''. Melbourne University Press. *Edwards, Philip, ed. 2003. ''James Cook: The Journals''. Prepared from the original manuscripts by J.C. Beaglehole 1955–67. Penguin Books, London. *''Harbours & Marine: Port & Harbour Development in Queensland from 1824 to 1985''. 1986. Department of Harbours & Marine, Queensland. . *Hough, Richard. 1994. ''Captain James Cook: a biography''. Hodder and Stoughton, London. . * McIvor, Roy (2010). ''Cockatoo: My Life in Cape York. Stories and Art''. Roy McIvor. Magabala Books. Broome, Western Australia. . *Moon, Ron & Viv. 2003. ''Cape York: An Adventurer's Guide''. 9th edition. Moon Adventure Publications, Pearcedale, Victoria. *O'Brien, Patrick. 1987. ''Joseph Banks: A Life''. The Harvill Press, London. Paperback reprint, 1989. *Ryan, Michelle and Burwell, Colin, eds. 2000. ''Wildlife of Tropical North Queensland: Cooktown to Mackay''. Queensland Museum, Brisbane. . *Sydney Daily Telegraph. 1970. ''Captain Cook: His Artists – His Voyages''. The Sydney Daily Telegraph Portfolio of Original Works by Artists who sailed with Captain Cook. Australian Consolidated Press, Sydney. *Theroux, Paul. 2001. ''The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific ''. Penguin. London. or *Thomas, Nicholas. 2003. ''The Extraordinary Voyages of Captain James Cook''. Walker & Co., New York. *Wallace, Lennie. 2000. ''Nomads of the 19th Century Queensland Goldfields''. Central Queensland University Press, Rockhampton. *Wallace, Lennie. 2003. ''Cape York Peninsula: A History of Unlauded Heroes 1845–2003''. Central Queensland University Press, Rockhampton. *Williams, Glyndwr, ed. 1997. ''Captain Cook's Voyages: 1768–1779''. The Folio Society, London.


External links

* *
Cook Shire official websiteTourism Cape York website
Made by local Aboriginal people telling their story and Cooktown's history in ceramic tiles

{{authority control Coastal towns in Queensland Populated places in Far North Queensland Shire of Cook Queensland in World War II Localities in Queensland