The Big Reef World Premiere
Charlotte Street (high/main road)
Captain James Cook Monument
Looking Towards Post Office & Endeavour River
Tribute to The Palmer Gold Rush
Palmer River Miner Tribute
View of Cooktown from North Rd
A production for national television was filmed in town with quite a few of the locals given roles in the show. As payback the producers chose the Cooktown foreshore for a free open air theatre to premiere the film to the town.
This is the view with the river behind the shot looking down the main street of town. Left and right of the stretch in view you can find mostly historical buildings from the 19th century.
This shot is taken from the plane as it is coming to land at Cooktown airport. Just as impressive as the drive through the Daintree is the flight over it.
At the end of the main street is the Lions Park stretching all the way up to the Wharf. Whether you want an early morning run, evening walk or even catch the Saturday morning markets if you're in the mood for shopping.
We shouldn't really be giving away the location of our local beach but as you’re a guest in town we shouldn't be greedy. Finch Bay is a small bay that is only a short distance from the centre of town on the sea side of the peninsula. The more adventurous can even walk further on to Cherry Tree Bay for even more seclusion. Beware of Marine Stingers between October to April.
During the wet season sometimes the rivers can flood to the point where they become close to impassable. Seen here is the Endeavour flowing fast and high after some wet season rain. Sometimes the rivers will get too high but not often and only for a day or so.
In 1885 Cooktown residents feared a Russian Invasion. As there were no defences in town a request for this cannon, ammunition and an officer were wired to the Premier of the day. This cannon, cast in Scotland in 1803, was brought up and to this day is still fired durig the Discovery Festival.
This man needs no explaining to most of us in the Commonwealth. Near the original landing site is this monument to Cook who was without doubt one of the most courageous and adventourous men in history.
The monument dates from 1887 and is to celebrate the landing in 1770. It is down on the foreshore very close to the spot which would have been the original landing site where they stayed from Jun 17 to Aug 4 1770.
This is your average Cooktown Street. This is Green St looking down to the Post Office with the river in the background.
Throughout the 1870's the area inland of Cooktown, which includes Palmer River, was the focus of a massive gold rush. Cooktown was the main port servicing the area.
With gold came development and at the height of the rush Cooktown had a population of tens of thousands of people. The prosperity brought by beng close to these goldfields allowed many of the historic buildings you see today be built as the local economy boomed in the 1870's
For those visitors heading from Lakefield National Park and Laura this will be the first you will see of Cooktown as you get nearer.
