Cooktown
Cooktown is a small frontier town located in the far north of Tropical North Queensland. About 1300 people live in the town itself, while approximately another 4000 in the region use it as a service region. Cooktown serves as a trade centre for the surrounding regions with industries that include mining, mineral exploration, cattle grazing, fishing and tourism. Cooktown boasts a unique character that is evidenced from its years of geographical isolation and hard-living, but it is its local charm that makes it all the more appealing. Cooktown is four hours drive north of Cairns in Far North Queensland, there are two roads from Cairns, the coast road and the inland road. The coast road (approx 235km) is more scenic route, involves a ferry, river crossing and gravel roads and is best undertaken in a 4wd. The inland road (approx 326km) is now mostly bitumen and can be driven by conventional vehicles.
Cooktown’s superb tropical climate ensures that the weather is also “perfect”. The period April to December where rainfall is at its lowest is enhanced by fresh tropical breezes. With daily sunshine averaging around 7 hours, and a maximum average temperature of around 27°C, assures perfect conditions. The Wet season from January to March provides the best time to see both the rainforest and the outback savannah in all their glory.
Cooktown is Australia’s first non-indigenous settlement, discovered and settled by Captain Cook and his crew in 1770. In the 1870’s Cooktown was established as a port for the Palmer River gold rush.
The Guugu Yimithirr name for the region, Gan.gaarr, means “(place of the) rock crystals, “as quartz crystals, which were used in various Aboriginal ceremonies, are found in the vicinity and used to be traded at least as far south as Mossman.
Cook town is also the terminus of the Bicentennial Heritage Trail, which, at 5330km is the longest trail of its type in the world. The southern end of the Trail is at Healsville, 52km north-east of Melbourne.