Still in Cooktown

This is a really interesting place! Talk about history! Cooktown is as old as Australia is
itself. Where Captain Cook came ashore to repair damage done to the Endeavour after
grounding on the reef in 1770.

 There is a wonderful museum here housed in a beautiful old victorian building which was originally a convent in 1889. It holds the Endeavour's anchor and one of it's cannon along with a complete history of the region.

In the 1870's, once gold was found in the region it became a boom town with 50 hotels at one time. It was also the first port of call for ships coming into Australia from the north. Some of the buildings are 130 years old and are restored immaculately.

The Botanic Gardens were established in the early days and commenced in 1878 when the chinese gardens was established. The gardens were allocated 62.3 hectares (154 acres) and are the 2nd oldest botanic gardens in queensland. Many of the original plants are still there to be seen and the drains, wells and pools are still in use today.