On Feb 28, 2024, we anchored at Cooktown, a coastal town of approximately 2,500 people, that is located on the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. Cooktown is famous as the site of the first “white” settlement in Australia when Captain James Cook, having struck the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cape Tribulation struggled up the coast and beached the H.M. Barque Endeavor on the shores of the Endeavor River. He and his crew spent 48 days on the shore repairing the barque before he could continue his journey.

We took a cruise excursion up the Endeavor River and heard about the fishing boats that still catch fish on the river as a business. The cruise took us among many mangrove areas bordering the river that are home to large crocodile.

The town of Cooktown is small and has become a popular northern point for those wanting to make the long and difficult trip to the top of Cape York. It has a number of statues of Captain Cook.