Cooktown and Cape York Expo 2021

A ten day festival from June 11th -20th of reconciliation and celebrating the 250th anniversary of the arrival of HM Bark Endeavour and Lt James Cook into the Endeavour River. The festival should have taken place last year.

Cooktown was our home town for 15 years when we ran Mungumby Lodge. It is a spectacular setting. Looking north over the Endeavour River to Mt Saunders and beyond, the view is exactly the same as that which greeted the weary sailors when they struggled into the estuary in June 1770.

Cooktown is one of the great historical sites in Australia where the Aboriginal people and the Europeans were able to observe one another over a period of time. The south bank of the Endeavour River (original name Waalumbaal Birri) was a neutral ground where the clans could come together to trade and for ceremonies without bloodshed. Such was the power of aboriginal law at this site that the  ship's crew were protected from harm.

Cook and his crew nearly came to grief when they struck the reef off Cape Tribulation but found shelter in the beautiful inlet that is the Endeavour River. There they were careened for 6 weeks while they repaired the massive hokle in the ship's hull. The only reason that they did not sink was that the sharp lump of reef had broken off and was wedged in the hull.

Visit Cooktown to experience the magic of Cape York Peninsular. The town has a marvellous pioneer museum in the old convent, a botanical garden and Nature's Powerhouse which houses the botanic paintings of Vera Scarth-Johnson. 

Here is the link to the festival website. 

Drive to Cooktown on the inland road via Lakeland Downs

Return to Cairns via Cape Tribulation