Captain Cook Memorial

First to come across Australia that is. Not counting the aborigines who were already here. Some think it was the Chinese. But we’re all pretty sure it was Dutchman William Janszoon on the Dufyjen in 1606. We learnt a lot about the Dutch explorers on our last trip along the coast of Western Australia. But Captain Cook really nailed it in 1770 right here in Cooktown. And what a great place to run aground! It’s a lovely town these days.

View of Cooktown and Endeavour River from Grassy Hill

But you can see it’s another overcast and rainy day. Here’s another view from the harbour……

Endeavour River

Definitely took my raincoat today. We did a full “towny” which included the Cooktown Botanic Gardens. I thought this might be a neat little community project about the size of a suburban block. But the gardens are an extensive range of the most amazing collection of plants, and trees, many being very mature. The gardens were started in the 1800s in an attempt to reduce the expanding market gardens of the chinese who were here in large numbers with thousands of others to find fortune in the Palmer Goldfields. How times change. I think a little more Bok Choy in our diets would be great!

Endeavour River

I took the pic (above) before the rain set in actually. And the one below of the  Sovereign Resort. Maybe one day I could stay somewhere nice like that!!

Sovereign Resort

After it rained a whole lot more and the clouds had cleared, we went and did something we never thought we’d do on this trip. We played golf. Yep. It’s a nice nine holes, quite protected from the wind. But then the wind dropped off about 5pm and the Mozzie Massacre was on again. I bailed on the seventh hole. My score was high enough.

Then overnight, Cooktown gave us its best dose of the “bullets”. This is the local speak for bursts of wind that come rushing through town like mini cyclones. Then they disappear and all goes quiet. Then it starts again. This goes on all night. I woke up exhausted for all the wrong reasons.