Cooktown

Introduction

Cooktown's Post Office

© Utrecht

Cooktown is a town located at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia, where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs in 1770. It has a population of about 2,400. Both the town and Mount Cook (431 metres) which rises up behind the town were named after James Cook. It is the northernmost town on the east coast of Australia and was founded on 25 October 1873 as a supply port for the goldfields along the Palmer River. It was called 'Cook's Town' until 1 June 1874.

Sights and Activities

James Cook Statue

James Cook statue, Cooktown

© Utrecht

The James Cook Statue was donated by BP Australia to the people of Cooktown. The bronze statue is the work of the Australian sculptor Stanley Hammond. A large granite rock on the foreshore bears a plaque with the inscription "This cairn marks the spot where Captain James Cook beached his barque HMS Endeavour in the year 1770". The statue is locted in Bicentennial Park, the pleasant but small park in Cooktown along the entrance of the Endeavour River.

Weather

Cooktown has a tropical climate with warm and humid conditions year round. From May to October is the dry time of year and the best time for a visit with temperatures usually between 25 °C and 28 °C and nights around 18 °C. From November to April it is hotter and more humid and heavy rain is possible. The wet season is also prone to hurricanes, though definately not every year. Temperatures during these months are mostly between 30 °C and 34 °C with nights around 24 °C.

Cooktown Lighthouse

© Utrecht

Getting There

By Plane

Skytrans Airlines offers regular flights to/from Cairns, from the Cooktown Airport (CTN).

By Car

You can reach Cooktown by car, taking the inland sealed road or the much rougher coastal Bloomfield Track. The latter one is only possible by 4wd vehicle and might be impassable during the wet season.

By Bus

Buses travel between Cairns and several other towns and Cooktown, both along the coast (high clearance 4wd buses) or inland sealed road.

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafés are very common in the larger Australian cities and popular tourist destinations. However, once you leave the major population centres, you might have trouble finding somewhere to log on. Free wifi is getting more and more common (either with or without a code) in places like restaurants, some bars and coffee places and hotels. Sometimes a fee is required.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

Australia is on a GSM 900/1800 network, so if you have an unlocked phone that works on those frequencies, you will be able to buy a prepaid SIM-card and stick into your phone when you're in Australia. You will receive a new Australian phone number with the SIM-card.

To dial out of Australia use the prefix 0011, followed by the calling code of the country you are trying to reach, followed by the area code of the city/town (without the 0!) and finally the phone number.

Within Australia, it is necessary to add an area code to the phone numbers if you are calling from outside the area. Below are Australia's area codes:

• 02 - New South Wales & Australian Capital Territory (Sydney, Canberra)
• 03 - Victoria & Tasmania (Melbourne, Hobart)
• 07 - Queensland (Brisbane)
• 08 - Western Australia, South Australia & Northern Territory (Perth, Adelaide, Darwin)

000 is the emergency telephone number in Australia, but the international GSM mobile emergency telephone number 112 also works on mobile phones.

Post

Australia Post is the government's postal service. Most suburbs will have at least one post office. Opening times are mostly from around 8:00 or 9:00am to 5:00pm though larger ones keep longer hours sometimes. A standard letter or postcard sent within Australia will cost $0.60. Internationally, it costs $1.70 to send postcards anywhere in the world. Letters cost $1.85 to send within the Asia Pacific region and $2.60 to anywhere else in the world.^[1]. It is also possible to send things as parcels or by express mail. You can also use use private courier companies like TNT, UPS or DHL as they are competitive and reliable.

External Links

• Cook Shire Official Website