Cooktown, Queensland

From ArticleWorld

The site of Cooktown, Queensland, located in the north of eastern Australia was the landing point for the HMS Endeavour in June, 1770, and marked the British discovery of the continent. The ship, captained by James Cook, was not in good shape and the finding of a safe harbour in which to repair the vessel and gather fresh supplies was fortuitous. The arrival and the subsequent recording of the event via journals and illustration was the first documentation of the local indigenous peoples, the Aboriginals, the Guugu Yimithirr tribe in this case. Botanist Joseph Banks collected many specimens of plants new and unusual.

After seven weeks, the ship set sail but not before Cook claimed the eastern coast of Australia for Britain. He named the river on which they had entered the “Endeavour”. It was to be another fifty years before the next expedition to the area took place, this time by Captain Philip King and botanist Allan Cunningham.

Gold

The next big event in the history of Cooktown was the discovery of gold in 1872 by William Hann. The subsequent gold rush bought prospectors from all over the world to the Endeavour River and the need for a port resulted in the building of a township at the site of modern Cooktown. Over 15 500 kg of gold was found from 1873 to 1890 and the port of Cooktown was the export and import point for the thriving goldfields. Hotels, guest houses and pubs as well as grog houses and brothels met the needs of the prospectors and the population of the area numbered 11 000 at its peak.

Conflict broke out between the prospectors, the Chinese, many of whom had come to dig for gold but soon established market gardens, and the local Aboriginals. Because of their unfamiliarity with guns, the latter had no idea of the danger they were in and were slaughtered in large numbers.

Train tracks and bridges opened up the area and in 1886, Lutheran missionaries established missions for the Aboriginal people who had been living in terrible conditions on the town edge.

Changing fortunes

Once the gold started dwindling, the population of the area decreased as well. Two major fires in 1875 and 1919 and a cyclone in 1907 destroyed much of what had been a prosperous town. Not until the Second World War did the area revive somewhat with the establishment of an airfield and the stationing of 20 000 Australian and American soldiers. Many of the local population, however, were moved further south, supposedly for the duration of the war but the majority of them never returned. In 1949, another cyclone and the closing of the rail link in 1961, the population declined further.

In recent times, however, the town has become a popular tourist attraction, boasts modern facilities and offers a laid back, healthy lifestyle. Tourists visit the area for its tropical environment, history and as a stopover on trips to the Great Barrier Reef. It is also one end of the Bicentennial Trail, which is 5 330 km long.