THE locals will tell you Cooktown was Australia's first tourist resort. And they're right, if Lieutenant James Cook and his crew count as the first tourists.

In 1770 Cook stayed seven weeks in Cooktown on Queensland's lower Cape York Peninsula, repairing the damaged ship the Endeavour. It was the longest period Europeans had ever spent on Australian soil.

These days Cooktown enjoys a steady flow of visitors, although it is not what you would term over-run. The historical and natural attractions of the town and surrounds are well preserved, offering travellers an authentic experience untainted by commercialism.

In 1874, at the height of the Palmer River gold rush, the town buzzed with people and wealth. There were 94 hotels and every service provider imaginable. Today things are much more laid back. About 2,000 people live in the district and the locals will tell newcomers to town that there are only five pubs: three on the way up Charlotte Street and two on the way back!

Spending an hour or two in one of them is a great way to meet the characters and orientate yourself when you first arrive.

Cooktown is a quirky place - there's a message tree outside the post office to which all manner of news is fixed. The trunk is plastered in everything from "houses for rent" to community information and town gossip.

It's the quintessential tropical north small town; mango and frangipani trees line the ultra-wide streets where Queenslander houses and colonial architecture stand in varying states of decay, all amid a strong historical air.

One of the best ways to see the town is with Cooktown Tours. Local expert guide Mal Coventry escorts two tours in his comfortable air conditioned coach. Both the Historical Town Tour and the Black Mountain/Lion's Den Tour are excellent.

The Historic Town Tour is a comprehensive 90 minutes, taking in the historic buildings of the town, the lighthouse and magic view from Grassy Hill, the exotically planted botanical gardens and the fascinating pioneer cemetery containing the graves of the earliest settlers.

Mal's alternative tour takes you out of town to see the surrounding countryside. Highlights are the Annan River, the mysterious Black Mountains - a 1000 foot high stack of massive granite boulders and the rustic Lion's Den timber slab pub, where you can enjoy a cold beer and sign your name on the pub walls just as thousands have done before you.

One piece of graffiti simply states "we came, we saw, we drank and drank and drank!". The Lion's Den is just that sort of place - and you can safely have a few quiet ales in the knowledge that Mal's the driver!

Other tour operators run Great Barrier Reef fishing, diving, snorkelling and seaplane tours from Cooktown Harbour.

A self-guided tour should include the Cooktown Museum, the Endeavour River Gallery and the bushwalking trails of Mount Cook. A half-day trip to swim in Trevethan falls is also recommended. Don't be surprised to see the brilliant blue Ulysses Butterfly flashing in and out of the lush foliage surrounding the falls. 

There are a number of motels and a backpacker lodge on offer. Top of the range is the four star Sovereign Resort on Charlotte St. The resort was developed out of the Sovereign Hotel (built in 1874), which in typical Cooktown style was affectionately dubbed the Half Sovereign when part of it was cyclone damaged in the 1940s. The resort's facilities include well-appointed air conditioned rooms (some with views of the harbour), a swimming pool, an open air veranda restaurant and stylish bar area. 

Hillcrest guest house offers bed and breakfast style lodgings amid tropical gardens. Either stay in the main guest house or a private unit. Guests can enjoy the magnificent walk-in bird aviary, the pool and restaurant and an art gallery featuring the work of local artists.

Backpackers are well catered for at Pam's Place with a choice of dormitory style rooms to air-conditioned double or twin room with bar fridges.

More 

• Cooktown & Cape York
• Driving tours
• Cairns region accommodation 
• Getting around
  

Share this article