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Cooktown | Elim Beach | Hope Vale
Aboriginal Tours | Beaches, Waterfalls & Swimming Holes | Fishing & Boating | History & Museums | National Parks & Walking Trails | Scenic Drives & Lookouts | Wildlife & Birdwatching
Cooktown Highlights Itinerary
Plan three nights for history, Aboriginal tours, fishing and Cape York
Cooktown
4WD Adventures | Indigenous Culture & Heritage | National Parks & Walking Trails | Wildlife & Birdwatching
Black Mountain National Park, (Kalkajaka N.P.)
Mysterious granite mountains, rich in Kuku Yalanji myths and legends
Cape York Peninsula | Cooktown | Lakefield
4WD Adventures | Fishing & Boating | Indigenous Culture & Heritage | National Parks & Walking Trails | Wildlife & Birdwatching
Cape Melville National Park
Remote coastline, granite boulders and sandstone escarpments
Cooktown | Rainforest Coast
4WD Adventures | Indigenous Culture & Heritage | National Parks & Walking Trails | Wildlife & Birdwatching
Cedar Bay National Park
Remote coastal park south of Cooktown, with rainforest, beaches and wildlife
Cooktown
4WD Adventures | Indigenous Culture & Heritage | Island & Reef Experiences | National Parks & Walking Trails | Wildlife & Birdwatching
Hope Islands National Park
Two coral cays: mangrove-fringed West Hope and sandy East Hope Island
Cape York Peninsula | Cooktown | Lakefield | Laura
4WD Adventures | Fishing & Boating | Indigenous Culture & Heritage | National Parks & Walking Trails | Wildlife & Birdwatching
Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park
Vast Cape York wetlands with waterbirds, crocodiles and barramundi
Cape York Peninsula | Cooktown
4WD Adventures | Beaches, Waterfalls & Swimming Holes | Fishing & Boating | History & Culture | Indigenous Culture & Heritage | Island & Reef Experiences | National Parks & Walking Trails | Wildlife & Birdwatching
Lizard Island
Six islands in the Great Barrier Reef, with beaches, trails and snorkelling
Cape York Peninsula | Cooktown | Lakefield | Laura
4WD Adventures | History & Culture | Indigenous Culture & Heritage | National Parks & Walking Trails | Scenic Drives & Lookouts | Wildlife & Birdwatching
The Great Tropical Drive Discovery Trail
2-day Cooktown–Laura loop through Lakefield National Park and Quinkan country
Cooktown
History & Culture | History & Museums
Cooktown School of Art Society Inc/Elizabeth Guzsely Gallery
View and buy original local art in oils, acrylics, pastels and more
Cooktown
History & Culture | History & Museums | Indigenous Culture & Heritage
Cooktown History Centre
Explore Cooktown history through stories, photos, archives and research
Cape York Peninsula | Cooktown | Laura
History & Culture | History & Museums | Indigenous Culture & Heritage
Museums and Galleries
Explore Cooktown’s heritage buildings, museums, galleries and local art
Lakefield | Laura
History & Culture | History & Museums | Indigenous Culture & Heritage
Quinkan Cultural Centre, Laura
Explore Quinkan rock art, local heritage and Aboriginal arts in Laura
Cooktown
History & Culture | History & Museums
Cooktown Creative Arts Association
Local art and crafts for sale, plus workshops, at the Old Railway Station
Cooktown
History & Museums
Cooktown Museum
Explore Cooktown’s history in a restored convent, from Cook to gold rush
Cooktown
History & Museums | Wildlife & Birdwatching
Vera Scarth-Johnson Gallery
Explore Vera Scarth-Johnson’s botanic works and Banks Florilegium engravings
Cooktown
History & Museums
The Old Bank, Cooktown
Heritage-listed 1891 bank with magnificent red cedar counters in Cooktown
Cooktown
History & Culture | Indigenous Culture & Heritage | Scenic Drives & Lookouts
Grassy Hill – The Radar Station
Grassy Hill’s vantage point hosted ship-to-shore radio and wartime radar
Lakefield | Laura
Aboriginal Tours | History & Culture | Indigenous Culture & Heritage
Jarramali Rock Art Tours
Explore Quinkan Rock Art with Kuku-Yalanji traditional owners near Laura
Cooktown
History & Culture | Indigenous Culture & Heritage
Cook’s Landing – Fast Facts
Endeavour's ordeal, repairs, first contact and reconciliation in Cooktown
Cooktown
History & Culture | History & Museums | Indigenous Culture & Heritage
Cooktown Cemetery
Explore diverse historic graves, cultural stories and gold rush mysteries
Cooktown | Lakefield | Laura
History & Culture | Indigenous Culture & Heritage
Cooktown Railway
Gold rush railway from Cooktown to Laura, operating from 1885 to 1961
Cooktown | Lakefield | Laura
History & Culture | Indigenous Culture & Heritage
The Gold Rush
The 1873 Palmer River gold rush transformed Cooktown into a boomtown
Cooktown
History & Culture | Indigenous Culture & Heritage | Scenic Drives & Lookouts
Grassy Hill – The Lighthouse
Built in 1886, Grassy Hill lighthouse guided ships through Cooktown's reef
Cooktown
History & Culture | History & Museums | Indigenous Culture & Heritage | Island & Reef Experiences
Mary Watson
A tragic 1881 escape from Lizard Island ended in thirst and loss