COOKTOWN

---

Wow what a picturesque part of Australia! Cooktown has everything that makes a place pretty. Rainforest, heaps of waterfalls, rivers ,creeks, ocean, mountains, bush, great cheap prawns fresh from the trawler and the list goes on.

Started off at the "Lions Den Hotel" a great iconic pup with lots of memorabilia and writing all over the walls. The pizza was Yum!

We then headed off to "Endeavour River Escape" which we thought was perfect! So we stayed here for 5 nights while we explored Cooktown and surrounds. They have large private camp sites and excellent amenities. Aswell as camping they breed Clydsdale Horses and have a passionfruit plantation on their 250 acres.

Cooktown centre itself had plenty of touristy things to see like the captain cook monument and the lighthouse. We also couldn't pass up the fresh cooked tiger prawns direct from the trawler itself for $17kg! They were great!

A Day trip to Lakefield National Park was of course more dirt road and corrugations but still quite a scenic drive along battlecamp rd. We stopped and looked at Isabella falls on the way and let Max cool off in the water. Then on to Horseshoe Lagoon and the Old Laura Homestead. It was a good day trip but mostly cattle station country and that is pretty much all you see on the cape trip too. Time to get out of this dry red dirt!

We day tripped into Hope Vale Aboriginal Communtity and got ourselves a permit to go to Elim Beach. It was a nice drive with some stunning views of the ocean and a walk at the end for the dog to the coloured sand bluffs. Unfortunately the Arts and Cultural Centre which we also went there for was shut!

Like I said there are lots of waterfalls around here so we have been to most of them. The drive into Trevethan Falls was a bit rugged and then the walk in you need to be a bit of a mountain goat but it is one of the better ones. If you can find it it is worth the drive. Have learnt that signs are few and far between up here and directions and tourist maps are very vague and often completely inacurate! It's all part of the adventure!

All this time he has been trying very hard to catch fish...almost everywhere we go he is trying! Not much luck lately. It's too cold this year up here is what everyone is saying. Also not as easy for land based fishermen who are trying to avoid being chomped! Always windy too.

---

Photos

Archer on Archer Point
Tried fishing here on an old warf down from this lookout..no luck.

Endeavour River Escape
Peter helped feed the horses with the owners. I was too scared to go through the fence. Eventually they all got me in there. Don't know what I was so worried about, they were lovely and more interested in their food than me!

Passionfruit Plantation
They harvest twice a year and ship 3500 boxes each time.

Isabella Falls
Small but nice. The dog enjoyed a dip here!

At Least someone has bothered to write a sign
It's always nice when there is something letting you know you are going the right way.

Comments

[Mary Foster]

Cooktown
Hi Kylie and Peter, I love reading your blogs. I have been to Cooktown and loved every minute of it. Your pivtures brought back many great memories. You sure are having many adventures. and seeing our wonderful country. Keep going and safe travelling. Love Mary