Cairns, Port Douglas and Far North Qld
Cairns, Port Douglas and Far North Qld
Cape York Peninsula
Cape York Peninsula, one of the world's last accessible wilderness areas, was the first part of Australia to be mentioned in written history. The earliest recorded visits were by Dutch and Spanish explorers during the 1600s, and in 1770 James Cook proclaimed British sovereignty over the east coast of Terra Australis by raising the flag on Possession Island in the Torres Strait. Despite its headstart in history, the Cape remains a land of few people and prolific wildlife living in rugged mountains, eucalypt, mangrove and rain forests, woodlands, heathlands, grasslands, swamps and mighty rivers. Its 11 million hectares extend 1,000km to the north of Cairns to the tip of Cape York Peninsula. Beyond Cooktown, most residents live in Aboriginal and cattle station communities and in small mining towns dotted among large national parks.
For all its isolation, the Cape presents a holiday choice of a challenging adventure or a comfortable sightseeing experience. If you've a desire to explore, take advantage of one of the many guided safari and off-road expeditions or join in your own vehicle. Experienced off-road drivers can camp by billabongs or waterfalls, cross rivers, fish for barramundi and watch out for crocodiles near the coast. Depending on weather conditions, day, overnight or extended land safaris, air tours and cruises offer a choice of Cape York experiences including the east coast islands and reefs.
There is a range of accommodation at Cooktown, lodges at Lizard Island and the tip of Cape York, motels at Weipa and Thursday Island, caravan parks and accommodation at some communities. Close to Bamaga at the northern end of the Cape, you'll find unique resorts and campsites. Bamaga is easily accessible by daily flights from Cairns. Cooktown was founded as the port for the Palmer River goldfields more than a century after Captain Cook spent 48 days on the banks of the Endeavour River repairing his ship after it was holed on a reef off Cape Tribulation. Every June the town celebrates its status as Australia's first, if brief, European settlement at a Discovery Festival which includes a colourful re-enactment of Cook's landing.
James Cook Museum, built in 1888 as a convent school run by Irish nuns, covers Cook's voyages, Aboriginal and natural history, the gold rush days and their Chinese legacy. The small settlement at Laura has a biennial festival of Aboriginal dance and culture and offers year-round tours of ancestoral paintings in natural rock galleries.
