Downtown Cooktown Crooktown Hooktown

Our family has developed a somewhat interesting relationship with Captain James Cook while we've been on the road. It all started from Sydney's Botany Bay, for us on Australia Day 2015 and for Cook quite a few years earlier of course. We were lucky to be able to spend some time in La Perouse and Kurnell while in Sydney a few months back, and this is where we first discussed Captain Cook and Australia's indigenous history with the children. Our five-year-old insisted on calling him Pirate Hook no matter how many times I gently reminded her of his real name.  Well, a home schooling lesson well learned and never to be forgotten with nicknames and all, I thought at the time, after visiting Cook's first landing place and his memorial.

But when travelling up Queensland coast, even the Phantom will be haunted by Captain Crook Cook, appearing in the form of numerous memorials and place names. The name of the Town of Seventeen Seventy, of course, marks Captain's second landing on the east coast in the year of 1770. And we've learnt that the singing ship in Emu Park is standing there, marking Cook's discovery of the Capricorn Coast. Thus by the time we reached Cooktown in far north Queensland, I was rather bored with all things Captain Cook, and thought I wouldn't even like the place. But what a pleasant surprise Cooktown was! The Endeavour River - yes, here we go again, lack of imagination I say - was a great spot for fishing as soon as I relaxed slightly about children and crocodiles and stories about dogs going missing... And Mount Cook does give a beautiful backdrop to this charming little town. ALL the memorials in Cooktown commemorating Captain Cook, his crew and their contact with the first Australians also proved to be very informative, even creative and entertaining, and I truly fell in love with this small historical town.

I doubt it if I met any of Captain's (or his crew's) descendants while in town, but we were warmly welcomed by the Aboriginal people of the area, who were more than happy to teach our children a few words of local Guugu Yimithirr language too, the most famous of them probably being gangurru, which was originally recorded by Captain Cook as "Kanguru". Somewhat ironically though, even the Guugu Yimithirr people introduced themselves to us as "Hope Vale mob" instead of by their true country name. Perhaps that says something about our (white) attitudes and ignorance towards Aboriginal culture and language? But as we have seen in the last few years, there seems to be a very welcome trend towards re-introducing indigenous names alongside the Anglo-Australian place names. So maybe Cooktown will one day also be known as Gangaar?

- M -

Long time no see, but we hear about you all the time, Captain Cook.

Celebrating the origin of the word kangaroo - Cooktown style

Awaiting for this day to come. Recognition, respect, reconciliation. Milbi wall, Cooktown.

I'm not sure if I should feel any different having followed on Captain's footsteps, but here I was, standing in the exact spot of landing.

This is true work of art: a ship-shaped monument that allows children (or anyone!) to make music as it is fitted with marimbas, thongaphones, tok-toks, chimes and doof (bass drum).

Fishing at Endeavour River.