Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Cooktown definitely rates as one of my favourite places we've visited so far, and has really surprised us. It's so laid back and easy going, and everyone's just so friendly. It's a tropical paradise that the hustle and bustle of the rest of mainstream life has forgotten and left behind, and if it wasn't for the crocodiles trying to kill you, and the sand flies trying to eat you alive (in smaller bite size pieces), and snakes in your garden that could swallow you whole, it would be the ideal place to live. It's funny, because it's so remote, and yet it's so welcoming and friendly, that you forget you're so far from the rest of the 'civilised' world. They've realised their future relies on tourism, and they've grabbed hold of it with both hands. Everything is neat and tidy and well cared for, and their parks and gardens and open spaces are some of the very best we've seen... I now wish we'd stayed here for the week that we had planned to, but there's no doubt in my mind we'll be back. And it's not just that we've had two gloriously beautiful days to explore it in. There's much more to see, and it makes a perfect base from which to travel the Cape, and part of the outback along the Savannah Way. Cooktown will be a major focus of one of our future trips, I'm sure...
Things started slowly this morning, which I think is how they're meant to happen up here. We slowly ambled out of bed, doddered our way through breakfast, and before we realised it, it was 9 o'clock. We made our way down town to the James Cook Museum, as it was the focus of the history and heritage behind the town and how it started. They like to claim here that Cooktown was the first European settlement on Australia, as Cook was stranded her for 47 days while they repaired the Endeavour. It's a technicality, but to each their own. The museum doesn't just delve into Cook though, it goes right through the Palmer River gold rush, the full establishment and expansion of the town, the massive chinese immigration and the true story behind the troubles with the indigenous clans from the day the Europeans arrived. It's very comprehensive, very detailed and a truly exceptional record of their complete history. We loved it, even the boys. There was a DVD playing while we were there, about Captain Cooks explorations, and the boys were captivated. A notice on the tv issued a warning that the DVD was very addictive, and to be aware, it's three and a half hours long. We couldn't stay that long, so Jeremy purchased the DVD to be able to continue watching the story...
We'd spoken to the park managers yesterday, about doing a drive out to some of the waterfalls or sights of natural significance in the area. It was their advice that although there were many such places, one of the best was the Bloomfield Falls back down the Bloomfield track. We'd heard that before, and tried to get there from Cape Tribulation, but ran out of daylight before we made it. So today, we did the other half of the Bloomfield track, and went to the falls. We followed the Mulligan Highway out of Cooktown for about 30km, and turned left on the Bloomfield Rossville Road. This marked the start (or end) of the famous Bloomfield Track. I've got to say from the beginning, that the road is very disappointing. It's a gorgeous drive, through mountain ranges and valleys, along the edge of rivers and through beautiful rainforest, but it's meant to be a challenging 4wd track, and it's not. Not even close. It's sealed bitumen for a long section, and even when it's dirt, it's two lanes wide and graded perfectly flat and smooth. They were doing road works on it when we went through, and I believe, the next time we do it, it will be sealed all the way to Wujal Wujal. Probably not to Cape Tribulation, but most of the way... We stopped at the famous and historic Lions Den Hotel, and bought an icecream. The next time we see it, it will probably be a Gloria Jeans or McCafe... The amount of traffic we encountered was amazing, the towns through there are quite substantial, and the whole experience was very different to what I was expecting. Not bad, just different. I wonder if some of the 4wding in Cape York is exaggerated like the Bloomfield Track? Anyway, we made it to the river rather quickly, and without needing to engage 4wd at all. We walked to the falls, and had lunch on a little beach at the base of the waterhole. The water was crystal clear, and the day was hot and sunny, but not once were we tempted to go for a swim. We'd seen photos of a local resident in one of the shops, and we didn't want to meet him up close and personal, so we stayed well away from the waters edge. We spent a bit of time croc spotting along the river, and we reckon we spotted some, but it was a bit too far to know for sure. The causeway at the Bloomfield River, which we were advised not to attempt without a snorkel, is now a concrete bridge. It's still at river level, but check out the photos, and you'll see how deep it isn't. We crossed it twice, just to be able to say we have, and so Jo could take the photos. It might be different after heavy rain, or at high tide, but I'm not sure, I think it's all a ruse...
A short drive back home to Cooktown, and we discovered the best souvenier shop we've ever encountered. The Croc Shop in the main street, sells everything Cape York and Cooktown. Anything and everything to do with crocodiles and cane toads, you name it, they have it. Which is another funny observation... The town doesn't have a supermarket, not even a small IGA, but they have THE most comprehensive souvenier shop in far north queensland! They know the money's in tourism...
Our plan tonight is to get a couple of takeaway pizzas from a genuine little italian restaurant, and take them up to the lookout to watch the sun go down. It's meant to be very impressive, and we're headed out now. I'll be sure to post some photos, so you get an idea for what we're having to deal with...
Ciao, for now...
- comments