Cooktown QLD Queensland Australia
Australia

53 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Azamara Club Cruises (11 Cruises)

Oceania Cruises (14 Cruises)

Regent Seven Seas Cruises (28 Cruises)


Frequently Asked Questions

Small ships tie up at the town wharf on the Endeavour River estuary. Larger vessels anchor offshore and land passengers by tender. Cooktown remains a call for smaller and expedition ships.
Yes, a ten-minute walk brings you to Charlotte Street, the main street, lined with verandah pubs, gold-rush-era buildings and giant fig trees.
Because in June 1770 the Endeavour, holed on the Great Barrier Reef, was brought up the estuary for repairs. The crew spent seven weeks here. The town grew from that mishap and carries the navigator's name.
Two relics recovered from the wreck site by divers in 1969: an anchor and a cannon thrown overboard to lighten the Endeavour. Housed in a former brick convent, the museum also covers the Guugu Yimithirr people, whose language gave the world the word kangaroo.
Yes: the hill, topped by a small iron lighthouse, gives a full circle view over the estuary, the Coral Sea and the savannah hills. Cook himself climbed it looking for a way through the reefs. Allow half an hour of steady climbing from town, or take the excursion shuttle.
No, swimming is not advised, including at the pretty cove of Cherry Tree Bay: saltwater crocodiles use these waters. This is a walking and history call, not a beach one.
The James Cook Museum first, then the climb to Grassy Hill, and a wander along Charlotte Street and the riverfront. The botanic gardens, among Queensland's oldest, round out the morning if time allows.
Early morning or late afternoon. North Queensland's tropical heat makes the climb demanding at midday, and there is little shade on the trail.
Australian dollars and English. Cards work in shops and cafés, but carry a little cash: services in a town at the end of the sealed coast road are limited.
The dry season, May to October: more bearable heat, passable roads and kinder seas for tender landings. The wet season, November to April, brings heavy heat, storms and possible cyclones.