We made it to (Captain) Cooktown!

 May 14:  First stop was the Cooktown jetty at the end of the main street.  Danny scored some bait from a local, but the fish were not biting unfortunately.
Then we popped into the glorious Cooktown Hotel for lunch and met Dale, a Rodeo bull rider who is head stockman on a large property near Mt Isa. 
He'd won lots of competitions in his younger days and now in his early forties, he's having his last hoorah. 

  

May 15:  We walked around town and visited the historical society, cemetary and all the monuments. We especially liked the one with kangaroo head fountain spouts. 


As you would expect, it is a town with a rich history - from Captain Cook to the Gold Rush where the town's population peeked at 4000.

The people are very friendly and we stayed in town at the Cooktown Orchid Holiday Park.  It wasn't 4 star (maybe 3?)  but was small and convenient.

 I visited the old convent, now the Captain Cook Museum.  We had a fish n chip dinner at the Bowls Club and a drink at the very cute RSL.

 

May 16:  The walk up to Grassy Hill was steep, but the view was great from the top and so was the old lighthouse.

Then we walked through the rainforest to Cherry Tree Bay and then down to the Botanical Gardens.
When we got back to the caravan park, it was still windy - had been for the past 2 days.  At night, Keith rocked....from the strong gusts. 

So the question was...Should we stay or should we go?