Cooktown is at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland where James Cook beached his ship, the Endeavour, for repairs in 1770. Both the town and Mount Cook (431 metres or 1,415 feet) which rises up behind the town were named after James Cook.

Cooktown was founded on 25 October 1873 as a supply port for the goldfields along the Palmer River.

Today it is a town of about 3,000 people and is home to many commercial fisherman.

After a 30 minute tender ride from the ship to shore we boarded another little boat for a river cruise which took us out to the mouth of the river and through some of the channels lined with mangroves. It was a warm day so the crocodiles didn't show their faces as they cooled off below the water. It was pleasant but not particularly memorable experience.

We spent a little time walking around the town, and popped into the Elizabeth Guzsely Gallery. Here they support local artists and there were some quaint pieces. We purchased a small piece with the goal of supporting the local artists. The artist of the piece we purchased is an absolute character. She was visiting the gallery and they took a picture of us together to put into the local paper. We thought it was a bit of a laugh and made for a decent story to remember little Cooktown.

The humidity was horrendous so we beetled back to the ship to enjoy the air-conditioning.