As we all know*, Captain James Cook discovered Australia. David Whitley finds out about him and the places he went to.
*First things first, I suppose. The whole Captain Cook discovering Australia thing is utter nonsense. There had been documented sightings of the continent by European explorers and traders at least 150 years before Cook sauntered by, whilst the Aboriginal people have been here for at least 50,000 years. However, political machinations at the time meant that Cook’s noseying around was used as a springboard for the setting up of a British penal colony, and he claimed the area of the continent that the Dutch hadn’t already mapped. So, in effect, he wins.
Cook was born near Middlesbrough in the north of England. Despite being trained as a grocer, he developed a love of the sea and soon joined the merchant Navy.
He rose through the ranks fairly quickly, and surprised everyone when he volunteered to get shot at in the Royal Navy. His rise through the ranks there was swift, yet he was still an iffy choice when he was chosen to command a vessel charged with charting the passage of Venus across the sun. This involved shooting off to the other side of the world in the good ship Endeavour in 1768.
There was a second factor to the trip though, which was kept a little more hush hush. Cook was told that, while he was there, he may as well have a poke around and try and find the fabled great southern land that people felt sure must exist somewhere at the bottom of the Pacific.
Well, after sojourns in Tahiti and New Zealand, he found it…
Botany Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Following his adventures in New Zealand, Cook went west. Contrary to popular belief, Botany Bay wasn’t the first part of Australia that Endeavour came across – that’s Point Hicks near the Victoria/ New South Wales border. But Kurnell on Botany Bay was where he landed, and enabled plant enthusiast Joseph Banks to scamper off and catalogue all manner of exciting new discoveries.
Predictably enough, there were a few scrapes with the local Aboriginal population, who were more curious than hostile, but by the time the Endeavour had left, Botany Bay was earmarked as an excellent spot to found a new colony.
These days, there is much tippy-toeing around the subject of the landing. The Discovery Centre (02 9668 9111) at Kurnell seems more obsessed with promoting the Aboriginal history of the area than the significance of Cook’s landing. However, it’s still the birthplace of modern Australia, and given the scenic settings of the Botany Bay National Park, it’s a fantastic day trip from Sydney.
Town of 1770, Queensland, Australia
Cook’s next largely self-imposed task was to head up the East Coast of what he had just named New South Wales, and his next landing spot was in what is now known as Queensland. The little place he parked in, for want of a better name, decided to name itself after the year of Cook’s arrival, which must play havoc for postmen trying to distinguish the town name and postcode.
These days, 1770 is a quiet yet charming little hippy town, which, as with all quiet yet charming hippy towns, is rapidly being gobbled up by real estate sharks.
About five to six hours north of Brisbane, it’s an excellent place to chill though, and a good spot for heading out to the Great Barrier Reef. It’s particularly colourful around these points, and you can learn to dive amongst the millions of little fishies – try Dive 1770.
Magnetic Island, Queensland, Australia.
As they were heading north through uncharted waters, the crew of the Endeavour had an X-Files moment. Sailing past what is now Townsville, the ship’s compasses went haywire.
Whilst everyone else was wondering what was going on (and possibly waiting for the theme from the Twilight Zone to start playing), Cook decided to attribute the problem to metal ores in the rocks of the nearby island. Despite this theory later being proven to be utter nonsense, Cook’s name stuck – Magnetical Island it was.
The name has since been shortened to Magnetic Island, and there is no weird stuff with navigational equipment going on. It’s also a very popular tourist destination, being just an eight kilometre ferry ride from Townsville.
Much of the island is national park, and there are 25km of walking tracks for avid explorers. Other options include sea kayaking, snorkelling and horse riding along the beach.
Cape Tribulation
Given the jagged, spiky and downright awkward nature of the Great Barrier Reef, it’s a minor miracle that the Endeavour mate it this far up the coast before clattering into some coral. Perhaps a testament to Cook’s skills, the ship made it through the perilous uncharted waters before things went tits up way north of Cairns.
Calling the spot where they ran aground Cape Tribulation – “because here began all our troubles” – the ship was forced to limp into the Endeavour River, near modern day Cooktown, for months of major repairs.
Cape Tribulation is one of Australia’s major highlights. The oldest tropical rainforest in the world backs onto pristine, untouched beaches. It’s nature at its finest.
While you’re up there, you have plenty of options – horse riding, sea kayaking, helicopter rides and guided bush walks are amongst the best – and be sure to take some time out at the bar to talk to some local characters.
