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Cape York Peninsula, one of the world's last accessible wilderness areas, was the first part of Australia to be mentioned in written history. After recorded visitors in the 1600's by Dutch and Spanish explorers, in 1770 James Cook proclaimed British sovereignty by raising the flag on Possession Island.
 Despite its head start in history, the Cape remains a land of few people and prolific wildlife living in rugged mountains, eucalypt, mangrove and rainforests, woodlands, heathlands, grasslands, swamps and might rivers. Its 11 million hectares extend 1000 kms north of Cairns to the tip of Cape York Peninsula. Beyond
Cooktown, most residents live in Aboriginal and cattle station communities and in small
mining towns dotted among enormous national parks.
The Cape begins at Cooktown which is easily accessible by road, air or sea from Cairns. Cape York has a small airport strip at Bamaga.
CairnsHolidays.Com has a range of accommodation at Cooktown, lodges at Lizard Island and Cape York. Four-wheel drive and fly/drive safaris and other touring options can also be organised.
 Cooktown was founded as the port for the Palmer River goldfields more than a century after Captain Cook spent 48 days on the banks of the Endeavour River repairing his ship after it was holed on a reef off Cape Tribulation.
Every June the town celebrates its status as Australia's first, if brief, European settlement at the Endeavour Festival which includes a colourful re-enactment of Cook's landing.
 James Cook Museum, built in 1888 as a convent school run by Irish nuns, covers Cook's voyages, Aboriginal and natural history, the gold rush days and their Chinese legacy. The small settlement at Laura has a biennial festival of Aboriginal dance and culture and offers year-round tours of ancestral paintings in natural rock galleries.
For all its isolation, the Cape presents a holiday choice of a challenging adventure or comfortable sightseeing.
 Depending on weather conditions, day, overnight or extended land safaris, air tours and cruises to the east coast islands and reefs, offer a choice of Cape York experiences. Some of the land safaris include such diversity as camping by billabongs or waterfalls and rivers, fishing for barramundi and watching out for crocodiles near the coast.
If you'd like to stand on the northern most tip of the Australian
continent but you’re not totally sure about what you’re looking for, drop us a chatty little e-mail and one of our friendly
consultants will be only too pleased to assist.
Selected text courtesy of Tourism Tropical North Queensland.
Selected images courtesy of Tourism Queensland.
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