Page 258 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Australia

256  QUEENSLAND

1Rinyirru (Lake­
field) National Park
@ Cooktown. n Cooktown (07)
4069 6004. Park Office (07) 4060 3271.
Campsite bookings 13 74 68. Open
Jun–Nov: Mon–Fri. ∑ npsr.qld.gov.
au/parks/rinyirru­lakefield
Covering approximately 540,000
ha (1,300,000 acres), Rinyirru
(Lakefield) National Park is the
second-largest national park in
Queensland. It encompasses a
wide variety of landscapes,
including river forests, plains
and coastal flats. The centre of View from Thursday Island, in the Torres Strait island group
the park abounds with birds.
Camping is the only accommo- 2Torres Strait was the site of the first white
dation option and a permit Islands settlement in Australia.
must be obtained at the park’s Like most towns in the area,
self-registration stations. The ~ from Cairns. g from Cairns. Cooktown originally serviced
park is largely inaccessible n Cairns (07) 4069 6004. the gold fields and its present-
during the wet season between ∑ torres.qld.gov.au/tourism day population of less than
December and April when the 2,000 is half the 4,000 inhabi-
rivers flood the plains. The Torres Strait divides the tants who once sustained its 50
The nearby town of Laura, northern coastline of Australia pubs. However, many of its
at the base of the Cape York from Papua New Guinea and is historic buildings survive,
Peninsula, is a typical Australian dotted with numerous islands. including the Westpac Bank,
Outback town, with a sealed road Approximately 19 of these originally the Old National
flanked by a pub, a general store islands are inhabited and Bank, with its stone columns
and a few houses. In the late have been governed by supporting an iron-lace
19th century, Laura was the rail Queensland since 1879. veranda. The James Cook
terminus for the Palmer River gold Thursday Island is the Museum, which houses
fields and some 20,000 people “capital” island and was the old anchor from the
Endeavour, started life in our, started life in our
Endeav
passed through each year. Today, once the centre of the Endeav
it is almost forgotten, but the local pearling industry. the 1880s as a convent.
discovery in 1959 of Aboriginal Many Japanese In the cemetery of
art sites of great antiquity is pearlers who the town, a
reviving interest in the area. lost their lives in memorial and
One of the most notable sites is this occupation Chinese gravestone in Cooktown numerous
the “giant horse gallery”, which are buried in the gravestones are
contains huge horse paintings island’s cemetery. In 1891, Green testimony to the difficulties
thought to record the first Hill Fort was built to prevent faced by the many Chinese who
sightings of European explorers. invasion by the Russians. Murray came to the gold fields in the
Island was the birthplace of 1870s (see p59).
Eddie Mabo, who, in 1992, won Between Cooktown and
his claim to traditional land in Bloomfield, Black Mountain
the Australian High Court and National Park is named after the
changed Aboriginal-European geological formation of huge
relations (see p62). black granite boulders. The
boulders were formed around
3Cooktown 260 million years ago below the
earth’s surface and were gradu-
* 1,300. ~ @ @ g n Nature’s
Powerhouse, Botanic Gardens, Walker ally exposed as surrounding
St (07) 4069 6004. land surfaces eroded away.
When the Endeavour was Endeavour was Endeavour E James Cook Museum
damaged by a coral reef in Cnr Helen & Furneaux sts.
1770, Captain Cook and his Tel (07) 4069 5386. Open May–Sep:
crew spent six weeks in this area 9am–4pm daily; Oct–Apr: 9am–4pm
while repairs to the ship were Tue–Sat. & 7 limited.
River forest landscape in Rinyirru made (see pp54–5). Cooktown’s ∑ nationaltrust.org.au/places/
(Lakefield) National Park proud boast, therefore, is that it james­cook­museum
For hotels and restaurants in this area see pp488–9 and pp515–17