6 Best Sights in Cooktown, Great Barrier Reef

Just south of Cooktown within the Wet Tropics UNESCO World Heritage Area, Black Mountain (Kalkajaka) National Park protects a unique mix of gigantic granite boulders, wet-tropics species, and savanna woodland vegetation harboring abundant wildlife, including threatened species. Lucky visitors might spot the scanty frog, rainbow skink, Black Mountain gecko, Godman's rock-wallaby, or a rare ghost bat. Kalkajaka means "place of the spear"; Black Mountain was a significant meeting place for the Eastern Kuku Yalanji. The boulders are treacherous, so climbing and hiking is not allowed, but the lookout point provides a fairly close-up view.

Housed in a former postal and telegraph office built in 1875, Cooktown's historical museum is staffed by affable volunteers from the local historical society and houses an extensive collection of photographs dating from 1873. The building also holds Cooktown's archives and is a research center for local history.

Formerly known as James Cook Museum, Cooktown Museum has been beautifully reimagined to share the rich and diverse stories of the region. Step back in time to when Cooktown was a bustling gold-mining port, where 64 pubs lined the vibrant 3-km (1½-mile) main street. The museum offers a captivating glimpse into this colorful past, including treasured mementos from Captain Cook's voyage and significant Indigenous artifacts. Housed in the former Sisters of Mercy convent, the museum also showcases an array of relics from the Palmer gold rush and pastoral eras, including a Chinese joss house, traditional canoes, and an anchor, along with one of the six cannons jettisoned from the HMS Endeavour after it ran aground.

Visitors can browse the museum’s extensive selection of merchandise, including books, souvenirs, cold drinks, and snacks, making it an ideal stop for both learning and leisure. Plan to spend at least 1½ hours exploring the museum’s engaging exhibits.

It's recommended that you allow at least an hour to pore over the exhibits.

Locally made works (including Indigenous art) in various media line the walls of this terrific gallery, where you'll often find artists working on-site. Proceeds benefit the Cooktown School of Art Society, which also offers art classes.

A strenuous, not especially scenic walk or short drive from Cooktown lies Grassy Hill and the lighthouse, spectacular lookouts affording panoramic views of Cooktown, the Endeavour River, and the Coral Sea. Follow in the footsteps of Captain James Cook, who scaled the slope to view the reef and navigate his boat's safe passage out. The lighthouse, shipped from England in 1885, helped boats avoid the reef for a century before being rendered obsolete; it was then restored as a historical relic.

This interpretive center and museum at the entrance to Cooktown's Heritage-listed Botanic Gardens is home to a valuable collection of local botanical illustrations by internationally recognized artist Vera Scarth-Johnson. Take extra time to wander through the gardens, which, with its stone-pitched waterways and shady paths, include 154 acres of colorful native and exotic plants. A popular attraction in the gardens is a 7-meter python carved locally from ironwood. You can enjoy afternoon tea or a light lunch at Nature's Powerhouse Café; browse the shop of botanically-themed gifts and souvenirs; and get regional travel tips at the on-site Cooktown and Cape York Peninsula Visitor Information Centre.