Cooktown in Queensland , on the Cape York Peninsula , is the northernmost city on Australia's east coast. The city, located 6 m above sea level, was founded in 1873. At the time of the census in 2016, a total of 1,751 inhabitants lived there, around 2,600 people in the catchment area. The average temperatures are in the range of 24.3 ° C to 31.5 ° C with an annual precipitation of 1,810 mm.
Replica of the HM Bark Endeavor in Cooktown Harbor
Around 110 years later gold deposits were discovered in the area on the Palmer River , which turned out to be the largest in Queensland. Because of the Andrangs Digger (prospectors) a tent city, rapidly developed from a real city was created. It was first given the name Cook's Town (later Cooktown). At that time, Cooktown had a population of around 30,000. With the gold rush, numerous Chinese came to the place who not only looked for gold, but also worked as traders and in other areas.
At the Discovery Festival , Cook's landing is still celebrated once a year in Cooktown with a large folk festival. Among other things, the landing is also re-enacted in historical costumes, although this is not necessarily concerned with historical correctness due to the festivities lasting several days, in which the acting protagonists also take part.
