Cooktown

We leave Port Douglas on a beautiful warm morning, with the promise of a hot day ahead, as we drive to Cooktown, our final destination on this trip north. From Mossman we climb up the range through beautiful rain forest, occasionally catching glimpses of the flat plains below and the turquoise blue ocean beyond.

The vast savannah

On top of the range, we reach the outskirts of the small town of Mt. Molloy and we turn north for Cooktown, some 270 kms away. The scenery quickly changes to the dry tree savannah, studded with ant nests, and the rolling mountains as far as the eye can see.We are reminded again, of the vastness of this land. We are back in the outback, and we've only just left town!

Not a sign you find in the city!

We are also back in cattle country, as the road signs remind us, and are constantly on the alert for cattle on the road. You regularly round a bend, or top a crest, and find a cow or two nonchalantly standing in the middle of the road, with that "I was here first" look in the eye.

It is late morning and we make it to The Palmer River Roadhouse, a beautiful little oasis perched high on a hill, looking down over the river and the plains. It is beautifully kept, and is a small caravan park, as well as a fuel and food stop, and of course, a pub! There is a small museum, full of memorabilia from the gold rush era of the late 1880's, when 20,000 men worked the goldfields of the Palmer River.

The Palmer River Roadhouse

We decide on an early lunch and order the house special hamburger. Now this is an original Aussie, pre McDonald's, hamburger, made with a huge real beef pattie, loads of fried onions, lettuce, tomato, and yes, beetroot! It is topped off with BBQ sauce and served on a bun the size of a dinner plate. It arrives, your eyes light up as you remember that all hamburgers used to be like this, you try to put your mouth around it, knowing it isn't possible, but some how you persevere, and with sauce dripping off your chin and elbows, you are transported into culinary heaven!

The Black Mountains

Back on the road, licking the last dregs of BBQ sauce from the corners of the mouth, we climb through the ranges until we are about 25kms from Cooktown, when we are met by huge mountains made from black boulders. They look like giant piles of gravel, that must have been the result of mining or some man made event, but no, these are the Black Mountains, the result of a volcanic eruption millions of years ago. Quite amazing! There is a viewing area where we stop and read all about them, including the Aboriginal legend that says the mountains were made by rival lovers who competed for the love of a woman, by building the tallest pile of rocks. They are so taken by their task that they don't see the cyclone coming, and all three are blown off the mountains to their deaths. God women have a lot to answer for!

We motor into Cooktown, and quickly find The Big 4 Holiday Park. The friendly staff lead us to our spacious site, surrounded by palm and mango trees, and set up is quickly accomplished, so we head into town for a few supplies. Cooktown isn't big, but it looks nice, with some wonderful old buildings. At the far end of town is the harbour area, which is in fact the entry of the Endeavour River. We notice a lot of aboriginals around town. In fact they are the majority of the population, with a number of large settlements such as Hope Vale and Wajul Wajul close by. We also notice a trawler with a sign saying Prawns fresh off the boat, and immediately know what is for dinner. King Prawns at $12 per kg, with a small shark thrown in for nothing! I'm not kidding. He gave us this small shark, from which we cut a few cutlets and grilled on a flat grill plate. They were delicious! From the wharf we went to the only supermarket in town. The IGA Supermarket must be a gold mine. Everything on the shelves is 30 to 50% more expensive than normal. We buy only what we must. Surprisingly, the price of fuel, is the same as Cairns.

Endeavour River from Grassy Head

A quick trip up to Grassy Hill, the amazing 360 degree lookout in town, was essential. The views are unbelievable in all directions, and the old lighthouse has been restored. Even though it doesn't work it looks good.

Our objectives in Cooktown were, to look into all the Captain Cook history, drive down the Bloomfield Track, visit the iconic Lions Den Pub on the Bloomfield Track, do some fishing, and someone we had met, told us to do a tour with one of the local Aboriginal elders, by the name of Willie Gordon. Well, I am pleased to say we accomplished the lot!

The Capt Cook Memorial

As hopefully all of us Aussies know, Cooktown is named after Capt. James Cook, who in 1770, on his great voyage of discovery finding Australia, hit the reef off Cooktown and had to land to make major repairs. He was in the area for a few months. The wonderful museum, which is housed in what used to be a convent, is so good. We spent hours there, reading the history and looking at countless exhibits. We felt awash with patriotism, as we left, marvelling at how those few men, so long ago, achieved what they did.

The town of Cooktown, really didn't eventuate until the 1880's when they were looking for a sea port to service the gold rush at the Palmer River. Because of its proximity to Asia, this gold rush was dominated by Chinese, with 18,000 of the estimated 20,000 who were in the goldfields, from China. Consequently there is a lot of Chinese history. The church also had a large role to play, good or bad, depending on whether you were white or black. The gold rush ended and the town shrank again. Fascinating to read it all.

Around Archer Point

John at the entrance to The Lions Den

On Saturday, our first task was to do the Cooktown markets. This didn't take long as they were the smallest markets we've been to. Mostly it was a few locals with some things they'd grown at home, so we picked up some star apples, an exotic fruit that is purple in colour, and when you cut it you see the star where the flesh is like the texture of a lychee but with a softer and much sweeter taste. Very nice. We bought 5 for $1. We also bought a large watermelon, one kg of passion fruit, and a small butternut pumpkin for $4.50. After that we decided to do the Bloomfield Track drive and the Lions Den Pub. We also booked John onto a fishing trip for Sunday, with a local guide. Firstly we drove out to Archer Point, a beautiful area to the south. The scenery was magnificent, and the remnants of gun emplacements and PT Boat bases were all along the coastline. From here we headed out to the Lions Den Pub, which has operated continuously since 1875, which when you consider where it is, can only be viewed as a miracle. The pub started as a drinking hole for tin miners, and with the miners started the tradition of writing on the walls and ceiling. The miners used to nail their pay packets to the walls, and give their pay to the publican. They would then write there expenses down next to the pay packet so that each time they came in, they knew how much they had to spend! In more recent times, visitors have simply recorded their visits or left cards, caps, underwear and other souvenirs, all over the place.

Along the Bloomfield Track

Signs at the Bloomfield General Store

I first became aware of the place reading about the Bloomfield Track, which is one of Australia's iconic 4WD routes, joining Cape Tribulation and Cooktown. It is not a place I'd take our caravan. It is for serious 4WD only, but I wanted to see it and the Pub, first hand. So having enjoyed a refreshing ale, and a good look around, not to mention buying a souvenir or two, we hit the track, which was in pretty good condition. We drove around 40kms, which is about half way, and turned around at the Wajul Wajul Crossing, after which the track gets a lot tougher. We hardly saw another soul. You travel through the rain forest most of the way, but the trees along the way are so caked with dust, it isn't pretty, just remote. You arrive at Bloomfield, which is just a General Store. The signs along the road, begging you to stop and spend some money, are Classics. We had to stop and have a chat with the cheery shopkeeper, and buy a couple of ice creams! We went on a little further to the large aboriginal settlement of Wajul Wajul. It is row after row a brightly coloured houses, most in bad repair with cars and other junk strewn around. We have learnt that material possessions mean little to the aborigines. They are practical people who only see things for their use. They don't keep house like westerners. We reach the river crossing, get a wave from some of the local aboriginal kids having a swim, and turn around for the drive home.

Saturday night we headed into town to the Bowls Club to watch the first Rugby World Cup semi-final between Wales and France, and have dinner. We were told they put on a good feed, and they were right. All fresh local beef and seafood. Carol did the enormous plate of garlic prawns proud, while John wrestled with the Reef & Beef. We couldn't even contemplate dessert. Some of the people in that restaurant must only eat monthly. We couldn't believe what was being devoured by some of them!

Off for a morning fish

Sunday morning, Carol has John at the boat ramp at 6.30am to meet Mark from Gone Fishing Charters. Mark had left England 15 years ago, got to Cooktown, fell in love with the place, and never left. We slowly motored up to the public jetty, where Mark threw out a small hand net and caught about a hundred small herring for bait, and off we went. As you can see from the picture, we were in a small boat, but headed straight out to the reefs off Cooktown. Mark said that the mackerel were running, so we should have a good day.

Now that's a mackerel!

I was surprised at the light tackle he had on board, and when I mentioned it, he just said it made for more fun. Well the fun started quickly when I hooked my first mackerel. The rod bent like crazy and the weight of the fish felt enormous. We got it on board, and at around 65cms I was ecstatic, but Mark said he hoped we could catch a decent one! As the morning progressed the fun got better. I hooked a small (80cm) reef shark, which we tossed back, a few more "small" mackerel, then I hooked something big. Turned out to be a whaler shark of around 120 to 150cm in length. It did one big jump out of the water just beside the boat, and then broke the line. I'm telling you I was glad, as there wasn't enough room in the boat for me, Mark and that shark! I caught a couple of nannygai which we tossed back, then I hooked a good size nannygai which got hit by a big barracuda just below the surface, and left me with nothing but a fish head on a hook! Just before we started to head in, there was a big splash beside the boat. It was a big mackeral chasing a school of bait fish. Mark yelled to get a cast out among the action, which I did, and soon that big mackeral was on the line. I was struggling with the weight of the fish, so Mark took over to make sure we didn't lose it. The small rod was bent almost 180 degrees. Mark was really excited, so I assumed it was a good one. All in all it took about 10 minutes before we could get it alongside, gaffed and into the boat. The picture says it all. What a fantastic few hours, and a freezer full of fresh mackeral  fillets to boot.

Willie Gordon

Monday morning we head out towards Hope Vale to meet up with our Aboriginal guide, Willie Gordon, and do our Rainbow Serpent Tour. We meet Willie at the gate to his land, to be told that we are the only tour members today, so it will be a personal tour. 

Willie is a Nugal-warra Elder and story teller. He is passionate about his people and the preservation of their culture. His list of achievements for his people, and the community in general around Cooktown is astounding. For us, the tour was fantastic. Having Willie to ourselves for over 4 hours, gave us the opportunity to ask hundreds of questions, and to gain an insight into the aboriginal people, we've never had before. We now have a much better understanding of the problems faced by the aboriginal people, since the white men arrived, and into the future.

We walked through Willie's ancestral land, which is a rugged volcanic landscape full of huge boulders and a vast variety of vegetation. All was done at a slow pace, as Willie stopped regularly, to look and listen at the signs around, and to give us a rest! By the time we have finished, we had climbed over and through the rocky landscape, and had visited 6 rock art sights, and gained a knowledge of how his people have survived for thousands of years, in such a hostile land. There was so much information to be absorbed and understood.

John & Willie deep in conversation

Where to begin without provoking political debate? Well here goes! The first thing we learnt was that the aboriginal people are a family based society, not tribal, in that they don't have a king or chief. The elders are responsible for education, economics and spiritual guidance, and those responsibilities are shared among the elders. Each family group, no matter how large, has its own language, and among the languages are many dialects, so very few aborigines can communicate with other aboriginal communities. Right from the beginning, the white men never fully understood this, and chose one person as the leader of the tribe, and often he wasn't the smartest or best person for the job! So when the aboriginal people have been put together for ease of administration by Government or church, conflict was guaranteed. Willie likened it to putting groups of Japanese, Chinese, Italians, Russians and Australians all together, choosing a Russian as leader and telling them all to get along! 

Willie talked about reconciliation. He asked where I was born.I said I was born in Australia. He said he was too, so that made us both Australian. Neither of us had anything to do with what happened way back then. We can't change it, so let's worry about the future. Too many of his people are worried about the past. Sure it was bad, but there have been lots of bad things for all peoples. We shook hands, and Willie said that's reconciliation. Willie talked about Aboriginal politicians. He reckons they are as useless as white politicians, with too much self interest. Remember the family thing. Aborigines are not one people. Noel Pearson is Willie's cousin, and he is constantly debating this with him. Get representatives of all the aboriginal families together, and then there will be progress.

I loved Willie's logic. Everything was so simple and practical. He explained about the Rainbow Serpent and how everything is born of light and water. How the aborigines are spiritual not religious. That they are the custodians of their lands and all that is in it. He explained about their art, which is important for the story it tells rather than how it looks. I laughed at the thought of all those white people paying a fortune for aboriginal artworks that look good. They could be buying Woman's Weekly when they think they are buying Shakespeare! What a perverse kind of revenge!

Willie's family art from the birthing cave

We got to taste bush tucker and marvelled at how the aborigines knew what to eat and what would kill them. He rubbed leaves together to make hand creams and ointments. We all crushed green ants, and tasted the sweet lemon flavour they produce. There were barks that created halucagenic effects to get through painful experiences. He stopped and listened at the slightest sounds, and explained what they were. He coaxed a small lizard to let Carol give it a drink off a leaf. Every minute was a new adventure.

More of the family rock art

He took us to the birthing cave where his mother was born, and showed us the art drawn by his grandfather. He told us what it all meant, and how that only the men were allowed to paint, and that the hand stencils were in fact signatures. All pretty amazing. We saw how the paints were made from oxides and water, and how brushes were made from grasses. Along the trail, he would stop and bend down to show us the tracks of a wallaby or goanna or dingo. He showed us where a dingo had been sitting, or where a kangaroo had been resting on its tail. He told us that as a recognised black tracker he is called upon by the SES if someone gets lost, to help with the search. All in all it was a fantastic morning of learning, sharing and friendship. We will remember it always.

On the way back to the cars, Willie told us a terrific yarn that shows what perception is all about. "A minister in the church asks an aboriginal man if he would like to become a Pastor and spread the word of the church. The aborigine asks what he would have to do. The minister explains he would have to be baptised with an English name, learn about God and the bible, he would have to teach others, and he would not be able to eat meat on Fridays. The aborigine says it sounds pretty good, so the minister takes him down to the river and baptises him with a new English name of Peter. The minister pays a surprise visit on Good Friday and finds Pastor Peter sitting around a fire enjoying roasted kangaroo. What are you doing Peter? It is Good Friday. How can you be eating meat. Well says Peter, the kangaroo is hard to catch and this one jumped out in front of me and was easy to spear, so I did. Anyway minister don't be worried. Before we cooked him up we took him down to the river and baptised him. Called him Fish, so there be no problem!" There endeth the lesson.

Cooktown was a great adventure from the minute we arrived. Shame about those bloody sand flies! You guessed it, back to join the dots legs for John! I did ask Willie, who said rub on baby oil before applying insect repellent. Wasn't quite the bush remedy I was expecting!