Which places were visited by Captain Cook in Australia?

Key places visited by Captain Cook in Australia include Point Hicks, Kurnell in Botany Bay, the Town of 1770 in Queensland, plus Magnetic Island and Cape Tribulation.

Detailed answer: James Cook was by no means the first Englishman to visit Australia. He was, however, the first to stake a claim to part of the country for Britain. Over time, Captain Cook has become the most famous Australian explorer, even though he was only a Lieutenant when he passed by in 1770.

Cook was born near Middlesbrough in the north of England. Despite being trained as a grocer, he developed a love of the sea and soon joined the merchant Navy.

He rose through the ranks fairly quickly, and surprised everyone when he volunteered for the Royal Navy. His rise through the ranks there was swift too. But he was still a surprising choice to command a vessel charged with charting the transit of Venus across the sun. This involved sailing off to the other side of the world aboard the good ship Endeavour in 1768.

There was a second factor to the trip though, which was kept a little more hush-hush. Cook was also told to look fabled great southern land which geographers felt sure must exist somewhere in the Pacific.

After sojourns in Tahiti and New Zealand, Cook found that great southern continent. Today, there are destinations in Australia with particularly strong links to Cook’s voyage of discovery. These include…

Captain Cook in Botany Bay

Following his adventures in New Zealand, Cook went west. Contrary to popular belief, Botany Bay wasn’t the first part of Australia that Endeavour came across – that’s Point Hicks near the Victoria/ New South Wales border. But Kurnell on Botany Bay was where he landed, and enabled plant enthusiast Joseph Banks to scamper off and catalogue all manner of exciting new discoveries.

There were clashes with the local Aboriginal population, who were more curious than hostile. But by the time the Endeavour had left, Botany Bay was earmarked as an excellent spot to found a new colony. The First Fleet of colonists would arrive 18 years later, although they decided Sydney was better sited at Port Jackson, a few miles up the coast.

The Kurnell Visitor Centre in the Botany Bay National Park is the best place to learn about Cook’s landing. One of Australia’s most important historical sites, Kurnell is an easy day or half-day trip from central Sydney.

Captain Cook in the Town of 1770

Cook’s next largely self-imposed task was to head up the East Coast of what he had just named New South Wales. His next landing spot was in what is now known as Queensland. The little place he docked in later decided to name itself after the year of Cook’s arrival. The awkwardly-named Town of 1770 is a charming beach town, which in recent years has found itself on the backpacker map. Real estate prices are shooting up accordingly.

The Town of 1770 is a 488km drive north of Brisbane. Things to do there include Lady Musgrave Island day tours with 1770 Reef Great Barrier Reef Eco-Tours.

How Magnetic Island got its name

As they were heading north through uncharted waters, the crew of the Endeavour had an X-Files moment. Sailing past what is now Townsville, the ship’s compasses went haywire.

Whilst everyone else was wondering what was going on (and possibly waiting for the theme from the Twilight Zone to start playing), Cook decided to attribute the problem to metal ores in the rocks of the nearby island. Despite this theory later being proven to be utter nonsense, Cook’s name stuck – Magnetical Island it was.

The name has since been shortened to Magnetic Island, and there is no weird stuff with navigational equipment going on. It’s also a very popular tourist destination, being just an eight kilometre ferry ride from Townsville.

Much of the island is national park, and there are 25km of walking tracks where you can spot koalas. Other options include sea kayaking, snorkelling and horse riding along the beach.

Captain Cook at Cape Tribulation

Given the jagged, spiky and downright awkward nature of the Great Barrier Reef, it’s a minor miracle that the Endeavour mate it this far up the coast without serious incident. But past what is now Cairns, the Endeavour came a cropper and things started to go wrong for Captain Cook in Australia.

They called the spot where they ran aground Cape Tribulation, “because here began all our troubles”. The ship limped north towards the Endeavour River, near modern day Cooktown on Cape York. There, it underwent months of major repairs.

Cape Tribulation, a 142km drive north of Cairns, is one of Australia’s undersold highlights. The oldest tropical rainforest in the world backs onto pristine, untouched beaches. It’s nature at its finest.

To visit Cape Tribulation by road, hire a car in Cairns. Then cross the Daintree River and look out for cassowaries on the drive north.

While you’re up there, you have plenty of options, including horse riding, sea kayaking, helicopter rides and guided bush walks. Small group Great Barrier Reef snorkelling trips also depart from Cape Tribulation beach.