Chris was up again when the early signs of daylight broke through the sky; he quickly had the kettle on for the first of numerous cups of tea before and during breakfast. Packing up camp for another day on the road is starting to become routine now, with various chores falling to each of the three of us. We were packed and pulling away from Bloomfield Beach Camp at 8.30am.
Before leaving, Chris had been speaking at length with a couple about their itinerary – a conversation that involved maps of the country to the north of Cooktown. The couple were from New Zealand and had landed in Cairns, rented a 4WD with rooftop tent and headed north with little idea of where to go and what to see. They now have a much clearer idea of what they could see, and a possible itinerary that is quite do-able in the time they have.
The road north of Bloomfield to Cooktown meanders through a mix of rainforest, pastures and cropping, with open savannah competing with rainforest as we cross from one valley to the next. Roadside stalls grabbed our attention and we now have a large watermelon positioned safely behind the drivers seat in readiness for dessert one night in the not-so-distant future.
We eventually joined the Mulligan Highway that arcs inland between Cairns and Cooktown providing sealed, all-season access to Cooktown and the coast. Linda noted that the vehicles on the highway were not all 4WDs and there were far more large caravans being towed in and out of Cooktown. It was too early in the morning to stop at the Lions Den hotel. We were also hoping to make the Saturday market at Cooktown before it closed at 11.00 am. We did stop briefly at Black Mountain to reacquaint ourselves with the geology and mythology associated with the unique rock formation that is over 450 million years old.
Crossing the Annan River signalled our pending arrival into Cooktown. One sensed that Cooktown is starting to take itself more seriously as a tourist destination and the frontier outpost we had visited back in 2011 has moved on. A trendy café that wouldn’t have looked out of place in Melbourne or Sydney had a large decked area overlooking the Endeavour River. Their menu was modern and fresh and their coffees were excellent.
The Saturday market was a mix of home-produced wares, fresh fruit and veggies, cooked foods, jams, pickles, chocolates, etc. We walked away with fresh basil, capsicum, zucchini, avocados and tomatoes. Next we drove over to the Botanical Gardens, where much has been done to honour the work performed by Joseph Banks and his team when they landed here in 1770 for the crew to make urgent and necessary repairs to the Endeavour. They spent the 48 days while on land enhancing their knowledge of local flora, gathering and cataloging specimens.
To get a more complete perspective of where we were, we drove to the top of Grassy Hill, where Captain Cook would venture (while repairs were being made to the Endeavour) to look for a route between the reefs that lie offshore. To the north, tall mountains lined the coast while the Endeavour River winds away to the north west. To the west and south, high ranges surround Cooktown.
Cooktown being the last town of any size we would be driving through until reaching Bamaga near the tip of Cape York, we took one final opportunity to replenish supplies. The local IGA supermarket has had a significant makeover and offered a wonderful and varied choice of fresh fruit and veggies, together with staple items that needed topping up. A top-up of fuel completed the chores we needed to do before setting off to our destination at Endeavour Falls camp grounds.
We have now set up between rows of very neatly planted palm trees, with views north across pastures that are home to a number of Texan Longhorn cattle. The Endeavour River Falls are a short walk away. The falls are in a pretty setting, but the signage makes it quite clear that this is not a place for a swim. We retreated instead to the pool, where swimming is a far safer option.
Our new-found New Zealand friends who Chris spoke to this morning have set up camp about 20 metres away. More travel planning might be discussed tomorrow morning.