Places

The Cooktown Re-enactments

On 17 June, 1770, Endeavour entered the mouth of Waalmbal Birri (Endeavour River), six days after being holed on the Great Barrier Reef.  The ship was beached, and repairs effected, a task completed in 12 days.  However, unfavourable wind and weather prevented departure, and Cook and his party remained there until 5 August, 1770.

This area is now the site of Cooktown (Waymburr), Australia.  Each year, the Cooktown Re-enactment Association commemorates Captain Cook's landing and lengthy stay by re-enacting the landing.  The re-enactment involves about fifty local people comprising half Indigenous and half Europeans. 

The ceremony has taken place annually since 1959, including a special performance in 1970 for Queen Elizabeth during the Cook Bicentennial celebrations.  The Re-enactment Association, of which I am President, has worked with the Guugu Yimithirr people to add their story of Cook’s 48-day stay into the re-enactment script. 

The Cooktown Discovery Festival takes place annually in June, being held on a weekend near to the date that Cook actually landed.  Other events take place during the weekend including a street parade, botanical tours, river cruises, and children’s activities.

Loretta Sullivan

References

  1. www.cooktownexpo.com.au and
    www.facebook.com/cooktowndiscoveryfestival

Originally published in Cook's Log, page 5, volume 48, number 4 (2025).

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Previous Comments:
susan elsa burdett harden (married name goodsell)
My father in law, Cecil Harden I understand, was executor of Robert Burdett Smiths or his sister Emily's estate . Could you advise if the Captain Cook Landing Commitee is still holding its annual celebration at Kurnell? We attended a number of these by invitation on the death of my wifes father during the 70's. for many years now we have not received our annual invitation. As we become older the past becomes more important to us, Would appreciate your reply. Sincerely Brian Goodsell
Cliff Thornton
Hello Brian, thank you for your enquiry. Yes, the annual ceremony commemorating Cook's landing at Kurnell still takes place on 29 April every year. The format has changes slightly over the years. The organiser - Sutherland Shire Council - now calls the event the Meeting of Two Cultures. The local First Nations community is involved, as are school groups. I will send you separately an account of this year's festivities.
Daryl Haeusler
Why is the Cooks re.enactment not being held on the weekend of 10/11th June 2023 since his landing was on the 11thJune???My birthday is also on same date and would have liked to travel up from Wide Bay to witnesd th event.We did this back around 2012 when Andy and Hamish took part in the re enactment.
Ian Boreham (Webmaster)
Daryl, You will need to ask the current organisers of the re-enactment. You can contact them via their website at https://cooktownreenactment.com.au/
Kenneth Osborne
I have been trying to find out what the changes that were made some years back to the ceremony and why Bank's log made it so?
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