Cooktown to Lions Den Hotel

View from lookout at Cooktown

Stewy, Kristy and Rori arrived in Cooktown yesterday with their new engine in the car! Was good to see them again and feel bad that they missed so much of the trip, but at least we will get to spend a few days together. The weather was terrible and none of us felt like cooking so we headed into one of the pubs for dinner and had a great meal.

Today we had a walk around town and went to see the sights of Cooktown (wasn't a lot of fun in the constant pouring rain!). Saw Ron & Viv Moon in the souviner shop in town, which was a nice surprise - any 4WDer or camper will know who they are!

Paid a visit to the cemetery which I was more than happy to do, even though we spent hours there last time we were in Cooktown! I love cemeteries and can spend hours walking around them!!

After just visiting Cape York, one of the gravesites we were interested in seeing was Elizabeth Jardine. Elizabeth was the wife of John Jardine, who established "Port Somerset" near the tip of Cape York in 1864.

Some of the other more interesting graves in this cemetery are:

• The oldest identifiable grave is of Rev Francis Tripp who died on the 20 May 1874 at the age of 46 years.
• Mary Watson and her infant son, Ferrier, of Lizard Island. Mary survived an Aboriginal attack on Lizard Island in September 1881, to die later on Number 5 Island of the Howick group. The wife of a beche-de-mer fisherman, Captain R.F.Watson, the attack on her was provoked because their homestead was built on Aboriginal sacred land. One of her two servants was speared, but Mrs Watson, her infant son and the other Chinese servant escaped in a boiling down tank to Number 5 Island. Due to there being no fresh water they finally perished. Their remains together with her diary were found in 1882.
• "Normanby Woman" - buried in 1886. During the Palmer Gold Rush, travellers had sighted a fairskinned woman living with Aborigines. Enticed from the camp and captured by the police, she was washed, dressed, fed and put on a horse bound for a new home in Cooktown. Aborigines attacked the party and the woman was injured falling from her horse. Interest ran high and curious people were charged one shilling to view the "Normanby Woman". She died in Cooktown Hospital refusing all food. Whether she was European or fair skinned Aboriginal, or died of a broken heart has been the subject of speculation with no one sure where the truth ends and folklore begins.

Arrived at the Lions Den Hotel and checked into our accommodation for the night, how cool are these!!

Our little treehouse tents!