Guide to Cooktown Queensland Australia

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One of the world’s last wilderness frontiers, the Cape York Peninsula is a unique area of incredible contrasts.

Measuring some 11 million hectares in size, it extends 1000 kilometres north of Cairns to Cape York, the tip of the peninsula, which extends out beyond the islands of Torres Strait.

The Cape begins at Cooktown and from here a wild, unexplored habitat awaits – dusty tracks, abundant river systems, crystal clear creeks, spectacular waterfalls and prolific wildlife.

The further north you venture, the more diversity you’ll discover – windswept beaches where time and tide have eroded cliffs into fascinating shapes and mountains clad in rainforest, gently sloping down to the sea.

Beyond Cooktown, most residents live in Aboriginal and cattle station communities and in small mining towns dotted among enormous national parks.

Cape York Peninsula is home to the Injinoo Aboriginal people, who know the land intimately, allowing their survival in this harsh land. Visit the Pajinka Wilderness Lodge at Pajinka, owned and operated entirely by the Injinoo people who offer lodging, field trips and tours to visitors.

There are only two seasons on Cape York Peninsula the ‘wet’ and the ‘dry’. The wet from mid November to April is by far the most spectacular but access is only by aircraft. At the end of the big wet, south-east trade winds return to dry the land, leaving it green and lush and covered with wild flowers.