Cooktown Botanic Gardens
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Cooktown Botanic Gardens

The Cooktown Botanic Gardens were established in 1878 making them one of Queensland's oldest regional botanic gardens. The Gardens are located within the 62 hectare Gallop Botanic Reserve, situated 1.5km from the centre of Cooktown.

Gallop Botanic Reserve, established in 1878 as the Cooktown Botanical Gardens and Recreation Reserve, is one of Queensland’s oldest regional botanic gardens and houses five major plant collections, including a collection of species traditionally used by the local Aboriginal people; a rare and threatened plant showcase and a collection of some of the species collected by Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander in 1770.

Cooktown Botanic Gardens Hiking

Listed under the Queensland Heritage Register, the gardens also retain a number of elements of their late 19th century design, including garden terraces, dry-pitched granite rockpools, subsidiary covered stone-pitched drains, stone steps, wells, rock garden survivals, and diverse archaeological elements. Also featured amongst the collections is a palmetum, a rainforest garden, a water lily pond, and Nature’s Powerhouse Café that, with its fresh, simple menu and tropical, under-cover alfresco area, is without a doubt one, one of Cooktown’s best-kept dining secrets.

Cooktown Botanic Gardens Orchid

As part of the Cooktown Botanic Gardens and Gallop Reserve 2018-2028 Masterplan, and with recent funding through the Australian Government’s Community Development Grants Program, the Gardens have also recently seen a number of upgrades, including enhanced accessibility and resurfacing of pedestrian pathways throughout the park; design and construction of The First Peoples Grove, installation of picnic shelters, a new Orchid House and Information Hub and new orientation signage and labeling.

Cooktown Botanic Gardens Ulysses

For more information on opening hours and some of the attractions in the gardens, visit the Cooktown and Cape York Tourism page. To learn more about the history, heritage, and cultural significance of the gardens, see its heritage listing.

ABN: 45 425 085 688

10 Furneaux Street Cooktown, Qld 4895

Mail: PO Box 3 Cooktown, Qld 4895

Email: mail@cook.qld.gov.au

Phone: (07) 4082 0500

Fax: (07) 4082 0588

Hours: 8.45am-4.45pm Monday to Friday