Located at the waterfront end of Charlotte Street you will first come across the old town well which is now used as a fountain. Next to the fountain is Cook's Monument built in 1887 to commemorate Cook's landing at the Endeavour River in 1770.
The cannon next to the monument was brought to Cooktown at the request of the town council. On April 10th, 1885 the Cooktown Council carried the following motion: "A wire be sent to the Premier in Brisbane requesting him to supply arms, ammunition and a competent officer to take charge of same, as the town is entirely unprotected against a threat of Russian invasion".
The gun (cast in 1803 in Carron, Scotland), 3 cannonballs, 2 rifles, and 1 officer were sent. The cannon is still fired during the "Endeavour Festival" on the Queens Birthday Weekend in June. Located next to the slipway behind Cook's Monument in the mangroves lies the remains of an old barge which was used in the construction of the Annan Bridge in 1889. This site is known as the "Flower Pot" as mangrove and the sea have taken over.
James Cook Statue
BP Australia donated the James Cook Statue to the people of Cooktown. The bronze statue is the work of the Australian sculptor Stanley Hammond. It is located just north of Bicentennial Park, only a few minutes walk from the wharf and will be an ever present reminder of the man who rediscovered Australia.
