Endeavour River National Park

Endeavour River National Park (1561 kilometres northwest of Brisbane) is a Queensland National Park gazetted to protect and preserve some of the natural and cultural resources in and around the mouth of the Endeavour River, immediately north of the small town of Cooktown.

It is within the area of this National Park that back in 1770 naturalists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander first collected early European specimens of local 'Australian' flora [http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/projects/park/index.cgi?parkid=199 Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service webpage] Accessed 8 January 2008] ; Sydney Parkinson first illustrated local Australian Aborigiinal peoples encountered, plus flora collected and fauna seen; and kangaroos were first given their modern English name (borrowing from the local Guugu Yimithirr language).

The HM Bark "Endeavour", under the command of Lt James Cook, had struck reefs and been pulled ashore for repairs along the river locally known within Guugu Yimithirr as Wabalumbaal, possibly near the present site of Cooktown. The river was renamed on James Cook's charts as the Endeavour River, after the HM Bark "Endeavour", and the current National Park appears, in turn, to be named after the river (although this name is not a formally registered place name) [http://www.nrw.qld.gov.au/property/placenames/detail.php?id=44209 Queensland Placenames Database] Accessed 8 January 2008] .

The present National Park contains coastal dunes, freshwater wetlands, mangrove forests, heathlands, tropical woodlands and the estuary plus parts of the Endeavour River catchment. It is mostly accessible by boat only, and still contains flora and fauna species of the kind collected and illustrated back in 1770.

ee also

*
* Cooktown, Queensland
* Endeavour River
* Guugu Yimithirr
* HM Bark Endeavour
* Kangaroo
* Protected areas of Queensland (Australia)

External links

* [http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/media/parks_and_forests/parks/cooktown_parks_map.pdf PDF Map showing area and location of Endeavour River National Park near Cooktown]
* [http://www.nrw.qld.gov.au/property/placenames/detail.php?id=44209 Queensland Placenames Database]

References