Location
Cook Shire is the largest shire in terms of land area in Queensland. From the Bloomfield River in the south to just north of the Jardine river it covers over 100 000 square kilometres and occupies 80% of Cape York Peninsula.
Geographically the Cook Shire is the meeting place of the Great Barrier Reef, the Wet Tropics and the Outback. It is the location of several National Parks including Lakefield National Park and the mysterious Black Mountains, (kalkajaka), along with other protected areas and conservation zones.
The Shire's major township is Cooktown with smaller population centres at Marton, Laura, Lakeland, Coen, Ayton, Rossville and Portland Roads and offshore islands including Lizard Island with significant numbers of people living throughout the Bloomfield and Endeavour valleys.
Cook Shire enjoys a mild tropical climate with the Wet Season running from January to March being the hottest time of the year. April to December brings a drier period with cooler weather and temperatures averaging around 27 degrees Celsius. In summer Cooktown is usually 5 degrees cooler than Cairns.
For more information on the local weather click here. Or visit the Bureau of Meterology for climate averages for Cooktown
Cooktown is 331 kms from Cairns (3 1/2 hours by car ) and 266 kms from Mareeba (3 hours be car) via the sealed Mulligan Highway. A range of drive routes are available to access Cooktown and Cape York