THE 250th anniversary of the landing of Captain James Cook is six years away, but Cook Shire Council has already started planning the mammoth event. It will be a six-week-long party in 2020, with lots of celebrations and events to mark the day he landed at the Endeavour River in 1770. Cook Shire Council will coordinate the events, hoped to include a royal visit and opening of a new exhibition centre to showcase Cook’s time at the Endeavour and interaction with indigenous people. Cook Shire Mayor Peter Scott said events would happen across the globe in 2020. “There is interest, not just in Cooktown, but nationally and internationally for 2020 commemorations,” he said.
The Australian National Maritime Museum intends to re-enacting Cook’s voyage with the HMB Endeavour Replica sailing from Whitby in England, including a visit to Cooktown. “The 2020 events are so significant for Cooktown, where Cook spent more time than anywhere else in Australia and where he had the best relations with indigenous people,’’ Cr Scott said. “It will be a fabulous way for us to showcase our mantra of two cultures, one people.”