Captain Cook

Two hundred and fifty years ago, on 15th of May 1770, Capt. James Cook in the ‘Endeavour’ sailed past, (what we now say is), one of Australia’s best known tourist areas.

It was the Eastern most point of the Continent and as a tribute to his friend and mentor, Captain John Byron (later Vice Admiral), he named the point ‘Cape Byron’.

The place was known as ‘Walgun’ by the local people in the Arakwal language.

Cook was approximately a league or 5.6KM from, (what we call today) Cape Byron and Tallow Beach.

The following day, 16th May 1770, Cook was sailing North and recorded in his log the appearance of dangerous breakers and used the peaked mountain inland as a marker. Cook named it ‘Mt. Warning’.

On the 17^th May 1770 Captain Cook noticed, (slightly inland and not far from each other), mountains that resembled the shape of glass houses in England and so named the “Glass House Mountains”, which lies just west of what we call to-day the Sunshine Coast.

Cook continued to sail Northward and claimed the East coast of the Continent on behalf of England and named it ‘New South Wales’.

Come and have a Captain James Cook’s look at the Wax Museum

Re-Opening Very Soon… We Promise…