Cooktown, Queensland — interactive Google street map, satellite and terrain views, Street View, live local weather conditions and 7-day forecasts, real-time local and world news, and an editorial description of Cooktown, in the Cook Shire local government area.
| Locality | Cooktown |
| State | Queensland (QLD) |
| Local Government Area | Cook Shire |
| Country | Australia |
| Timezone | Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) - no daylight saving |
| Remoteness | Remote Australia |
| Latitude | -15.3718 |
| Longitude | 144.90287 |
| Population | 3,173 |
| Density | 1.4 /km² |
| Area | 2197.3 km² |
| Elevation | 12 m |
| Postcode | 4895 |
| Area Code | 07 |
| Distance to Brisbane | 1585 km north-northwest |
Cooktown is a locality in the Cook Shire local government area of Queensland, Australia. It has a population of approximately 3,173. The locality covers an area of 2197.3 km², giving a population density of about 1.4 people per km². It sits at an elevation of around 12 m above sea level. It lies approximately 1585 km north-northwest of Brisbane. Cooktown is located at 15.3718°S, 144.9029°E. It observes Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) - no daylight saving. Postcode: 4895. The Australian Bureau of Statistics classifies the area as Remote Australia.
Cooktown breathes with the colour and cadence of the tropics, a place where the Endeavour River spills its secrets into the vast, blue expanse of the Coral Sea. It lies 477.6 km north-north-west of Townsville City, QLD (from Townsville City, QLD: bearing 335°T), and is situated 45.2 km south-west of Hope Vale. The air here is thick with the scent of salt and damp earth, a constant reminder of the powerful forces that shape this coast. Jagged granite hills, cloaked in emerald rainforest, stand as ancient sentinels behind the town, their slopes occasionally broken by the vibrant splash of a flowering vine or the stark white of a sun-bleached rock face. The light, especially in the late afternoon, possesses a remarkable quality, transforming the humid air into a luminous haze that softens the edges of everything it touches, giving the tin roofs and weathered timber of Cooktown a warm, golden glow.
This is a town etched by exploration and resilience, its very foundations laid by Captain James Cook and his crew in 1770 when the Endeavour ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef, forcing a lengthy stay for repairs. The legacy of that encounter, and the subsequent interactions with the local Guugu Yimithirr people, still whispers through the streets. Today, Cooktown’s economy thrives on a blend of tourism, drawn by its rich history and the proximity to natural wonders like the Daintree Rainforest and the Outer Reef, and the enduring spirit of its people who continue to draw sustenance from the surrounding land and sea. Fishing boats bob in the harbour, their nets promising the bounty of the ocean, while the nearby agricultural lands, though challenging in this climate, offer glimpses of hardy tropical produce.
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This page provides an interactive Google map of Cooktown, Queensland with street, satellite and terrain views and integrated Street View imagery. Live weather conditions with current observations and a 7-day forecast are powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time local news and world news feeds keep the page current, while an editorially written description provides background on Cooktown, in the Cook Shire local government area.
Detailed location data for Cooktown includes the postcode (4895), telephone area code (07), and local government area (Cook Shire), with an ABS remoteness classification of Remote Australia. These are among the most commonly searched location details for any Australian city, town or locality.
Location data is drawn from Geoscape Administrative Boundaries (GDA2020) and enriched with GeoNames and Australian Bureau of Statistics data, matched by coordinate proximity — ensuring the correct Cooktown is identified even where the name is shared across multiple localities.
| Page generated | June 2026 |
| Location data | Geoscape Administrative Boundaries (GDA2020); enriched with GeoNames and ABS 2021 Census data, matched by coordinate proximity |
| Description | Editorial description generated with AI assistance from verified Geoscape, ABS and GeoNames location data. |