Endeavour River
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The Endeavour River (Guugu Yimithirr: Wabalumbaal) on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia, was named in 1770 by Lt. James Cook, R.N., after he was forced to beach his ship HM Bark Endeavour, after damaging it on a reef, for repairs in the river mouth.
Cook and his crew remained for almost 7 weeks and made contact with the local Guugu Yimithirr Aborigines, while the naturalists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander made extensive collections of native flora, while Sydney Parkinson illustrated many of the flora and fauna of the region.
Modern Cooktown is located at the mouth of the Endeavour River. It is the northernmost town on the East coast of Australia, and was founded in 1873, around the site of Cook's landing, as a port to service the newly discovered Palmer River Goldfields.
