Cooktown

"Party Like its New Years Eve" in Cooktown followed on from "Xmas" in Mareeba.     A 7 day RV Festival at the Racetrack.   The Cooktown Shire are trying to encourage more travellers to come here and they went all out to make sure we had an enjoyable time.    It was hot and windy.    If the wind doesnt blow in Cooktown then the Midgee/Sandflies come out to bite.    For most of the time we were in Cooktown it blew.   Below is a photo of an old friend that owns the "Italian" restaurant in Cooktown.  A great little Pizza/Pasta type Place.   Dont know who was the most shocked to see each other, John or Rick.  At the age of 15, our son Daniel (now 36) got a part time job at the local pizza shop and John, below, was his first boss/chef that he worked under.    Over the years, their paths crossed a number of times, working together at the restaurant Dan eventually bought.

We were greeted by Shire Staff at the Racecourse and given out nice little Showbags, courtesy of Cooktown Hardware.   Lots of very good samples, I got a soccer ball as well,  and everyone got ONE gardening glove.   To get the other we had to come into the Hardware Store for a free sausage sizzle over the weekend.   They sure knew how to spoil us.   Each day at Happy Hour there was a talk from a local tour guide, or local identity, giving us an insight into what was on offer in the region.    The bar was open at the Racecourse to buy your happy hour drinks but a blind eye was turned to those of us who preferred BYO. Courtesy bus from the Bowls Club took people into the Club for bowls, bbqs, bingo and lunch/dinners.   Another bus was on hand to drive into the town each day, dropping off and picking up at certain spots .Morning Tea provided every day at the Racecourse and shire staff on hand all day every day to help with anything anyone wanted/needed.    All up I think there were 70 motorhomes, 130 people  on site and we left behind in receipts (if you remembered to hand them in) around $8000.     Friday night saw the opening of the Cooktown Show.   We headed into town to an outdoor concert put on by the local school kids.   Lots of singing and dancing from both the kids and the teachers.     Enjoyable and funny.    Saturday morning we headed into town to the Markets.   Not much of anything worth buying so we headed to the Hardware Store for a sausage sizzle and then to the Show.      Dogs and chooks on parade.    Cakes, Needlework, art, photos, etc. judged.    Show bags, more market stalls and lots of food on sale.    A great little Country Show.

One thing you notice up here is how happy people are to be living in Cooktown.    They love the place.  It is a friendly community.    A local told us, he used to worry about watching his kids every second of the day,  when he first moved there, but now they almost "run free" everyone looking out for one another, kids are safe, no fat kids here.   No Maccas and the kids spend a lot of their time outdoors, running around, skating, riding bikes etc.   A pretty nornal "old fashioned" lifestyle.    They are getting a pretty good safe swimming beach/lagoon under construction now.   Safe from crocs and stingers.    Swimming safe all year around in the coming year.    Otherwise, its just the local pool.

Friends we were camped with at Mareeba and now Cooktown,  Jo and John, went up the Endeavour River in his tinny for a day of fishing and they saw lots of crocs.  Jo took heaps of pics of them sunning themselves on the banks as they fished.    I would have been petrified.    We havent seen any so far though we keep looking.