Cape Tribulation is the only place in the world
where two world heritage sites meet – the rich greens of the Daintree rainforest and the beautiful underwater
world of the Great Barrier Reef. The breath-taking views and abundance of things to do in Cape Tribulation makes it a perfect
place for tourists to get away from their busy urban lives.
From being an unexplored beach to a hub of
resorts, cabins and other Cape Tribulation accommodation, this sanctuary has
a long and colourful history that makes it one of the top destinations in North
Queensland.
Here are some of the interesting facts about the
history of Cape Tribulation:
1.
Cape Tribulation got its name from a ship crash.
Lieutenant James Cook, a British navigator, was
travelling the Pacific Ocean when his ship accidentally crashed into the reef.
The Endeavour (his ship’s name) got stuck to the reef and came very close to sinking.
Luckily, a portion of the reef was broken off and acted as a plug to the ship’s hole. He was
able to refloat the ship the following day after a whole night’s hard work of
pumping water out of hull.
Captain Cook was not in the best of his mood
that morning and this probably explains why most of the places in this area are
given gloomy names. He named the place where all his troubles began as Cape
Tribulation and the mountain behind it as Mount Sorrow while the reef where he
crashed was named Endeavour reef.
2.
If Cape Trib was not discovered, Australia will
be called New Holland.
If the whole in Captain Cook’s ship wasn’t plugged by the
reef, he might have sunk and never got the chance to claim Australia for the
British continent. If this happened, Australia would likely be known today as
New Holland. If that had been the case, Cape Tribulation would have windmills
instead of coconut trees along the beaches.
3.
The Daintree rainforest became a world heritage
site because of protests.
When the local government decided to bulldoze a
road through the rainforest to complete a coastal road to Cooktown known as
Bloomfield Track, protesters began to blockade the area. They fought against
the government to prevent them from cutting down trees and destroying the
forest. Some even laid on the ground to stop bulldozers from coming through.
However, the road was still completed after three weeks. This incident led the
federal government to realise the value of the ancient rainforest and it was
added to the World Heritage Listing in 1988.
4.
Captain Cook discovered Cape Tribulation while
measuring the distance of Earth and the Sun.
Captain Cook’s expedition in the
Pacific was initially a task given to him by the British government to observe
an astronomical phenomenon. He was sent from England to Tahiti to watch Venus
passing in front of the Sun. His findings and measurements were then used by
scientists to determine the distance between the Earth and the sun and a range
of other things. To justify the cost of this expedition, the British Crown also
ordered Captain Cook to take possession of New Holland to expand their empire
and the rest was history.
Cape Tribulation’s colourful history is
only one of the reasons why you should visit North Queensland. You won’t only have a
relaxing vacation but you will also get to learn a thing or two from the rich
history of Australia.
Cook charts the Pacific, (copy). Portrait of world explorer Captain James Cook, The Captain Cook Hotel, painting Armond M. Kirshbaum 1975, Christmas Day, Anchorage, Alaska, USA via photopin (license)
Australia via photopin (license)
IMG_0355 via photopin (license)
My favourite mangrove via photopin (license)
