Landing of Captain James Cook on Possession IslandPrint Page

The monument erected by the Commonwealth Government in 1925 commemorates the landing of Captain James Cook on the island in 1770 and his taking possession of the whole of the east coast of Australia in the name of King George III of England.

At the Marine Department there is a brass plate, on which is recorded the landing of Captain Cook on Possession Island. Within the next week or 10 days the plate will be forwarded to the Harbor Master at Thursday Island, to be placed in position by him. From the original survey and journal of the intrepid explorer the exact place on which Captain Cook landed on Possession Island has been located, and it is intended to fix the plate there, enclosed in an obelisk of concrete.
Daily Standard (Brisbane), 8 January 1925.

A 10 acre plot on Possession Island a few miles northwest of Cape York is to be preserved as an historical area. On August 22nd 1770, Captain James Cook landed on the island and took possession of Australia's eastern coast for the British Empire. The island is in the Endeavour Strait between the mainland and Prince of Wales Island. In 1925 the Commonwealth erected a monument to Captain Cook on the island. A bronze tablet on the monument tells of his landing. Yesterday the Queensland Executive Council set aside an area around the monument as a scenic reserve. A Lands Department spokesman said the very point where captain Cook landed was contained in the reserved land.
Cairns Post, Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton),10th July 1953.

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