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Captain Cooks Landing Site Obelisk
Captain Cooks Landing Site Obelisk

Photographs supplied by Peter F Williams / Ian Bevege

Captain Cook`s Landing Place is the site where Captain James Cook first stepped onto the Australian continent.  A commemorative obelisk stands opposite the rock where he is believed to have landed with his crew.  A plaque also commemorates the 200th anniversary of Cook`s landing and historical re-enactment.

The site has a series of monuments to Cook and his companions, dating back to 1822, which are of historical significance in themselves. The site includes: a water course believed to be that from which Captain Cook obtained water; a monument erected in 1822 at Inscription Point; an obelisk of 1870; monument to Forby Sutherland, the first British subject to die in Australia; monuments to Dr Solander and to Joseph Banks.

Captain James Cook claimed the whole of the east coast of Australia for Great Britain on 22 August 1770, naming eastern Australia, 'New South Wales.'

Location

Address:Prince Charles Parade & Captain Cook Drive, Monument Track, Kurnell, 2231
State:NSW
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -34.004667
Long: 151.217556
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Monument
Monument Theme:Landscape
Sub-Theme:Exploration
Actual Event Start Date:28-April-1770
Actual Event End Date:28-April-1770

Dedication

Approx. Monument Dedication Date:1870
Front Inscription

         CAPTAIN COOK
           Landed Here 
       28th April, A.D.1770
          This Monument
    Was Erected A.D. 1870,
By The Honourable Thomas Holt M.L.C.  
Victoria Regina. The Earl of Belmore, Governor &c


 

 

Left Side Inscription

EXTRACT FROM CAPTAIN COOK`S JOURNAL
Saturday 28th April, A.D.1770.
           At daybreak we discovered a bay, 
and anchored under the south shore, 
about two miles within the entrance in 
sixth fathom water: the south point bearing 
S.E, and the north point East. 
Latitude 34ºS Longitude 208º.37 W

Back Inscription

     THE LANDING PLACE OF
         CAPTAIN COOK
          April 28th, 1770.

The following brief extracts relating to
the Landing of Captain Cook and his party
on the rock opposite this tablet are taken
from the original MS Journal of Sir Joseph
Banks, in the Mitchell Library, Sydney : 

The journal records that —

The natives resolutely disputed the landing "although they were but two, and we thirty or forty at least."  Parleying with these
two continued for about a quarter of an hour.  "They remained resolute, so a musket was fired over them, the effect of which was that the youngest of the two dropped a bundle of lances on the rock....  
He, however, snatched them up again and both renewed their threats and opposition.  A musket loaded with small shot was now fired at the oldest of the two who was about 40 yards from the boat, it struck him on the legs but he minded it very little, so another was immediately fired at him, on this he ran up to the house about 100 yards distant and soon returned with a shield.  In the meantime we had landed on the rock."

Several "lances" were immediately thrown
and fell among the party.  This caused two
further discharges of small shot, when, after
throwing another lance, the natives fled.

Right Side Inscription

This Plaque Commemorates The 
200th Anniversary Of The Landing
        Of Captain James Cook
And The Re-Enactment Of This Historic Event
       In The Presence Of 
  Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth  
His Royal Highness The Duke Of Edinburgh 
And Her Royal Highness Princess Anne
           29th April, 1970

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au