Nina Kaye and Russell Bowman from The Lure Shop show off the new Cape York Visitors Guide, which the Cooktown Chamber of Commerce and Tourism says takes a more whole-of-Cape approach to informing tourists. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
The Cooktown Chamber of Commerce and Tourism has embraced a “print it and they will come” mentality for the latest edition of the town’s visitors guide.
The new-look Cape York Visitors Guide was formally unveiled this month, and encompasses not only Cooktown, but the length of the northernmost part of the state in a bid to give the region’s tourism sector a much-needed boost.
Chamber secretary Bill Peck said he believed incorporating other parts of Cape York – as well as some of the major Torres Strait islands – would pay dividends for all tourism operators.
“There’s a lot of fabulous places in the Cape, which is not just Cooktown,” he said.
“It’s not just the drive to the tip – the trip to the tip – so, we have got sections on Portland Roads, Lockhart [River], on Weipa and on Mapoon, on Thursday Island, and then on Bloomfield and Cape Trib.
“I think the view is, if we get people to the Cape, they’ll come to Cooktown usually.
“It took a lot of time in the making, but I think that the end product’s very good; we had a lot of really good support from up and down the Cape.”
The colourful 48-page guide is packed with local information, handy hints and must-see spots across Cape York, including several Mr Peck urged visitors to make time to experience.
“The more you understand about Iron Range (Kutini-Payamu) National Park, it is one of the top birding locations in the world and a beautiful spot,” he explained.
“As you go north on the Cape, I think Chilli Beach and then Weipa; a lot of Australia’s wealth is in places like Weipa and many people have never been to a mining town.”
The guide is available at The Lure Shop and Marine RV in Cooktown, as well as at selected distributors across Cape York, including Weipa and Bamaga.
“We’ve sort of tried to distribute it around,” Mr Peck said.
“The job of the guide is to get people to the Cape; once they’re here, they see it for themselves and the guide becomes somewhat secondary.”
