Early Explorers

"Early Explorers - They Came By Sea"

April 19, 1770 Captain James Cook was sailing north in gale force winds in "The Endeavour" unable to observe any coastline. It was late morning the following day when the weather suddenly cleared, affording Cook and his crew an unimpaired view of the area now known as Pambula Beach.

An extract from Cook's journal reads:

"At noon we were in the Latitude of 36 o 51' South and Longitude of 209 o 53' West and 3 leagues from the land. Course: sail'd shore since Yesterday at Noon was first North 52 o East, 30 miles, then North by East and North by West, 41 Miles. The weather being clear gave us an opportunity to View the Country, which has a very agreeable and promising aspect, diversified with hills, ridges, plains and valleys, with some few small lawns; but for the most part the whole was covered with wood, the hills and ridges rise with a gentle slope; they are not high, neither are there many of them".

The position of the Noonday sightings places the Endeavour due east of Tura Headland, on Friday 20 April, 1770.