Australian places named by James Cook

This is a list of Australian places named by James Cook. James Cook was the first explorer to chart most of the eastern Australian coast, one of the last major coastlines in the world unknown to Europeans at the time. Cook named many bays, capes and other geographic features, nearly all of which are still gazetted,^[1] and most of which are still in use today, although in some places the spelling is slightly different. This is a list of the placenames he used in his first voyage listed from south to north as described on his 1773 map ^[2] and in his journals.

Name	Date (1770)	Reason for naming	Coords	Notes
Point Hicks	19 April	Lieutenant Zachary Hickes, first to sight land	37°48′S 149°16′E / 37.800°S 149.267°E	spelled his name Hickes, Cook wrote it without the "e"
Ram Head	19 April	Ramhead in Plymouth Sound	37°46′S 149°29′E / 37.767°S 149.483°E
Cape Howe	20 April	Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe	37°30′S 149°58′E / 37.500°S 149.967°E
Cape Dromedary (Montague Island)	21 April	A point running out from under Mount Dromedary.	36°17′S 150°08′E / 36.283°S 150.133°E	Cook mistook Montague Island for a headland.[3]
Mount Dromedary	21 April	"pretty high mountain laying near the shore which on account of its figure I named Mount Dromedary"	36°17′51″S 150°01′00″E / 36.29750°S 150.01667°E	now called Mount Gulaga
Batemans Bay	21 April		35°42′S 150°11′E / 35.700°S 150.183°E
Point Upright	22 April	"on account of its perpendicular Clifts"	35°37′S 150°19′E / 35.617°S 150.317°E
Pigeon House	22 April	"a remarkable peaked hill laying inland the top of which look'd like a Pigeon house"	35°17′S 150°17′E / 35.283°S 150.283°E	Marked on chart as Pidgeon House
Cape St. George	23 April	discovered on St George's Day	35°10′S 150°45′E / 35.167°S 150.750°E	now Jervis Bay Territory
Long Nose	25 April	"on account of its Figure"	34°48′S 150°40′E / 34.800°S 150.667°E	now called Beecroft Peninsula (to the north of Jervis Bay)
Red Point	25 April	red colour	34°29′S 150°55′E / 34.483°S 150.917°E
Point Solander	28 April	Daniel Solander, botanist on board	34°00′S 151°14′E / 34.000°S 151.233°E	to the south of Botany Bay
Botany Bay	28 April – 6 May	"The great quantity of plants Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander found in this place occasioned my giving it the Name of Botany Bay"	33°58′S 151°10′E / 33.967°S 151.167°E	originally Stingray Bay
Cape Banks	6 May	Joseph Banks	33°59′S 151°15′E / 33.983°S 151.250°E	to the north of Botany Bay
Port Jackson	6 May	George Jackson, a secretary of the Admiralty	33°50′S 151°16′E / 33.833°S 151.267°E
Broken Bay	7 May	"broken land that appear'd to form a bay"	33°34′07″S 151°19′00″E / 33.56861°S 151.31667°E
Cape Three Points	7 May	"high land which projected out in 3 bluff Points"	33°29′S 151°26′E / 33.483°S 151.433°E	between Copacabana and Avoca Beach
Point Stephens	11 May	Sir Philip Stephens, Secretary to the Admiralty (1763–95)	32°44′S 152°12′E / 32.733°S 152.200°E	On the coast near Fingal Bay, New South Wales
Port Stephens	11 May	Sir Philip Stephens, Secretary to the Admiralty	32°41′46″S 152°08′30″E / 32.69611°S 152.14167°E
Black Head	11 May		32°04′S 152°32′E / 32.067°S 152.533°E	SE of Tinonee
Cape Hawke	11 May	Sir Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke, First Lord of the Admiralty	32°12′S 152°34′E / 32.200°S 152.567°E
Three Brothers	12 May	"3 remarkable large high hills lying Contigious to each other... bore some resemblance to each other"	31°39′52″S 152°46′26″E / 31.66444°S 152.77389°E	called separately South Brother (31°44′37″S 152°40′15″E / 31.74361°S 152.67083°E ), Middle Brother and North Brother
Smoakey Cape	13 May	"fires that Caused a great Quantity of smoke" on the cape	30°54′S 153°06′E / 30.900°S 153.100°E
Solitary Isles	15 May		29°55′S 153°23′E / 29.917°S 153.383°E
Cape Byron	15 May	John Byron	28°37′58″S 153°38′20″E / 28.63278°S 153.63889°E	Easternmost point of Australia
Mount Warning	16 May	breakers found within sight	28°23′50″S 153°16′15″E / 28.39722°S 153.27083°E
Point Danger	16 May	Point off which shoals lie	28°10′S 153°33′E / 28.167°S 153.550°E	Cook's Point Danger was Fingal Head – 2n Miles South of the present-day Point Danger on the Qld–NSW border
Point Lookout	17 May		27°26′S 153°33′E / 27.433°S 153.550°E	North-eastern point of North Stradbroke Island
Morton Bay	17 May	Robert Hinch, 14th Earl of Morton, was President of the Royal Society	27°15′S 153°15′E / 27.250°S 153.250°E	Moreton was a later misspelling of Morton. What Cook named Morton Bay comprised the Pacific Ocean side of what is now called Moreton Island. The name Moreton Bay is now applied to larger expanse of water on the inland side of Moreton and Stradbroke Islands, comprising the mouth of the Brisbane River.
Cape Morton	17 May	James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton	27°01′S 153°28′E / 27.017°S 153.467°E	Northern end of Moreton Island
Glasshouse Bay	17 May		27°04′S 153°17′E / 27.067°S 153.283°E	Cook did not realise it was part of Moreton Bay; between Moreton Island and Bribie Island
The Glass Houses	17 May	hills resemble glass houses	26°55′S 152°56′E / 26.917°S 152.933°E	Now called The Glass House Mountains
Double Island Point	18 May	"on account of its figure... the point itself is of such an unequal Height that it looks like 2 Small Islands laying under the land"	25°55′57″S 153°11′12″E / 25.93250°S 153.18667°E
Wide Bay	18 May	large open bay	25°54′S 153°08′E / 25.900°S 153.133°E	Wide Bay–Burnett is used as the region name for the larger surrounding area today. Rainbow Beach is on the bay.
Indian Head	19 May	"a number of the Natives were Assembled" there	25°00′S 153°22′E / 25.000°S 153.367°E	Eastern point of Fraser Island
Sandy Cape	20 May	sand	24°41′52″S 153°15′21″E / 24.69778°S 153.25583°E	Northern point of Fraser Island
Break Sea Spit	21 May	"now we had smooth water, whereas upon the whole Coast to the Southward of it we had always a high Sea or swell from the South-East."	24°25′S 153°13′E / 24.417°S 153.217°E	shoal projecting north from the north tip of Fraser Island
Herveys Bay	21 May	Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol	25°17′7″S 152°52′22″E / 25.28528°S 152.87278°E
South Head	23 May	South head of Bustard Bay	24°08′54″S 151°53′09″E / 24.14833°S 151.88583°E	Now known as Round Hill Head. Village of 1770 located there, Cook's first landing in Queensland and second in Australia.
Bustard Bay	23 May	bustard (bird)	24°06′S 151°49′E / 24.100°S 151.817°E
North Head	23 May	North head of Bustard Bay	24°01′S 151°46′E / 24.017°S 151.767°E	Now known as Bustard Head
Cape Capricorn	25 May	Tropic of Capricorn	23°28′S 151°13′E / 23.467°S 151.217°E	NE point of Curtis Island
Keppel Isles	26 May	Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel	23°10′30″S 150°57′40″E / 23.17500°S 150.96111°E	Great Keppel Island largest of the group
Keppel Bay	27 May	Augustus Keppel, 1st Viscount Keppel	23°23′S 150°53′E / 23.383°S 150.883°E
Cape Manyfold	27 May	"from the Number of high Hills over it"	22°41′S 150°50′E / 22.683°S 150.833°E
The Two Brothers	28 May		22°42′S 150°59′E / 22.700°S 150.983°E
Island Head	28 May		22°20′S 150°39′E / 22.333°S 150.650°E
Cape Townshend	28 May	Charles Townshend, Lord of the Admiralty 1765-1770[4]	22°12′S 150°29′E / 22.200°S 150.483°E	northern tip of Townshend Island
Shoal Water Bay	28 May	Shoal water	22°22′S 150°22′E / 22.367°S 150.367°E
Northumberland Isles	28 May		21°40′S 150°10′E / 21.667°S 150.167°E
Thirsty Sound	30 May	"by reason we could find no fresh Water"	22°10′S 149°58′E / 22.167°S 149.967°E
Bay of Inlets	1 June	"the Number of Inlets, Creeks, etc., in it."	22°19′S 149°50′E / 22.317°S 149.833°E	Named a 100 km region of coastline from Cape Palmerston (south of Mackay) to Cape Townshend (name no longer in use)
Long Isle	1 June		22°07′S 149°54′E / 22.117°S 149.900°E
Broad Sound	1 June		22°10′S 149°45′E / 22.167°S 149.750°E
Cape Palmerston	1 June	Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, Lord of the Admiralty, 1766–78	21°01′S 149°29′E / 21.017°S 149.483°E	SE of Carmila
Slade Point	2 June		21°03′S 149°13′E / 21.050°S 149.217°E
Cape Hillsborough	2 June	Wills Hill, 1st Marquess of Downshire (the Earl of Hillsborough); First Secretary of State for the Colonies, and President of the Board of Trade	20°54′S 149°02′E / 20.900°S 149.033°E	30 km NNW of Mackay
Repulse Bay	3 June		20°33′S 148°45′E / 20.550°S 148.750°E
Cape Conway	3 June	General Henry Seymour Conway, Secretary of State 1765–68	20°31′S 148°54′E / 20.517°S 148.900°E
Whitsundays Passage	4 June	discovered on Whitsunday	20°17′S 148°52′E / 20.283°S 148.867°E	between Hamilton Island, Whitsunday Island and the mainland
Cumberland Isles	4 June	Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn,	20°34′S 149°08′E / 20.567°S 149.133°E	Originally the name for what are now called the Whitsunday Islands; Cook only called the passage Whitsundays.
Cape Gloucester	4 June	Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh	20°00′55″S 148°27′18″E / 20.01528°S 148.45500°E	Actually an island
Holburn Isle	4 June	Admiral Francis Holburne	19°43′S 148°21′E / 19.717°S 148.350°E
Edgecumbe Bay	4 June	Captain George Edgcumbe, 1st Earl of Mount Edgcumbe commanded the Lancaster in the fleet in North America in 1758 in which Cook served.	20°06′S 148°23′E / 20.100°S 148.383°E
Mount Upstart	5 June	"because being surrounded with low land it starts or rises up singley at the first making of it"	19°44′S 147°48′E / 19.733°S 147.800°E
Cape Bowling Green	5 June		19°18′S 147°24′E / 19.300°S 147.400°E
Cape Cleveland	6 June	either in honour of a John Clevland the Secretary to the Admiralty around that time, or after Cleveland, England where he was born.[5]	19°10′S 147°00′E / 19.167°S 147.000°E	Cook spelled the name with an "e", adding to the confusion
Cleveland Bay	6 June		19°13′S 146°55′E / 19.217°S 146.917°E
Magnetical Island	6 June	"the Compass did not traverse well when near it"	19°08′S 146°50′E / 19.133°S 146.833°E	Now called Magnetic Island
Palm Isles	6 June		18°44′S 146°35′E / 18.733°S 146.583°E
Halifax Bay	8 June	George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax was Secretary of State 1763–65	18°50′S 146°30′E / 18.833°S 146.500°E
Point Hillock	8 June		18°25′S 146°21′E / 18.417°S 146.350°E	on Hinchinbrook Island
Cape Sandwich	8 June	John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich	18°14′S 146°17′E / 18.233°S 146.283°E	on Hinchinbrook Island
Family Islands	8 June		18°01′S 146°10′E / 18.017°S 146.167°E
Dunk Island	8 June	George Montagu-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax	17°56′48″S 146°09′22″E / 17.94667°S 146.15611°E
Rockingham Bay	8 June	Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham	18°08′S 146°04′E / 18.133°S 146.067°E
Double Point	8 June		17°40′S 146°09′E / 17.667°S 146.150°E
Frankland Islands	9 June		17°09′49″S 146°00′42″E / 17.16361°S 146.01167°E
Cape Grafton	9 June	Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton was Prime Minister when Cook sailed	16°51′55″S 145°55′00″E / 16.86528°S 145.91667°E
Fitzroy Island	9 June		16°56′S 146°00′E / 16.933°S 146.000°E
Green Isle	10 June	"a Low green woody Island"	16°45′S 145°58′E / 16.750°S 145.967°E
Trinity Bay	10 June	discovered on Trinity Sunday	16°54′S 145°47′E / 16.900°S 145.783°E
Cape Tribulation	10 June	"because here began all our Troubles"	16°04′S 145°28′E / 16.067°S 145.467°E
Hope Island	13 June	"we were always in hopes of being able to reach these Islands"	15°43′S 145°27′E / 15.717°S 145.450°E
Weary Bay	13 June		15°54′S 145°22′E / 15.900°S 145.367°E
Endeavour River	14 June – 4 August	HM Bark Endeavour	15°27′30″S 145°14′00″E / 15.45833°S 145.23333°E	Ship beached while repairs conducted, near modern-day Cooktown
Cape Bedford	4 August	Probably after John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford, who had been First Lord of the Admiralty, 1744–47	15°13′S 145°20′E / 15.217°S 145.333°E
Cape Flattery	10 August	"We now judged ourselves to be clear of all Danger, having, as we thought, a Clear, open Sea before us; but this we soon found otherwise"	14°56′S 145°21′E / 14.933°S 145.350°E
Islands of Direction	10 August		14°44′S 145°30′E / 14.733°S 145.500°E	South Direction Island and North Direction Island
Point Lookout	11 August		14°49′S 145°13′E / 14.817°S 145.217°E	Not to be confused with the Point Lookout which Cook had earlier so named, being the north-eastern point of North Stradbroke Island.
Lizard Island	12 August	"only land Animals we saw here were Lizards, and these seem'd to be pretty Plenty"	14°40′S 145°27′E / 14.667°S 145.450°E	Lizard Island still enjoys a substantial population of huge monitor lizards.
Eagle Island	12 August	"We found on this Island a pretty number of Birds, the most of them sea Fowl, except Eagles; 2 of the Latter we shott and some of the others"	14°41′S 145°22′E / 14.683°S 145.367°E
Providential Channel	17 August	providence	12°36′S 143°49′E / 12.600°S 143.817°E
Cape Weymouth	17 August	Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath, Viscount Weymouth was one of the Secretaries of State when the Endeavour sailed	12°36′S 143°26′E / 12.600°S 143.433°E
Weymouth Bay	17 August	Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath	12°29′S 143°20′E / 12.483°S 143.333°E
Forbes Islands	19 August	Admiral John Forbes was a Commissioner of Longitude in 1768, and had been a Lord of the Admiralty 1756–63	12°17′S 143°24′E / 12.283°S 143.400°E
Bolt Head	19 August		12°15′S 143°06′E / 12.250°S 143.100°E
Sir Charles Hardy's Isles	18 August		11°55′S 143°28′E / 11.917°S 143.467°E
Temple Bay	19 August	Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple, brother of George Grenville, was First Lord of the Admiralty in 1756	12°18′S 143°08′E / 12.300°S 143.133°E
Cockburn Islands	19 August	Admiral George Cockburn was a Commissioner of Longitude and Comptroller of the Navy when Cook left England.	11°51′S 143°18′E / 11.850°S 143.300°E
Cape Grenville	19 August	George Grenville	11°58′S 143°15′E / 11.967°S 143.250°E
Shelburne Bay	20 August		11°49′S 142°58′E / 11.817°S 142.967°E
Orfordness	20 August		11°17′S 142°49′E / 11.283°S 142.817°E
New Castle Bay	21 August		10°53′S 142°36′E / 10.883°S 142.600°E
York Cape	21 August	Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany	10°41′S 142°31′E / 10.683°S 142.517°E	Although Cook applied the name York Cape only to the northern tip, the name Cape York Peninsula is now applied to the entire promontory between the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Coral Sea (Pacific Ocean).
York Isles	21 August	Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany	10°41′S 142°31′E / 10.683°S 142.517°E
Possession Island	22 August	"in the Name of His Majesty King George the Third took possession of the whole Eastern coast from the above Latitude [38°S] down to this place by the Name of New Wales^1"	10°43′36″S 142°23′49″E / 10.72667°S 142.39694°E	^1"The Admiralty copy, as well as that belonging to Her Majesty, calls it New South Wales."
Prince of Wales's Isles	22 August	George Augustus Frederick, Prince of Wales	10°41′02″S 142°11′06″E / 10.68389°S 142.18500°E
Cape Cornwall	22 August		10°46′S 142°11′E / 10.767°S 142.183°E	SW point of Prince of Wales Island
Wallis Isles	23 August	probably after Captain Samuel Wallis, who made a voyage across the Pacific in the Dolphin in 1767, and discovered Tahiti	10°52′S 141°57′E / 10.867°S 141.950°E
Endeavours Streights	23 August	HMS Endeavour	10°49′S 142°06′E / 10.817°S 142.100°E
Booby Island	23 August	"mostly a barren rock frequented by Birds, such as Boobies"	10°36′S 141°54′E / 10.600°S 141.900°E

References

1. Geoscience Australia, place name search
2. A Chart of New South Wales, or the east coast of New Holland. Cook, James, 1728–1779
3. Flinders, Matthew (1814), A Voyage to Terra Australis, London: G. and W. Nicol, entry for 3 February 1798
4. Beaglehole, J.C., ed. (1968). The Journals of Captain James Cook on His Voyages of Discovery, vol. I:The Voyage of the Endeavour 1768–1771. Cambridge University Press. p. 329. OCLC 223185477.
5. "Gazetteer". pages.quicksilver.net.nz. Retrieved 1 February 2011.

• The Endeavour journal (1) and The Endeavour journal (2), as kept by James Cook — digitised and held by the National Library of Australia
• Captain Cook's Journal During the First Voyage Round the World at Project Gutenberg
• Voyages of Captain Cook, 1st voyage
• The South Seas Project Maps and online editions of the Journals of James Cook's First Pacific Voyage, 1768–71. Includes full text of journals kept by Cook, Joseph Banks and Sydney Parkinson, as well as the complete text of John Hawkesworth's 1773 Account of Cook's first voyage.