| Endeavour River | |
|---|---|
 Endeavour River, 2004, taken from Starcke St., Marton |
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| Origin | Henderson Range, Audaer Range, Hopevale |
| Mouth | Coral Sea at Cooktown, Queensland |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Avg. discharge | 1193 GL |
| Basin area | 2,054 km² |
The Endeavour River (Guugu Yimithirr: Wabalumbaal) Coordinates: 15°27′30″S 145°14′00″E / 15.45833°S 145.2333333°E on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia, was named in 1770 by Lt. James Cook, R.N., after he was forced to beach his ship, HM Bark Endeavour,[1] for repairs in the river mouth, after damaging it on a reef. Joseph Banks named it the "Endeavours River,"[2] but the form Cook used, Endeavour River, has stuck.
Cook and his crew remained for almost 7 weeks and made contact with the local Guugu Yimithirr Aborigines, while the naturalists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander made extensive collections of native flora, while Sydney Parkinson illustrated much of the flora and fauna of the region.
Modern Cooktown (population circa 2000) is located at the mouth of the Endeavour River. It is the northernmost town on the East coast of Australia, and was founded in 1873, around the site of Cook's landing, as a port to service the newly discovered Palmer River Goldfields. Some of the relatively undisturbed natural features near the mouth of the river have been reserved as a Queensland National Park, the Endeavour River National Park.
In recent years, tilapia fish, which are considered a "noxious species" in Australia, have infested the river, causing concern that the stocks of native fish will suffer. See: Tilapia as exotic species.
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