CAPTAIN Cook used the stars to navigate Australia's east coast. You can use a new travel guide to follow his footsteps.
Graeme Lay's A Travel Guide to Captain James Cook's Australia lets modern explorers discover the places Cook quite literally put on the map as he charted the coast of what was then known as New Holland from April-August 1770.
Readers can learn about each place's historical provenance and significance. There are also quotes from the captain's log.
The journey begins where Cook first made landfall - a promontory he named Point Hicks after his officer of the same name. Today, the area is know as Point Hicks-Tolywiarar in recognition of its significance to the local Aboriginal people. It's located within the Croajingolong National Park in Victoria's East Gippsland region.
Cook sailed the Endeavour north along the NSW and Queensland coasts into the Torres Strait before returning to England in September 1770.
Each point in his remarkable voyage is documented by Lay, including his later exploration of Tasmania.
The guide is a must for armchair travellers, history lovers or those wanting to take a road trip with a difference.
- A Travel Guide to Captain James Cook's Australia, by Graeme Lay, New Holland Publishers, RRP $24.99 available from all good bookstores or www.newhollandpublishers.com.au
