Our pick for a morning coffee or a relaxed lunch is the cafe at Nature's Powerhouse, tucked inside the Cooktown Botanical Gardens just a short drive from the park. It is a lovely spot, shaded by tropical trees, and the menu leans into locally sourced ingredients with a nod to the Guugu Yimithirr bush food traditions of the region. Well worth a visit even if you only go for the gardens.

For dinner, Cooktown Bowls Club, barely a five minute walk from the park, is our go-to for honest, well-priced bistro food in a laid-back setting. The menu is broader than you might expect for a bowls club, with a genuinely good gluten-free selection, and the service is friendly and quick. Great value for money, especially after a long day on the road.

If you are after something a little more elevated, the Sovereign Resort Hotel runs a fine dining Balcony Restaurant from April to October with views straight over the Endeavour River. It is the kind of place that makes you feel like the drive north was absolutely worth it. Outside of those months, the hotel still serves casual meals through its cafe and bistro, which are solid and convenient. The park's own camp kitchen with three gas BBQs and a covered dining area is a good option too if you prefer to cook in.

Start with the walk up to Grassy Hill. The 360-degree panorama from the lighthouse taking in the Endeavour River winding down to the Coral Sea is one of those views that stays with you. You can drive up if you prefer, though the walking trail through the scrub is far more satisfying. From there, head down to Fisherman's Wharf, where locals and visitors have been dropping a line for generations. "Doing a wharfie" is a Cooktown tradition, and even if you don't fish, the walk along the wharf is a great way to get a feel for the town.

The Cooktown Museum in the beautifully restored 1889 convent building on Helen Street is one of the best small regional museums in Queensland. The anchor and cannon recovered from Cook's ship Endeavour are the standout exhibits, but the Indigenous and Chinese cultural collections are equally compelling and often overlooked. 

For day trips, the options are excellent. Waterfall hunters should head north to Isabella Falls and Endeavour Falls, or south to Trevethan Falls, Home Rule Falls, and Bloomfield Falls, all within a comfortable drive. Black Mountain to the south, with its massive ancient granite boulders, is eerie and fascinating in equal measure. Archer Point offers a quiet stretch of coast with good snorkelling. And for those continuing north, Cooktown is the natural staging point for Cape York. Stock up, top up the tank, and head for the tip.

Cooktown is about four hours north of Cairns, so services are remote. Fill the tank before heading out to the waterfalls or Black Mountain, and keep in mind that some roads to outlying attractions are not suitable for caravans or low-clearance vehicles.