the museum's exhibits are rich and varied. the endeavour gallery gives a fascinating insight into the seven weeks captain james cook and his crew spent at the site of modern cooktown, repairing their ship after a catastrophic grounding on nearby endeavour reef. two highlights of the gallery are an original anchor and a cannon from hmb endeavour, both jettisoned from the ship in 1770 and only retrieved from the reef in the early 1970s. the endeavour gallery not only explores the fight for survival cook and his men faced on the reef, it also documents the many discoveries made by the ship's scientific team during their enforced stay at the endeavour river. integral to australian history and cultural identity is the interaction between cook and the local guugu yimithiir people ? the most extensive he experienced in australia ? and this story is told from both perspectives.
