Cook reported the sighting of a strange animal which was: “of a light mouse colour and the full size of a Grey Hound, and shaped in every respect like one, with a long tail, which it carried like a Grey Hound; in short, I should have taken it for a wild dog but for its walking or running, in which it jumped like a Hare or Deer” (Haviland, (1987:pp. 161-239)).

Joseph Banks recorded in his journal that the natives called it the ‘Kangooroo’ and it was confirmed by American Linguist John Haviland after 1979 that the word exists in the local language as ‘gangurru’ and denotes the ‘black kangaroo’.

Cooktown, named after British Navigator Captain James Cook, was founded during the Palmer River gold rush. Its population reached 30,000, and it was declared a municipality in 1876, but after 1885 gold production dropped and the town declined. Pastoral stations were established throughout the region and frontier battles and violence erupted in resistance to the pastoralists and miners which resulted in many casualties

Gold Rush Years circa 1882 creeks and waterholes were poisoned with cyanide. Opium distributed by the Chinese miners.

Reverend Georg Heinrich Schwarz (Muni) arrived. Mission residents called him ‘Mr Muni’ or ‘Father Muni’ as ‘muni’ means black in Guugu Yimithirr as ’schwarz’ is in German. He was also fondly known by those in the bush as ‘Walarr’ after his flowing beard.

Aboriginals Protections and Restrictions of the Sale of Opium Act 1897 (later replaced by the Aboriginal Preservation and Protection Act 1939) were introduced to control and subdue dispossessed Aboriginal people and forcibly removed them to missions and reserves.