Not ready to move on yet and in hurry to, we paid for yet another night and headed to the cemetery.

There is no better place to get the feel of an historical town than to wander through the cemetery. Caleb thought it was a bit 
creepy so he stayed in the car while we wandered around for close to an hour. 
The older part of the cemetery held graves from early immigrants from Scotland and Ireland. We found the oldest grave which was that of a Reverend who came from England to minister at the local church. He was known to be eccentric and died before he preached his first service in Cooktown. What a wasted journey!
The Chinese contribution in the establishment of Cooktown during the gold rush is also acknowledged in their section of the cemetery. 

We moved from one section to the next finding the graves of local legends after reading stories of them told in other tourist areas around town. 

Mrs Watson (23years old) was one such particular local who lived on nearby Lizard Island. Her husband was away when their home was attacked by Aborigines. It was believed the Aborigines were angered because their homestead was built on a sacred site. One of her Chinese servants was killed so she fled her home with her infant son and her other Chinese servant. They went to sea in a floating tank and died of thirst. Their bodies were discovered days later on another nearby island. This stuff is so fascinating!

There were many stories of tragedy like Mrs Watson’s and an effort by the local community to tell their stories through placards and tributes. 

Wandering around cemeteries isn’t something that you will see advertised to do in many touristy spots, but it gives a terrific insight into the roots of a town. A bit like a museum. You also leave with a perspective about your own mortality that you may not have had before. 

Caleb was relieved to return to the van and promptly found his friends. In the afternoon he begged to go swimming so I forced myself to sit by the pool for a while. Ahhh…the hardship of van life!