Know the history of Captain Cook’s Cottage, Melbourne.
One of the popular places to visit in Melbourne is Cook’s Cottage located in Fitzroy Gardens Melbourne. Built-in the year 1775, Captain James Cook’s Cottage is the oldest building in Australia.
As you walk through this double-storey cottage, you get to experience what life was like in the eighteenth century. You get to experience the traditional English cottage garden, listen to the sounds of the Cook family sitting down to a family meal and hear the exciting voyages of Captain James Cook.
About Captain James Cook
Captain James Cook was a British navigator, cartographer, and explorer, who is credited as being the first European person to reach the eastern coast of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands. He is known to provide the first accurate map of the Pacific that has helped generations of explorers. Captain Cook traveled thousands of kilometers to unchartered areas across the globe and recorded islands and coastlines on European maps. His courage to travel to untraveled areas and the ability to lead adverse climatic conditions are well-documented.
Captain James Cook’s Cottage
Captain Cook’s cottage was built in 1775 by Captain Cook’s parents in the English village of Great Ayton at Yorkshire. The inside of the cottage includes centuries-old antiques and has been stylized with things from the 18th century. It is believed that although Captain Cook often visited his parents at the cottage, he didn’t live in it.
In 1934, Sir Russell Grimwade learned about the cottage in England and bought the cottage for a then princely sum of 800 pounds. Because Captain Cook was the person who discovered the southern coast of Australia, Sir Grimwade decided to transport the entire cottage to Melbourne as a tribute to Captain Cook.
The entire cottage was deconstructed brick by brick. Every brick was individually numbered, packed into cases and barrels and then transported to the other side of the world by a ship. All the ivory cuttings and coverings from the cottage were also transported and re-installed at the new location in Melbourne.
After re-erecting the entire cottage brick by brick at the Fitzroy Gardens, in October 1934, Sir Grimwade dedicated the cottage to the people of Melbourne and has been a tourist location ever since. Thousands of native population and English population regularly throng the cottage to learn about the various voyages of Captain Cook and experience life in the eighteenth century. Although the cottage does not have actual items from Captain Cook’s household, the furnishings and antiques represent things of the eighteenth century.
Due to normal wear and tear, in 1978, the cottage was subjected to restoration activity. However, the look and feel of Captain Cook’s cottage have been maintained throughout.More recently, in 2012, the cottage was part of a movie Any Questions for Ben!
The English setting, the eighteenth-century set-up, the stories about Captain Cook, the adjacent gardens and guided tours through the cottage are some factors that have made the cottage popular and make it one of the important places to visit in Melbourne. You can visit the Captain James Cook’s Cottage absolutely free by purchasing the Melbourne City Card.
