250th anniversary of Endeavour sailing past the Mid North Coast

Cook is a significant figure in the history of Australia and will forever be an individual who sparks debate and division.

"The logs were a day ahead but going by his ship's log May 13 around noon was the time he sailed past," Macleay River historical society president Phil Lee told the Argus.

Smoky Cape, situated east of South West Rocks and within the Hat Head National Park, was an area that caught the attention of Cook who noted the presence of smoke and fire hence the Smoky Cape name.

"When he was sailing past he made a note in his log that there was a lot of smoke in the area that appeared to come from inland and that's why he gave it the name Smoky Cape," Mr Lee said.

"Travelling at three knots and four fathoms of water he saw a large smoke ashore," an extract from his log read.

Mr Lee said the smoke could have been present for mainly two possible reasons but because Cook didn't come ashore there's no certainties.

"Smoky Cape was a ceremonial ground for the Aborigines with carved trees a feature throughout the area," he said.

"One of those trees has since been taken down and is now in the Australian Museum.

"Because Cook didn't go to shore he wouldn't have known what the smoke could've been from whether it have been bush-fire or ceremonial fire.

"He did go ashore about an hour later that would've been near Nambucca Heads but made no other observations for the Macleay Valley and neither did his crew."

Cook's voyage on the East Coast of Australia has diverse meanings for the Anglo and Australian people.

During the 1500s, reports were being made by explorers and mariners of Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese descent, about sighting of unknown land.

These reports and the age of colonisation in the mid-to-late 1700s prompted Britain to commission an expedition that changed the history of Australia forever.

"The event of Cook taking possession of the East Coast of Australia is certainly divisive but if he decided not to, the French and Spanish weren't too far behind him," Mr Lee said.

"When he landed at Port Jackson he was aware of civilisation so Australia certainly wasn't a state of terra nullius."

At the end of May, the Macleay River historical society will publish its quarterly journal to its members with the 250^th anniversary to be discussed.

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