Cooks' Cottage

Welcome to Cooks' Cottage, perhaps one of Melbourne's most 'bizarre' and fascinating tourist attractions. Standing here in the lush greenery of Fitzroy Gardens, you are looking at a building that was originally constructed in…

The story of how this cottage ended up in Melbourne begins with Russell Grimwade, a prominent Melbourne businessman and philanthropist. In the early 1930s, as the city prepared to celebrate its centenary of European settlement,…

Step inside the cottage and prepare to 'watch your head,' as the doorways are lower than in modern homes. The interior has been restored to what architects in the 1930s believed was its original 18th-century form. …

The location of the cottage in Fitzroy Gardens was a deliberate choice, intended to provide an English-style garden setting that complemented its Yorkshire origins. The gardens themselves are a Melbourne landmark, known for their…

As you stand near the statue of Captain Cook in the garden, it is important to reflect on his increasingly controversial status in Australia. While traditionally celebrated as the 'heroic discoverer' of the East Coast in 1770,…

Cooks' Cottage is a fascinating example of the 'age of the tourism industry.' Even in 1934, tourists were coming to Fitzroy Gardens to explore this building, showing that the desire to connect with history—even history brought…

While the cottage is named for the Captain, the story of Elizabeth Cook is one of the most compelling and tragic in the family’s history. Elizabeth was 21 when she married James in 1762, 13 years his junior. …

As we conclude our tour of Cooks' Cottage, we are left with a deeper understanding of how history is not just found, but created. This building, standing far from its original Yorkshire home, is a testament to the effort and…