Cape York Peninsula

Explore the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland, Australia, from Cairns to the tip of AustraliaSee all videos for this article

Cape York Peninsula, northernmost extremity of Australia, projecting into theTorres Strait between the Gulf of Carpentaria (west) and the Coral Sea (east). From its tip at Cape York it extends southward in Queensland for about 500 miles (800 km), widening to its base, which spans 400 miles (650 km) from Cairns (east) to the Gilbert River (west). The larger rivers, all emptying into the gulf, are the Wenlock, Archer, Holroyd, Mitchell, Staaten, and Gilbert. Princess Charlotte Bay, in the northeast, is the deepest coastal indentation. Annual rainfall varies from about 30 inches (760 mm) in the south to 70 inches (1,800 mm) at the cape. The peninsula is sparsely populated, although there are Aboriginal reserves on both coasts. The raising of beef cattle is the chief occupation, but the rich bauxite deposits at Weipa are the main resource of the peninsula. Reached in 1606 by Willem Jansz, the peninsula was called Carpentaria Land by Abel Tasman, who charted the west coast in 1644. It was renamed by Captain James Cook in 1770.