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Cook Park
Cook Park is a Crown reserve comprising land along the foreshore of Botany Bay. It extends 8.5 kilometres, from Endeavour Bridge (over Cooks River) near Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport in the north, passing through the suburbs of Kyeemagh, Brighton-Le-Sands, Monterey, Ramsgate Beach, Sans Souci, Dolls Point and Sandringham, to Captain Cook Bridge (over Georges River) in the south. Mean high water mark defines the Park to the east, whilst foreshore roads running parallel to the water’s edge bound the Park on its western side.
The majority of Cook Park was proclaimed as public park on 30 March 1886. The balance of the Park was dedicated for public reserve on 25 September 1931. The Park also includes Peter Depena Reserve, Dolls Point, which is Rockdale City Council owned community land.
Cook Park was named by Rockdale City Council, on 30 March 1886, after Samuel Cook. Mr Cook had a lifelong interest in providing parks and recreation areas where they did not already exist. He was directly responsible for having the Government set aside an area in every country town in NSW for public recreation. In 1883, he was responsible for having all the land along the western shore of Botany Bay above high water mark acquired for public use. Career wise, he was made General Manager of the Sydney Morning Herald in 1888, a position he held til his retirement in 1907. He was born in Leicester, England in 1830 and passed away in 1910.
Cook Park is located within the Darug Aboriginal tribal area.
Cook Park provides an important open space in the urban environment of the Rockdale Local Government Area. The Park is a vital recreational resource for local and regional users, and national and international visitors.
Brief chronology of historical events:
- 1770 Captain James Cook sailed into Botany Bay looking for a potential site for later settlement and wrote a glowing account of the foreshore.
- 1788 Captain Arthur Phillip noted the tidal flats on the way to Sydney Harbour.
- 1880 Thomas Saywell pioneered settlement of Brighton-le-Sands area. Norfolk Island Pines were planted as a windbreak.
- 1933 Sand dunes were 15-20 feet in height at the beach front in the Brighton-Le-Sands area. They were removed following wind storms to 20 feet below road level and the area filled with refuse and finally soil and grass.
- 1960’s Storm washed away beach, seawall and promenade.
- 1971 Brighton baths dressing rooms and promenade converted to a restaurant.
- 1990 Novotel Brighton Beach built.
- 1995 Brighton-Le-Sands promenade constructed.
Cook Park Plan of Management was finalised in 1998. The Plan was prepared under the Crown Lands Act 1989 for areas of Crown reserve and the Local Government Act (NSW) 1993 for Community Land. It is zoned 6 (a) Recreational under the Rockdale City Council’s Local Environment Plan.
Cook Park Reference Group Minutes:
- November 2006 (PDF 25 kb)
- December 2006 (PDF 15 kb)
Summary of Issues November 2006 (PDF 62 kb)
