Cooks' Cottage

Cooks' Cottage is a heritage-listed 18th-century cottage located in Fitzroy Gardens, East Melbourne, Victoria. Originally built in 1755 in Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, England by the parents of explorer Captain James Cook, it was dismantled, shipped to Australia and re-erected in 1934. Operated as a historic house museum by the City of Melbourne, it displays period furnishings and exhibits related to Cook's life and voyages within a cottage garden setting.

Visitors can explore a two-storey stone cottage with period 18th-century furnishings, replica items and displays about Captain James Cook's life and voyages. The cottage is set within an English-style cottage garden in Fitzroy Gardens, surrounded by lawns, pathways and mature trees. Inside, rooms are presented as they would have appeared in Cook's time, with guided tours, interpretive panels and a small exhibition area. The visit includes the garden, exterior and interior rooms.

Built in 1755 in Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, England by James and Grace Cook, parents of Captain James Cook. Captain Cook is believed to have visited the cottage as a child. In 1933 the cottage was purchased by Sir Russell Grimwade, dismantled brick by brick and shipped to Melbourne, where it was re-erected in Fitzroy Gardens in 1934 to commemorate the centenary of Melbourne. It is one of the few 18th-century English buildings in Australia.

The cottage commemorates Captain James Cook's exploration of Australia's east coast and his broader maritime voyages. It serves as a cultural and educational site interpreting 18th-century English domestic life and Cook's legacy, and is a prominent heritage attraction within Fitzroy Gardens managed by the City of Melbourne.