On Walkabout In: Cook, South Australia
A Town Called Cook
Cook, South Australia is in the middle of the Nullarbor Plain and adjacent to the longest stretch of straight railroad track in the world at 478 kilometers.
As the train continued across the Nullarbor Plain it eventually came to stop in a town called Cook. The town of Cook is located in the dead center of the Nullarbor Plain and is about the half way point of the over 2000 mile journey between Perth and Adelaide.
In this Google Earth image you can see Cook in the center of the image and the railway you can see running east and west on the image. A small dirt travels southward from Cook. Notice how desolate the area around Cook is.
Here is an even closer look at Cook. Once again the railway line in the center with the train station adjacent to the track. You can see the homes for the people who live in Cook behind the train station.
The Indian-Pacific stops in Cook in order to refuel and resupply the train. While the train is doing this, the passengers are allowed to deboard the train for about two hours and explore the town of Cook. Trust me there is not a whole lot to see because Cook only has a population of seven people. Yes, I said seven. The seven people that live in Cook are older folks who work for the railroad maintaining the facilities at Cook.
The Cook Train Station
Despite it’s small size there is still enough things to look at while in Cook. If you run out of things to look at then spend some time talking to the locals because they are a friendly bunch in Cook. I’m sure you learn to be friendly with the few people you do meet out in Cook when you live officially in the middle of no where:
Be careful though, because if you are not friendly you may end up in the Cook city jail:
Here is a sign that kind of gives you an idea how remote this place is:
Talking to the locals they were telling me that it takes two hours of driving on a dirt road to reach the nearest paved road, which is the highway that connects South Australia with West Australia. Once they reach the highway they have to drive another 8 hours to reach the nearest city of Port Augusta. So basically a trip to the market takes you 10 hours from Cook. Because of this distance food and other items requested by the people of Cook are brought in by the Indian-Pacific when the train stops in Cook. Not only are the people of Cook resupplying the train, but the train is resupplying the people of Cook.
The train also brings in tourists that allow the residents to sell souvenirs to including these official certificates of crossing the Nullarbor that were going for $5 dollars:
Something else I liked about Cook was that the people there definitely have a good sense of humor:
I guess you have to have a sense of humor when you live in place like Cook.
Cook housing area that included by far the largest trees I had seen in the whole Nullarbor.
Before long the train was blowing its horn, which signaled that it was time to load up on the train again and continue the long ride across the Nullarbor.
Next Posting: Last Stop Adelaide
Prior Posting: Across the Nullarbor
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About The Author
Dobbs
I am a avid hiker with a love for travel and the outdoors. I currently call the Evergreen State of Washington my home.
Lived at Cook for about nine months in 1970, good experience and the locals were a friendly mob. Worked at the PMG repeater station and the railway station as a cleaner, hubby was a porter in the railways. Fond memories of the tea and sugar train visiting Cook every fortnight usually in the wee hours of the night from where we bought our meat supplies. R&E Butchers the best bacon rounds one could by.
Thanks for sharing your memories of your time in Cook. It is an incredibly isolated place today and imagine it was even more isolated 40 years ago.
😆 IWORKED AT COOK AS A TRAIN EXAMINER IT.SGOOD TOO SEE SOME PHOTO.ES
Great to see some photos. I was born in Cook in the 1950s as my father was a train driver. I have never seen the place in my adult life and we left there before I turned 2. I know that my eldest brother was locked up in the gaol once when he was naughty, to teach him what happens to boys who don’t do what they are supposed to.
My father, Malcolm McLeod, taught at Cook in the late 1940’s. I have a photograph of the school back then- a large structure on stilts, with all the children assembled in front.
Nigel, you should upload on the Internet, perhaps on Panoramio.com a picture of the school house. I think it would be interesting to see. 🙂
I have done as you suggested and await Google earth to review and post. The photo was taken in 1944 and shows my father , a very young teacher, with his class of 31 pupils, vastly spread in height and age.
Look at
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/66971282
Regards, Nigel
Nigel, thanks for posting the photograph. I don’t remember seeing that structure when I visited Cook so I think unfortunately it no longer remains. However, it is amazing that Cook once had that many children living in it. It seems like life in Cook would have been pretty boring for a kid growing up. Once again thanks for sharing the photo.
If you go to Google Earth and then to Cook Station, you can zoom to a picture entitled “Cook’s Old School”, taken at a much later date. It appears to be the same building as in my photo Cook school 1944, but from a different angle, and changed for tourism.
Nigel, you are right the building is still standing and after looking at Google Earth I realize why I didn’t see it. The old school house is located well away from the train station behind the residential homes. Since I didn’t have time to walk behind the residential homes I didn’t see it. That is pretty cool that your father’s old school house is still up and standing.
I remember seeing a movie made in Cook back in the early 1970s about the schoolmaster and some kids they got kicked out of the pool and lost the use of the pool over the Christmas break for using the pool before the teacher got there, I was 11 at the time of seeing the movie and said if I get to Australia and go over the Nullabour I will go see cook I am a lot older now and am in Australia I may be going over to East in easter holidays Question is How bad is the road… Read more »
Hi Nigel,
I have photos of Cook relating to the fettlers accomodation and my Uncle, Aunt and son(my cousin), other housing and a NEW school after completion. 1938 vintage. Have you other photos you wish to share as I am compiling my genealogy. As all my other cousins live in more verdent lands any old photos of the Cook region would give them an idea of some contrast.
Dennis
Hi Dennis,
Unfortunately I have only the one photograph of Cook (viz the school in 1945) left by my father.
Hi there I am currently putting together information for guests on the Indian Pacific to take themselves on a self guided tour of Cook. One section I’d love to included are “random” or “quirky” facts about the history and people of Cook. Would anyone who has lived there be able to shed some more light on their experience of the place? E.g. a funny story about someone who got locked up in a jail cell. I absolutely love the photo of Mr McLean with his pupils that Nigel shared. Anything like this would be great to share with travellers and… Read more »
my grandfather ,grandmother and mum and aunties lived cook and Tarcoola worked on railways any body know of them or any pics thanks
Wow, I have never been to Cook but my father worked on the railways there. My older siblings were born there, and my mum was a nurse in the hospital. I wonder did she deliver any of the babies spoken about above, and did dad work with John White’s grandfather as he was working both in Cook and Tarcoola.
Have heaps of old photos but lots don’t have any names etc.
Hi Kevin, The road up to Cook is okay if you are not in a hurry and it hasn’t been raining you should be alright.
Thanks Ian Hutchinson I did have a look at the road but heavy trucks were using it and it looked a little rough for my camper van and we decided not to venture up it, however there was a plane doing whale watching flights at Nullarbor road House I had a quick chat to the pilot and he agreed to fly us out it was an expensive trip but well worth it Cook was exactly how I remember it in the film I saw when I was 10 or 11 years old (well a little run down as expected) I… Read more »
I was born at Cook Hospital in 1963. My father was a fettler on the line for years, don’t know how long we lived in Cook for though. When I met my partner, our first home was at Denman, then Loongana, Reid, Tarcoola & Port Augusta in the 1980’s. Visited Cook a few times in the 80’s. Always wanted to know how many babies were born there.
I was born at the Cook Hospital in 1965 Dad worked on the railway not sure what he did .I started school there in 1970 We lived there until 1973. My brother was born in Tarcoola,we also lived in Denman eventually moving to Port Augusta I have no photos so like to see ones others post.I remember the Tea and Sugar train coming and the butcher giving us Devon and savaloys.I remember the movies coming on the train and the movie nights at the town hall with all the ladies bringing a plate of home made goodies and huge old… Read more »
I was born in 1963 we moved to cook in the 70s I also went to school there and yes Julie I remember the town hall movie nights the tea and sugar train I remember me stepfather jimmy Mcmahon as father Christmas he was coming down the rd in the back of a ute pulling his white beard down to have a swig of beer lol, I cant remember names but I do remember the family that was called frenchies, yes we left just before they built the pool we used to catch finches in the trees at the front… Read more »
I hope to see others reply that lived there as well be good to get in touch with those
Hi Trevor,
Nice to hear from you.I don’t remember names from that time but will check with my Mum to see if she remembers any names of some of the people mentioned here.
I do remember the toilets up the back yard (no plumbing just some poor fellow emptying them)and collecting wood chips to heat the copper for bathwater.
I didn’t catch finches but did go rabbit hunting with my dad,Rabbit was my favourite meal for special occasions I could not eat it now…….
Went to school at Cook 1971 – 1974 grades 4 – 7. Teachers were: 1971 Mr. Hill, 1972 Karl Briffa, 1973 – 1974 Mr. Williams, then I think Mark Brindle took over. The school is the same building earlier posts spoke about although a junior school building had been built in 1972??. The only french family I can remember I think were called the DiDonnas??. Used to watch movies at the community centre which was also the pub until the new one was built. Sill remember showing the Sunday night movies on the old manual projector when the regular projectionist… Read more »
my great Aunt Vera Reeves create the Golf Course at Cook,She cleared the scrub and used JamTins for the holes.Has anyone any photos of aunty Vera ,and the Golf Course,and of course her husband.Aunty Vera worked at the guest House.We are compiling family history ,so any info would be appreciated..Vera was decended from Scandoleras and we have a Face book page called Decendants of Scandoleras and O’neills.
regards
Peter J Broughan in Drouin. Facebook page Peter broughan
Hello Julie – my family lived in Cook probably around the same time you did – my sister was born in February 1964 – we had lived in Watson when my mother went to Cook to have my brother in 1960 – then moved to other places before moving to Cook – I started primary school there in I think 1963 until we moved to Tarcoola a few years later. – I don’t remember much about my time in Cook my memories are more about Tarcoola but I do remember school sports days were played again Cook/Tarcoola and Kingoonya and… Read more »
Hi Gazza , I started school in Cook in 1970 and we left in 1972 so we may have been at school together but I am afraid I have very little memory of those times We moved to Port Augusta in 1972 then back to Orange in 1973. My Mum vaguely remembers the ?Di Donnas. Rosita my Mum remembers a Ziggy Fast who worked on the railways with my Dad Was your Dad Ray Lehmann as mum seems to think she remembers that name My mum and dad were Cecil and Judi Benton Others names remembered were Uncle Charlie,Frank and… Read more »
Hi Julie – yes my father was Ray Lehmann – I will mention your mum and dad’s name to my mum when she returns from holidays – although her memory is fading fast which is a shame and my day died 32 years ago – I think his name was Ziggy – they moved to Mt Tom Price and another name I just rembered was Langdon I think her name was Kitty – they were early memories for me but as a child growing up we didn’t have blood aunties and uncles but many of the families formed close friendships… Read more »
Hi my name is Gunter Hesse born in cook 1956 left when i was 3 years old