Kurnell Peninsula, unique and significant, is nestled at the Northern end of the Shire. It was here that Lieutenant (later Captain) James Cook, on his first epic voyage of scientific exploration, anchored his ship Endeavour in Botany Bay and landed in 1770.

A simple sandstone monument to the great navigator marks the landing place at Kurnell. A tall red buoy clearly visible about 400 metres offshore marks the anchor site.

When Cook and his crew landed they encountered the Gweagal aborigines, the northern most tribe of the Dharawal, who were hunting and fishing at Kurnell. To the Gweagal the Endeavour appeared to be a big white bird, no doubt an astonishing and fearful sight.

For eight days Cook and young botanist Joseph Banks and naturalist Daniel Solander, explored and mapped the area.  Crewman, 29 yr old Forby Sutherland, “departed this life” and was buried on the shore, becoming the first British subject to die on the ‘unknown’ east coast of Australia. Cook named a nearby headland Point Sutherland after him.