G'day !!
Right we are in April and seeing the weather is always topical, we did have cool days and nights before Easter, and since then it is very HOT and HUMID, and we are all waiting for the cooler days to come.
In the Mossman library the other day, looking for suitable books to read in the heat of the day,I came across a reference book, " Behind the name" by John Walters, 3/ 2006.
Mr Walters has researched numerous place names of the region and put it together very clearly and concise. On page 14, I found Cow Bay:
" Cow Bay is so named because William ( Bill) Smith, ( incididentally after whom Smithfield was named), pastured some cattle near there, whilst he was a Hotelkeeper and Packer in Cooktown around 1874. His cattle were known to wander down to the Bay and were often spotted by passing Mariners, who gave the area its unusual name."