Agnes Water & Town of 1770

The tiny seaside towns of Agnes Water and Town of 1770 are steadily increasing in popularity with backpackers for their unspoilt beaches and lush green national parks. Captain Cook touched down here in 1770 (hence the name), for the first time in what is now called Queensland. This stakes the area’s claim as the birthplace of Queensland.

Agnes Water is Queensland’s most northerly surf beach and it has some spectacular breaks. Agnes Water also has the three backpackers’ hostels, all of which are good accommodation options. There are a couple of small shopping centres and a good surf shop where you can rent longboards. The Town of 1770, just minutes away, is nothing more than a laid-back coastal settlement good for fishing, boating and cruising to the southern cays of Lady Musgrave and Lady Elliot Islands for diving. Overall, this area of the Discovery Coast is just a quiet rural hideaway with little in the way of tourist attractions but tons of charm.