August 27 - 29. 1770 and Agnes Water. Beaches

I have had to go to the thesaurus to get some words to describe this place. I have described beaches of Mission Beach, Jimmys Beach, Broken Head and a few others as spectacular, beautiful, breathtaking, amazing, impressive and stunning. 1770 and Agnes Water together are all this and more. Dramatic back beaches onto the ocean, serene bay for paddling and sailing, views that literally go for miles and miles of this varied shoreline. Dolphins, whales, birds, fish are plentiful and great to see. The two towns are not over developed (yet) and we can only hope they stay that way.

Obviously, the naming of 1770 is referencing an event that is becoming a little more troublesome over time. Even our caravan park has now changed its name from Captain Cook Tourist Park to 1770 Tourist park. Bustard Bay refers to where the fleet disembarked and had their first hunted meal. Thankfully the first nations people are referenced and acknowledged, but the situation is complicated – a theme we keep hearing around indigenous issues. Agnes Water on the other hand is named after a shipwreck – the Agnes. Probably should be named Agnes not enough water. What a difference history would be if the first fleet was the shipwreck instead……

Agnes Water beach is 3 km of soft sand, treacherous water and delightful views. We did come across a large loggerhead turtle on the beach that was upside down and had been there for a bit. Apparently, it happens a quite a lot which is heart wrenching. The other walks around are equally fascinating and exhausting. My words and Linda’s photos don’t do enough to give the place justice.

We take a sunset kayak out onto the waters from 1770. A tour group of 4 gives a great personalised experience and being able to paddle out to the sand bars, see some of the wildlife, dolphins, birds, and whales in the distance. The experience is complimented with a classy glass of fruity lexia straight from the goon bag into a plastic glass to toast the sun going down. The water is warm and clear, and the fruity lexia is sweet and intoxicating. Being able to walk on sand bars as they are being covered by the tide is also quite the treat.

It is a bit monotonous continually saying how good the views are and how wonderful the beaches are to walk on, but we are continually being blown away by the beauty of the coast, and surely we have seen the best of it – it is getting hard to top.

1770 Holiday Tourist Park Google Review

Contrary to the name, the limit of holiday tourists here is not 1770, it is in reference to the place name. Pleasant enough space with visits to the campsite from kookaburras, goannas, kangaroos and midges. The midges can get stuffed. Facilities are aged and probably just adequate, especially given they use shower curtains. Credit where it is due though, the lack of water pressure from the shower meant a reduced Bernoulli principle impact, so an interesting way to deal with the shower curtain problem. 3 stars.