Agnes Water, Queensland

Agnes Water Queensland
Agnes Water is the most northerly surfing beach along Australia's east coast; the Great Barrier Reef limits the formation of suitable surf at beaches to the north.
Agnes Water
Coordinates	24°12′45″S 151°54′12″E / 24.21250°S 151.90333°E / -24.21250; 151.90333Coordinates: 24°12′45″S 151°54′12″E / 24.21250°S 151.90333°E / -24.21250; 151.90333
Population	1,814 (2011)[1]
Postcode(s)	4677
LGA(s)	Gladstone Regional Council
State electorate(s)	Burnett
Federal Division(s)	Flynn
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 35 °C 95 °F 10 °C 50 °F ?

Agnes Water is an increasingly popular tourist town located on Central Queensland, Australia within the local government area of Gladstone Region.^[2] Agnes Water is located 70 kilometres (43 mi) north of Bundaberg and 60 kilometres (37 mi) off the Bruce Highway. It is famous to being the home of Scooteroo. It is popular among backpackers as being similar to Byron Bay but still hidden from the general tourist route.

Geography

Agnes Water is situated approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) south-east of the Bruce Highway, Queensland's major coastal route. It is accessed via the main road in called Round Hill Road. It is 90 minutes south of Gladstone, and 90 minutes north of Bundaberg on the Discovery Coast. Agnes Water is the closest access point to the Southern Great Barrier Reef.^[3] It is a neighbouring town of the Town of 1770.

History

The town of Agnes Water takes its name from pastoral holding first leased by Daniel Clowes in 1883, which he named after the coastal schooner Agnes, which was lost at sea in the area. The schooner left Bustard Head on 15 June 1873, on route from Mackay to Brisbane.

Daniel Clowes remained there until his death in 1891. The gravestones of Clowes and his wife are near the present township.

There was saw milling in the locality in the 1890s and the wide beach was a popular venue, particularly as buggies could be driven onto the beach. It became a holiday destination, and weekend residences were built, notably on Round Hill where the Town of 1770 was officially named in 1936. However, the town was regarded as somewhat remote, and it was not until the road into the town was completely sealed in the mid 1990s that development really took off.

Population

Agnes Water beach, 2009

At the 2011 Census, Agnes Water had a population of 1,814.^[1] This statistic is made up of 942 males and 872 females with a median age of 41. The towns most common ancestry are English (32.4%), Australian (29.6%), Scottish (8.6%), Irish (7.8%) and German (4.8%).

Religion

The area of Agnes Water has local churches - the Agnes Water Baptist Church and the Catholic Church are both located on Bicentennial Dve, a short drive from the centre of the area. Census data from 2011 shows that 32.3% of the population don't identify with a religion while 19.6% list Anglican as their religion, followed by Catholicism (16.1%).^[1]

Education

The town of Agnes Water is serviced by a sole primary school located near the centre of the district on Donohue Road.^[1] The primary school caters for children ranging from prep-year to grade 7. The main choice of high schools for the area is Rosedale P-12 Campus 64 kilometres (40 mi) away from the centre of Agnes Water, accessed mostly by local buses that travel the route daily.^[4] Other choices for local high schools include Bundaberg Christian College.^[4] Only 7.1% of the population during the census listed their education level as being over secondary school (i.e. tertiary or further education).^[1]

Facilities

The town has a visitor information centre on Round Hill Road where you can get local information, book tours, get a free map, hire bikes, camping and snorkelling equipment. The town also hosts a community centre, coastal camping reserve, life-saving club, state primary school (1990), and a museum which houses the Miriam Vale Historical Society.

The Agnes Water Library is at 71 Springs Road; it is operated by the Gladstone Regional Council.^[5]

Beaches and fishing

The main beach is 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) long, running from Round Hill in the north down to Agnes Water. The beach is relatively straight and faces east-north-east. It is famous amongst surfers as being the most northerly beach on the east coast to regularly receive Tasman Sea swell which, when it arrives, provides some excellent surf. Most of the beach is backed by a low dune and natural vegetation. At the southern Agnes Water end there is an extensive foreshore reserve, including a camping reserve. The beach usually receives waves averaging about one metre, which combine with the medium sand to build a moderately steep high tide beach, with a continuous bar exposed at low tide. During and following higher swell, up to 30 rip channels are cut across the lower section of the bar and an outer bar forms along the central and northern sections of the beach. The rip channels will persist for some weeks during lower wave conditions. As well as the surf beach, Agnes Water is intersected by rocky headlands and has a stream behind the coastline. A relatively safe beach in the southern patrolled area.

References

External links

Media related to Agnes Water, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons

• "Agnes Water". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.