What To Do in 1770 and Agnes Water (and What Not To Do)

By Roberto – (Updated Jan 23)

⏱ 4 min

When we started our 5-week road trip across the East Coast, we knew that it would take 9 hours to drive from Noosa Heads to Mackay, passing through Gladstone and Rockhampton. This means, you will practically waste one day driving. After checking forums and recommendations, the most recommended place to stop in was the region of 1770 and Agnes Water.

1770 and Agnes Water are two different towns that are really close to each other, and also really small. The good thing is that they are a destination to stop at, between Noosa and Mackay. In case you don’t want to drive for an entire day, this is basically the only option. 

That’s the good news, and the bad, is that there’s not so much to see and do. We saw some blogs where they praise the sublime beaches and other plans… but we found that to be far from reality. We prefer to be honest in this website – they looked just like average places found across Australia. 

If you decide you want to visit these towns, be sure to check the following Things To Do. 

What to do in 1770 and Agnes Water

Paperbark Forest Boardwalk

Paperbark Forest Boardwalk is located close to Agnes Water and it is shown in Google Maps. This spot “has a magical scenery within wonderful paperback tea trees, and a long trail of stepping-stones and wooden walkways. It’s like an enchanted forest…”

Beyond empty words that we found in other blogs, you will find a short 400m of boardwalk that goes between tea trees. We saw some little animals and insects, but mosquitoes won’t kill you if you spend 20 minutes here, which is all the time you need. It’s easy to access and a spot to remember because it’s quite pretty and really Instagrammable. If you go during golden hour, the light coming through the trees does indeed create an enchanted forest feel.

Chinaman’s Beach in Agnes Water

The best beach around the area of Agnes Water, is Chinaman’s Beach. This is the type of beach we usually like: some rocks, clean sand and good water. In our case, we were coming here from Noosa, where the water is crystal clear, and comparisons can be terrible. We stopped for half an hour to fly the drone and we shared the entire beach with only one person. If you like lonely beaches to enjoy the sun while reading your favorite book, you will appreciate this beach.

Discovery Trail Lookout and Secret Beach in Agnes Water

Ok, I just lied with the best beach of Agnes Water… because there is a better option, but only for adventurers! There is a famous short walk called Discovery Trail Lookout, that appears in Google Maps and it’s accessible from the Agnes Water Museum. This is the Alltrails map. At the furthest point, after 800 m from the entrance, you will arrive to a cute lookout from where you could see this cove without a name. 

You can access this cove by following a path that is in the trail. If you check Google Maps with the satellite view, you will see this path that leads you to the beach with a steep decline. This secluded beach can be perfect for a picnic day with a 99% chance of being alone. 

Enjoy the sunset from 1770’s Headlands Lookout

Another option is to cross fingers to experience an explosive sunset at 1770 Headland, Joseph Banks Conservation Park. This area around the town of 1770 is famous because the navigator Captain Cook landed there on 24 May 1770. In case you were wondering about the origin of the name of 1770, now, you know.

There are some paths to walk, to see both sunrise and sunsets,  1770 Liquid Adventures offer kayaking and paddling options for sunset for a reasonable price. Another option is the company 1770 LARC! which offers tours with amphibious vehicles, to discover the area crossing over dunes and creeks.

Things Not to Do in 1770 and Agnes Water

This region has some things to offer, but (I’m sorry to the locals) it’s not the best area to spend more than 2 days. The options are very very limited for tourists, it is a bit far from other towns, and the landscape is fine, but not incredible. As mentioned before, if you want to make a stop on your way from Noosa to Mackay – and you have free days – consider this option. Otherwise, skip this part of the route and focus instead on other more charming areas with more options and better beaches. 

From here, we headed towards Mackay with our van to reach the next forest destination: Finch Hatton Gorge and Eungella National Park. Superb!

Further Reading…

Curious about the other places we stopped at on our 5-week road trip from Sydney to Cairns? Check out some of the posts below.