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 census)[1]
Postcode(s) 4677
LGA(s) Gladstone Regional Council
State electorate(s) Burnett
Federal Division(s) Flynn

Agnes Water is a 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.

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

Prior to European settlement Agnes Waters was home to the Meerooni tribe [4] whom form the southern part of the Gurang nation.

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, en 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.

Agnes Water State School was opened on 29 January 1990.[5]

The current Agnes Waters Public Library opened in 2011 and had a minor refurbishment in 2016.[6]

In 2018 Agnes Waters became first cryptocurrency town. Shops, hotels accept cryptocurrency - Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum and NEM.[7][8][9]

Population

Agnes Water beach, 2009

In the 2011 census, Agnes Water had a population of 1814.[1] This figure is made up of 942 males and 872 females with a median age of 41. The town's most common ancestries are English (32.4%), Australian (29.6%), Scottish (8.6%), Irish (7.8%) and German (4.8%).

Religion

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

Education

The town of Agnes Water has a State 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. High schools for the area include: 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.[10] and Discovery Christian College which opened in 2015 on Round Hill Road. It is a private non-denominational school and in 2017 became a P-12 school.[11]

Only 7.1% of the population during the 2011 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. 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 and is operated by the Gladstone Regional Council.[12]

The local tourism and commerce group has created a website listing the natural attractions and all things to do while visiting the region. View it here.

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. 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

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Agnes Water (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 12 May 2014. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ↑ "Agnes Water (entry 39140)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "Discover the Town of 1770~Agnes Water". Discovery Coast Tourism and Commerce Inc. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  4. ↑ "Tindale Tribes - Goeng". Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  5. ↑ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland schools (A)". Queensland Government Department of Education and Training. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  6. ↑ "Agnes Waters Public Library" (PDF). Queensland Public Libraries Statistical Bulletin 2016-2017" (PDF). Public Libraries Connect. November 2017. November 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
  7. ↑ TEGAN ANNETT. "Agnes Water is nation's first town to embrace cryptocurrency". Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  8. ↑ SAM LOCK. "The idyllic beach town where you can pay for your entire holiday in bitcoin - from a beer at the pub to a luxury day spa experience". DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  9. ↑ Samuel Haig. "Coastal Town Claims to be First "Digital Currency-Friendly" in Australia". bitcoin.com. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  10. ↑ "Rosedale State School: P-12 Campus". Queensland Government (Department of Education, Training and Employment). Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  11. ↑ "New school ready to open at Agnes Water". The Observer (Gladstone). 20 January 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  12. ↑ "Contact us". Gladstone Regional Libraries. Gladstone Regional Council. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.

Media related to Agnes Water, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons

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