Agnes Water & 1770 Qld

---

After saying our farewells to Karina and family, we headed for Gladstone, on the way calling in to Artizan Gluten Free Bakery at Rockhampton. Everything in the bakery was gluten free, and mostly dairy free, and Kim took the opportunity to sample a number of the goodies. We diverted off the highway heading south to stay at Tannum Sands, in order to visit my cousins, Shirley and Robert and their spouses. We caught up for afternoon tea at an eatery on the Gladstone waterfront, whilst watching the bulk carriers plying their trade as they headed out to sea, full of coal, LNG, aluminium and other commodities. The Boyne Island Aluminium Smelter located near Gladstone is the largest in Australia. Gladstone hosts Queensland’s largest multi-commodity port, and the city has an industrial feel to it, which is why we headed south of the city to stay at Tannum Sands, located on the Coral Coast.

We enjoyed two days at Tannum Sands, including a 7.5 km walk to Canoe Point, returning along the beach. There were reports of saltwater crocs being present in the local waterways, and thus, the pool in the caravan park was a great way to cool off after our long walk.

The twin towns of Agnes Water and 1770 were calling, so off we headed the next day to stay in the NRMA Park located right on Agnes Water beach. 1770 was only the second place on the Australian mainland that Lieutenant James Cook set foot on after coming ashore at Botany Bay. The towns are approximately six kilometres apart, separated by a beautiful flat beach with firm sand, ideal for walking on at low tide. I swam most at Agnes Water Beach most days, while Kim was content to walk along the beach. We did manage to walk the entire length of the beach and back.

One of the must do activities on our radar was to take a ride on the LARC (Lighter Amphibious Resupply Cargo). I had seen the 1770 LARC on an episode of Getaway, and it looked like a fun activity. It is basically an Army Duck, and it was a bit of a shock to be driving down the streets of 1770 in one instance, and then turning towards the boat ramp and plunging into the bay, heading out to a sand island.

The other major reason to visit Agnes Water was that it is the launching point to visit the islands of the Southern Great Barrier Reef, in particular, Lady Musgrave Island. We picked a spectacular day to take a fast ferry to the island, the best day the Boat Captain had experienced in months. As the island is at the southern end of the reef and is nearly a two hour boat ride out to sea, it has experienced less impact from coral bleaching than it’s more northern islands. Lady Musgrave Island is a coral cay with trees (full of birdlife), with a turquoise blue lagoon enclosed by a fringing coral reef of significant size attached.

I opted to snorkel the whole day, whilst Kim chose a package of glass bottom boat ride, bird watching tour of the island and snorkel session. It was an amazing day, with a turtle cleaning station being located near the vessel mooring, that I would dive down to watch the fish descale the turtles of algae on their shells. The turtles were unaffected by the close inspection of their cleansing rituals. The variety and colours of the corals and fish were nearly as good as Ningaloo Reef in WA, with the clarity of the water being excellent. I did have a Black Tip Reef Shark swim under me at one stage, however, the main risk was self initiated.

We were warned not to swim over the top of the fringing reef, as the current would drag you outside the lagoon into the deep blue of the Coral Sea, and to stay on the inside drop off within the lagoon. There were a number of Bumphead Parrotfish eating the coral on top of the fringing reef, so I needed to get some photos of them with my underwater camera. Once over the fringing reef I took the photos, but found the force of the current dragging me out of the lagoon. I had to place my camera in my rash vest, kick my flippers and swim hard to make it back to the inside of the lagoon. I have some blisters on my toes to remind me of the importance of listening to tour guides.

There are some great walks around the twin towns that we did, including the Red Rock Trail, Paperbark Trail and Captain Cook Memorial Trail. We really enjoyed our stay at 1770 and Agnes Water, with the highlight undoubtedly being the visit to Lady Musgrave Island, one of life's bucket list items.

---