Town of 1770 & Lady Musgrave Island

TOWN OF 1770 & AGNES WATER

Town of 1770 takes its name by James Cook second landing in Australia, in May 1770. The town is a little place located on a peninsula, with the Coral sea and Bustard Bay on three sides, and it's famous because it's considered the closest access point to the Southern Great Barrier Reef and it's the only town in the world with a number for a name! 

Agnes Water and Town of 1770 location

Town of 1770, that was called Round Hill before the commemoration of the bicentennial of Cook's visit, has a neighborhood town called Agnes Water, 60 km off the Bruce highway and just 6 km from Town of 1770.

Thanks to boating, fishing activities and day-trips to the Southern Great Barrier Reef Islands, the twin coastal towns are known to be two of the loveliest Australian destinations. Town of 1770, little more than a marina, is the most northern surf beach on the East Cast of Australia and it can boast a point break first attraction. Regarding the opportunity to experience reef cruises the options available are a lot, among the day tours the most reccommended are the day tour to Lady Musgrave Island and Lady Elliot Island. If you are not the type of person interested to do snorkeling or scubadiving, you can also opt for a cultural day at Agnes Water Museum, that hosts a superb collection of Maritime history, otherwise there is an interesting excursion to the historic Bustard Heads lighthouse. In my opinion, I reccomend a two/three day stay in Agnes Water, in order to spend the first day relaxing at the beach, the second day in one of the gorgeous reef islands and maybe the third day you can have a walk in one of the National Parks close to the twin towns or you can decide for a two-day camping in a seaplace or in a NP. 

Find an accommodation in this area is not a problem at all, in that you can find a big range of places, from cheap hostels to expensive resort. Here's a list of the most famous accomomdations:

1770 GATEWAY	luxury villas
AGNES WATER BEACH CLUB	luxury apartments
1770 LAGOONS RESORT AND SPA	resort
MANGO TREE MOTEL	rooms close to the beach
SUNBIRD GARDENS	cottages
AGNES WATER BEACH HOLIDAYS	campsites, chalets and apartments
1770 CAMPGROUND	beachfront camping
1770 SOUTHERN CROSS BACKPACKERS	backpacker hostel
BACKPACKERS @ 1770	backpacker hostel
COOL BANANAS	backpacker hostel

We chose 1770 Southern Cross Backpackers for our stay, it's small, simple but it looks like to be in a "jungle". You can hung hammocks wherever you want, the staff is friendly and there's a great atmosphere. We didn't have any problems, the only complain to do is that the dorm doors are always open. But the price is worth it, so highly recommended!

LADY MUSGRAVE ISLAND

"Spotting the island!"

Welcome to the paradise! Have you ever dreamt to be on a little atoll with crystal clear water surrounded by unspoilt wildlife?? Ok this is the place you have always dreamt for ages. Lady Musgrave Island is the place you must visit if you are willing to go on the Great Barrier Reef for snorkeling or scuba diving activities because it's set on 3000 acres of living reef with a deepwater coral lagoon. This amazing "swimming pool" is the only lagoon where big vessels can enter and it's a tropical paradise abundant in Pisonia forests, birds life and sea turtles. 

Glass Bottom Boat

Lady Musgrave Cruise organizes a day tour on the island, providing snorkeling equipment and a delicious tropical buffet lunch with prawns. Furthermore the 5 hour cruise offers two glass bottom boats and a floating pontoon with underwater observatory, giving the possibility to discover the beauty of the underwater sea also to disabled people. The island itself is a darling, full of birds and tropical trees, the beach is composed of coral and the cruise organizes a guided island tour.

Here're some pictures of our amazing day in Lady Musgrave Island: