Agnes Water, Queensland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Agnes WaterQueensland |
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Beach at Agnes Water, 2017
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 Agnes Water
Location in Queensland
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| Population | 2,729 (2021 census) | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 46.33/km2 (120.0/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 4677 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 58.9 km2 (22.7 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | AEST (UTC+10:00) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Gladstone Region | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Burnett | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Flynn | ||||||||||||||
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Agnes Water is a cool coastal town in Queensland, Australia. It's part of the Gladstone Region. In 2021, about 2,729 people lived here.
Contents
Discovering Agnes Water's Location
Agnes Water is in Central Queensland. It's about 80 kilometres (50 miles) south-east of the Bruce Highway. This highway is Queensland's main road along the coast. You can get to Agnes Water by taking Round Hill Road.
The town is about 90 minutes south of Gladstone. It's also 90 minutes north of Bundaberg. Agnes Water is on what's called the Discovery Coast. It's the closest place to visit the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef. The nearby Town of 1770 is its neighbour.
Protecting Nature Around Agnes Water
A lot of the beautiful nature here is protected. This includes the Eurimbula National Park. It covers more than 23,000 hectares (56,800 acres). There's also the Joseph Banks Environmental Park. This park is on a headland once known as Round Head.
Agnes Water's Past and Present
Before Europeans arrived, the Meerooni tribe lived here. They were part of the Gurang nation. The town's name comes from a cattle farm started in 1883. Daniel Clowes named it after a ship called the Agnes. This ship was lost at sea nearby in 1873.
How Agnes Water Grew
In the 1890s, there was sawmilling in the area. The wide beach was a popular spot. People could even drive their buggies onto the sand. It became a holiday place. People built weekend homes, especially on Round Hill. This is where the Town of 1770 was officially named in 1936.
The number of people living here grew slowly at first. But it really sped up in the 1980s and 1990s. This was because of the "sea change" trend. People moved from cities to coastal towns for a different lifestyle.
Local Schools and Services
Agnes Water State School opened on January 29, 1990. The Agnes Tavern opened in 1993. The Agnes Water Public Library moved to its current building in 2011. It was updated in 2016. Discovery Christian College opened in 2015. Goora Gan Steiner School opened in January 2017.
Agnes Water: A "Crypto Town" Experiment
In 2018, Agnes Water became known as the first "cryptocurrency town." Some shops and hotels started accepting digital money. This included Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum, and NEM. Businesses hoped to attract wealthy tourists. They also thought it would be easy and cheap to set up.
The town also got a lot of publicity for being the first to do this. At first, tourists did use crypto payments. This was likely because it was new and exciting. However, crypto use dropped later on. Some reasons might be that the town didn't have many luxury options. Also, crypto prices can change a lot. Tourists might not want to spend their digital money if its value is falling.
Who Lives in Agnes Water?
In 2011, Agnes Water had 1,814 people. There were 942 males and 872 females. The average age was 41. Most people had English (32.4%), Australian (29.6%), Scottish (8.6%), Irish (7.8%), or German (4.8%) backgrounds.
By 2016, the population grew to 2,210 people. In 2021, it reached 2,729 people.
Places of Worship
Agnes Water has two churches. These are the Agnes Water Baptist Church and the Catholic Church. Both are on Bicentennial Drive. In 2011, about 32.3% of people said they didn't have a religion. Anglican was the largest religion (19.6%), followed by Catholicism (16.1%).
Learning in Agnes Water
Agnes Water State School is a government primary school. It teaches students from Prep to Year 6. It's located at 1 Donohue Drive. In 2017, it had 215 students.
Goora Gan Steiner School is a private primary school. It also teaches Prep to Year 6. It's at 71 Springs Road. In 2017, it had 12 students.
Discovery Christian College is a private school. It teaches students from Prep all the way to Year 12. It's located at 2873 Round Hill Road. In 2017, it had 160 students.
The closest government high school is Rosedale P-12 Campus. It's about 64 kilometres (40 miles) away in Rosedale. Students usually travel there by bus. In 2011, only 7.1% of people had gone on to university or other higher education.
Community Facilities
The town has a visitor information centre on Round Hill Road. There's also a community centre and a coastal camping area. You can find a life-saving club and a museum here. The museum holds items from the Miriam Vale Historical Society. The Agnes Water Library is at 71 Springs Road. The Gladstone Regional Council runs it.
The local tourism group has a website. It lists all the natural sights and fun things to do in the area.
The Agnes Water Ambulance Station is actually in nearby Round Hill. It's at 2385 Round Hill Road. It has five paramedics. Brett Schultz has been the officer-in-charge for over ten years.
Agnes Water's Creative Side
The 1770 Art Show happens every year in May. The town also inspired a song called "Sweet Agnes." The band Railmotor released it in 2022. They recorded their album in Agnes Water over two weeks in June 2022.
Fun Things to See and Do
Agnes Water is home to Tielka. This is one of Australia's most awarded tea companies.
