Agnes Water is a coastal town and a locality in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2021 census, the locality of Agnes Water had a population of 2,729 people.[1]
| Agnes Water Queensland | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Beach at Agnes Water, 2017 | |||||||||||||||
  Agnes Water | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 24°12′45″S 151°54′12″E / 24.2125°S 151.9032°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 2,729 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 46.33/km2 (120.00/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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Geography
editAgnes Water is in Central Queensland approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) south-east of the Bruce Highway, Queensland's major coastal route. It is accessed via the main road 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.[4] It is a neighbouring town of the Town of 1770.
Much of the area's natural beauty has been preserved through the establishment of Eurimbula National Park, covering more than 23,000 hectares and the nearby Joseph Banks Environmental Park, located on the headland originally known as Round Head.[5]
History
editPrior to European settlement Agnes Water was home to the Meerooni tribe[6] who 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.[2] Daniel Clowes remained there until his death in 1891. The gravestones of Clowes and his wife are near the present township.[7]
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. The population grew slowly initially but gained momentum in the 1980s and 1990s driven by the "sea change" phenomenon.[8]
Agnes Water State School was opened on 29 January 1990.[9]
Agnes Tavern opened in 1993.[5]
The current Agnes Water Public Library opened in 2011 and had a minor refurbishment in 2016.[10]
Discovery Christian College opened in 2015.[11]
Goora Gan Steiner School opened in January 2017.[12]
In 2018, Agnes Water became the first cryptocurrency town. Shops, hotels accept cryptocurrency - Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum and NEM.[13] Businesses were persuaded to accept cryptocurrency payments due to the belief that cryptocurrency users would be high net-worth customers likely to spend more on goods and services and that establishing point-of-sale terminals that accepted cryptocurrencies was easy to do at low cost. There was also seen to be value in the publicity the town would receive for being the first cryptocurrency town. A review in 2023 showed that tourists did make use of cryptocurrency payments in the first six months, thought to be linked to the novelty of doing so due to the publicity. However, use of cryptocurrency payments fell after that. Some of the explanations put forward are that high-net worth customers were not attracted to the town due to a lack of luxury accommodation and high-end tourism services, that accepting cryptocurrency is not a major consideration in choosing a holiday destination as tourists who use cryptocurrency also have other methods of making payments, and that the volatility of cryptocurrency make tourists reluctant to pay using crypocurrency, particularly in a falling market preferring to hold the cryptocurrency in the expectation of subsequent rise in value.[14]
Demographics
editIn the 2011 census, the locality of Agnes Water had a population of 1,814. 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%).[15]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Agnes Water had a population of 2,210 people.[16]
In the 2021 census, the locality of Agnes Water had a population of 2,729 people.[1]
Religion
editThe 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%).[15]
Education
edit
Agnes Water State School is a government primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 1 Donohue Drive (24°12′50″S 151°54′38″E / 24.2139°S 151.9105°E).[17][18] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 215 students with 19 teachers (15 full-time equivalent) and 14 non-teaching staff (8 full-time equivalent).[19]
Goora Gan Steiner School is a private primary (Prep-6) school for boys and girls at 71 Springs Road (24°12′45″S 151°54′37″E / 24.2125°S 151.9102°E).[17][20] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 12 students with 2 teachers and 1 non-teaching staff.[19]
Discovery Christian College is a private primary and secondary (Prep-12) school for boys and girls at 2873 Round Hill Road (24°13′12″S 151°53′36″E / 24.2200°S 151.8933°E).[17][21] In 2017, the school had an enrolment of 160 students with 18 teachers (15 full-time equivalent) and 12 non-teaching staff (5 full-time equivalent).[19]
The nearest government secondary school is Rosedale P-12 Campus in Rosedale, 64 kilometres (40 mi) away from the centre of Agnes Water, accessed mostly by local buses that travel the route daily.[22]
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).[15]
Facilities
edit
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.[23]
The local tourism and commerce group has created a website listing the natural attractions and all things to do while visiting the region.[24]
Despite the name, Agnes Water Ambulance Station is at 2385 Round Hill Road ni neighbouring Round Hill (24°14′30″S 151°51′50″E / 24.2416°S 151.8638°E).[25][26] The Agnes Water Ambulance station has 5 paramedics. The officer-in-charge Brett Schultz has served the Agnes Community for over ten years.[27]
Creative community
editThe 1770 Art Show which takes places each year in May.[28] The town is also the inspiration behind the song "Sweet Agnes" released in 2022 by the band Railmotor. The album was recorded in Agnes Water over two weeks in June 2022.[29]
Attractions
editAgnes Water is also home to one of Australia's most highly awarded tea companies, Tielka.[30][31]
References
edit- ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Agnes Water (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Agnes Water – town in Gladstone Region (entry 39140)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ "Agnes Water – locality in Gladstone Region (entry 46584)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "Queensland Place Histories: Agnes Water | State Library Of Queensland". www.slq.qld.gov.au. 15 May 2012. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ "Tindale Tribes - Goeng". Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
- ^ "Clowes Grave Site". Archived from the original on 6 October 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- ^ "Agnes Water". Queensland Places. University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 14 April 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ "Agnes Water Public Library" (PDF). Queensland Public Libraries Statistical Bulletin 2016-2017" (PDF). Public Libraries Connect. November 2017. November 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "New school ready to open at Agnes Water". The Observer (Gladstone). 20 January 2015. Archived from the original on 3 August 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- ^ Bartrim, Julia (11 July 2018). "Agnes Water's Steiner school plans to relocate". Gladstone Observer. Archived from the original on 20 December 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ TEGAN ANNETT. "Agnes Water is nation's first town to embrace cryptocurrency". Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ Chen, Shu-Hsiang (Ava); Tham, Aaron (2023). "A crypto-tourism case study of agnes water/seventeen seventy, Australia". Tourism and Hospitality Research. 23 (1): 108–112. Archived from the original on 6 October 2024. Retrieved 6 October 2024 – via Sage Journals.
- ^ a b c Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Agnes Water (State Suburb)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Agnes Water (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ a b c "State and non-state school details". Queensland Government. 9 July 2018. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Agnes Water State School". Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
- ^ a b c "ACARA School Profile 2017". Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018.
- ^ "Goora Gan Steiner School". Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Discovery Christian College". Archived from the original on 21 December 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Rosedale State School: P-12 Campus". Queensland Government (Department of Education, Training and Employment). Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- ^ "Contact us". Gladstone Regional Libraries. Gladstone Regional Council. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
- ^ "Agnes Water & Town of 1770 - Visitor Information". Visit Agnes 1770. Archived from the original on 22 January 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ "Emergency services facilities - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 18 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ "Agnes Water Ambulance State". Google Street View. April 2008. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
- ^ Thorpe, Andrew (10 May 2018). "Agnes paramedic celebrates ten years in coastal community". Gladstone Observer. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
- ^ "ART SHOW HISTORY". 1770artshow. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ "RIDE THE ROCK TRAIN WITH RAILMOTOR AT #AGNESBLUESFEST 2023". Agnes Blues and Roots. 14 December 2022. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ Walker, Liana. "'RELIEF': Agnes Water tea wins gold". Observer. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ "Tielka Wins Again at 2019 Golden Leaf Awards". Tielka. Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
External links
edit
Media related to Agnes Water, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons
- "Agnes Water". Queensland Places. Centre for the Government of Queensland, University of Queensland.
