Moving on again today after our night in ‘Cell block H’, part of a portacabin on wheels in central Bundaberg which had limited windows and had a wipe down feel to it – that’s what you get for 120 dollars a night these days!

Waking at 6.15am, we quickly changed and jumped in the car and made our way to Bargara beach for coffee and breakfast on the waterfront.

Before Cafe on Bauer, Andy hit the streets to get his 10km completed before it hit 30c – it’s fair to say that when he returned he was struggling and conversation was lacking for the next 15mins until he showered and taken on water and caffeine!!

We breakfasted on the esplanade enjoying our daily staple of granola, bananas, berries and lots of Greek yogurt – the morning food of champions.

We then enjoyed a relaxing hour over coffee and the news, before driving the 90mins up the Bruce Highway on to Agnes Water/1770.

Whilst it’s a little off the beaten track, we definitely have chosen well as the area is stunningly beautiful and unspoilt, having only opened to the world in 1986 when the first hotel rooms opened and a sealed access road was created. Since then the place has elicited interest from those in the know who have experienced, like we have, the wonderful nature and beauty.

Agnes Water is the closest access point to the southern Great Barrier Reef and is the neighbouring settlement 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.

We spent our lunch time down at Agnes Water beach dipping in and out of the warm waters of the Pacific.

As with so many beaches in these small towns, aside from a few tourists and locals on holiday, they are deserted in the week and we have the whole place almost to ourselves.

After spending time at Agnes beach on the ocean side, we drove on to 1770 beach on the peninsula, where we came across Joseph Banks Conservation Park and Headland Lookout along with Lt James Cook lookout, where the explorer first spotted Australia in 1770, hence the name of the town!

After strolling along the coastal paths and various lookout points, we descended down to the beach at 1770 and spotted a very friendly Australian Pelican who is well known to the locals, due to his love of people and fish scraps.

Andy walked over to the very friendly pelican and despite getting up close and personal the bird seemed completely unfazed and in fact was happy to be patted.

We soaked in the last hour of so of the sunshine and took in the awesome views across the sandbanks and up the coast to Bustard Heads where some of the best sunsets are to be had – we plan to be there tomorrow night to witness it in all its glory!

Before leaving, one of the locals was fishing close by on the beach and suddenly announced he had caught a small bull shark and was trying to pull it in.

We were soon joining the throng of people as we watched in amazement as the shark came into view and was soon pulled out of the shallows and on to the beach. Thankfully the intention was not to kill it, merely to acknowledge the fact it had been snared and then a couple of daring people helped to open the sharks mouth and remove the hook before pushing it back out into the ocean. In between time we managed to get some incredible pictures up close of the animal beached and looking dazed and a touch confused.

After pushing the creature back into the water, the uneaten bait was tossed to the waiting pelican who gladly gobbled it up in a matter of seconds.

What a great way to finish the day. More of that again tomorrow hopefully. We’ve booked to go on an afternoon cruise in amphibious vehicle bobbing in and out of the surf and exploring the coastline of Round Head Creek & the town of 1770.