Seventeen Seventy Queensland
View out to the bay from Seventeen Seventy, November 2009
Seventeen Seventy
Coordinates	24°09′48″S 151°53′07″E / 24.1633°S 151.8852°E / -24.1633; 151.8852 (Seventeen Seventy (town centre))
Population	125 (SAL 2021)[1][2]
Postcode(s)	4677
Area	27.4 km2 (10.6 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	10.2 km (6 mi) N of Agnes Water 62.9 km (39 mi) NE of Miriam Vale 129 km (80 mi) NNW of Bundaberg 131 km (81 mi) SE of Gladstone 495 km (308 mi) NNW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Gladstone Region
State electorate(s)	Burnett
Federal division(s)	Hinkler
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 25.6 °C 78 °F 18.8 °C 66 °F 1,137.7 mm 44.8 in
Localities around Seventeen Seventy: Coral Sea Coral Sea Coral Sea Eurimbula Seventeen Seventy Coral Sea Eurimbula Agnes Water Coral Sea

Seventeen Seventy, sometimes inaccurately written as 1770 or Town of 1770, is a coastal town and locality in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia.^[3][4] In the 2021 census, the locality of Seventeen Seventy had a population of 125 people.^[5]

The town is built on the site of the second landing in Australia by James Cook and the crew of the bark HMS Endeavour in May 1770 (and their first landing in what is now the state of Queensland).

Official name

Although the town is referred to locally as 1770 using numerals, the official name of the town is in words Seventeen Seventy,^[3][4] as per Queensland's place naming convention that numbers are spelled out.^[6]

History

The town is built on the site of the second landing in Australia by James Cook and the crew of HMS Endeavour in May 1770 (and their first landing in what is now the state of Queensland). Originally known as Round Hill – after the creek it sits on – the name was changed on 24 June 1936 after the town allotments were surveyed in 1935 to recognise the historical importance of the town.^[3][7]

Demographics

At the 2011 census, the town of Seventeen Seventy had a population of 76 people.^[8]

In the 2016 census, the locality of Seventeen Seventy had a population of 69 people.^[9]

In the 2021 census, the locality of Seventeen Seventy had a population of 125 people.^[5]

Education

There are no schools in Seventeen Seventy. The nearest government primary school is Agnes Water State School in neighbouring Agnes Water to the south. The nearest government secondary school is Miriam Vale State School (to Year 10) in Miriam Vale to the south-west. There is no nearby school providing secondary education to Year 12; options are distance education and boarding school.^[10]

Tourism

The village is a tourist destination on Queensland's Discovery Coast. The village itself contains holiday accommodation, restaurants, general store, hotel, picnic areas with free barbecues and a small marina where daily trips depart for Lady Musgrave Island on the Great Barrier Reef, and several trips a week to Bustard Head Light Station.^{[citation needed]}

The area's wildlife and vegetation have been preserved as far as possible,^{[citation needed]} and this, together with the area's natural environment, and an outer surf and inner still water beach, is a tourist attraction.^{[citation needed]} There are also day cruises and flights to the outer Great Barrier Reef, to nearby Lady Musgrave Island and Pancake Creek, and the nearby Bustard Head lighthouse.^{[citation needed]}

The local tourism and commerce organisation responsible for promoting the region is Discovery Coast Tourism and Commerce.^[11]

Heritage listings

Seventeen Seventy has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Round Hill Creek and Round Hill Head: Cook's Landing Place^[12]

Amenities

There is a boat ramp with pontoon on Captain Cook Drive at Round Hill Creek (24°10′17″S 151°52′59″E / 24.1713°S 151.8831°E / -24.1713; 151.8831 (Captain Cook Drive boat ramp)). It is managed by the Gladstone Regional Council.^[13]

There is a heliport on Captain Cook Drive (24°10′57″S 151°52′57″E / 24.1826°S 151.8826°E / -24.1826; 151.8826 (Agnes Waters)).^[14] It is adjacent to the Agnes Water/1770 SES Facility (24°11′01″S 151°52′58″E / 24.1837°S 151.8829°E / -24.1837; 151.8829 (Agnes Water/1770 SES Facility)).^[15]

Events

The community of Seventeen Seventy hold the re-enactment of this historic landing each year as part of the 1770 Festival held in May.^[16]

Attractions

There are two lookouts on the northern tip of the peninsula:

• Joseph Banks Lower Lookout (24°09′05″S 151°53′12″E / 24.1513°S 151.8866°E / -24.1513; 151.8866 (Joseph Banks Lower Lookout)).^[17]
• Joseph Banks Top Lookout (24°08′56″S 151°53′09″E / 24.1490°S 151.8858°E / -24.1490; 151.8858 (Joseph Banks Top Lookout)).^[17]

Geography

The town is situated on a peninsula, with the Coral Sea and Bustard Bay on three sides.

Seventeen Seventy can be reached by a sealed road from Bundaberg, 120 kilometres (75 mi) to the south, going through Agnes Water (immediately to the south). The town sustains a small permanent population; a significant holiday population makes it to the area to take advantage of fishing, Great Barrier Reef trips and other water activities.

The northern tip of the peninsula is mostly with the protected area of Joseph Banks (Round Hill Head) Conservation Park (24°09′36″S 151°53′18″E / 24.1600°S 151.8883°E / -24.1600; 151.8883 (Joseph Banks (Round Hill Head) Conservation Park)).^[18][19]

Seventeen Seventy has the following headlands:

• Monument Point (24°09′35″S 151°52′58″E / 24.1597°S 151.8828°E / -24.1597; 151.8828 (Monument Point))^[20][21]
• Round Hill Head (24°09′01″S 151°53′11″E / 24.1503°S 151.8864°E / -24.1503; 151.8864 (Round Hill Head))^[20][22]

Monument Point is named because of the monument erected there to commemorate the landing by James Cook on 23 May 1770.^[21]

Offshore from Seventeen Seventy is:

• Bustard Bay (24°06′22″S 151°49′08″E / 24.1061°S 151.8189°E / -24.1061; 151.8189 (Bustard Bay))^[23][24]
• the Fairfax Islands group (23°51′30″S 152°22′25″E / 23.8582°S 152.3735°E / -23.8582; 152.3735 (Fairfax Islands))^[25][26]
• the Hoskyn Islands group (23°48′17″S 152°17′41″E / 23.8046°S 152.2948°E / -23.8046; 152.2948 (Hoskyn Islands))^[25][27]
• the Bunker Group of islands (23°50′55″S 152°20′54″E / 23.8486°S 152.3482°E / -23.8486; 152.3482 (Bunker Group))^[25][28]
• Capricorn Channel (22°57′54″S 152°28′24″E / 22.9649°S 152.4734°E / -22.9649; 152.4734 (Capricorn Channel))^[29][30]
• Curtis Channel (24°00′07″S 152°05′06″E / 24.0020°S 152.0851°E / -24.0020; 152.0851 (Curtis Channel))^[29][31]

Climate

Seventeen Seventy has a tropical savannah climate (Aw) with warm, wet summers and relatively dry, sunny winters. The town has 95.6 clear days annually.