Agnes Water Main Beach: Queensland’s northernmost surf beach

Agnes Water Main Beach is the northernmost surf beach in Queensland. Visitors can take surf lessons, enjoy a barbecue in Tom Jeffery Park or go swimming between the flags on Sundays and public holidays.

Where is Agnes Water Main Beach?

Agnes Water Main Beach is in the holiday town of Agnes Water, between Bundaberg and Gladstone on the Queensland coast.

The 5.5km beach stretches up to the Town of 1770, which Agnes Water effectively merges into. Key facilities are at the southern end of the beach, however.

What to book in 1770/ Agnes Water before you arrive

See the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef – on a Lady Musgrave Island day tour.
Hire a scooter – and pootle around the back lanes looking for kangaroos.
Kick back with sparkling wine on a sunset cruise.
(Highly recommended ✅) Travel on land and water, and try sandboarding – on a quirky full day amphibious vehicle tour.
Or take a shorter wildlife-spotting coastline tour, with lunch.
Get the best deals on your accommodation.

The northernmost surf beach in Queensland

The truly important geography is not about what’s onshore, however – it’s what lies just offshore. Agnes Water Main Beach is in the gap between Lady Elliot Island and Lady Musgrave Island – the first two islands on the Great Barrier Reef. Beyond Lady Musgrave Island, however, the Great Barrier Reef runs pretty solidly alongside the Queensland coastline, blocking significant swells in the Coral Sea from reaching the mainland.

This means Agnes Water Main Beach is the northernmost surf beach in Queensland. If you want good surf conditions, this is the most northerly place to find them on Australia’s east coast.

Surfing lessons in Agnes Water, Queensland

For beginners, Agnes Water is a good place to learn to surf. You can organise private surfing lessons with Stylez Surf School, which also offers board hire.

For cheaper small group surf lessons, or three day multi-lesson packages, Gnarly Surf Tours is a better bet.

Five reasons why a day tour to Lady Musgrave Island should top your wish list

A Lady Musgrave Island day trip is usually the highlight of a visit to 1770/ Agnes Water. Here’s why it’s so special.

The Great Barrier Reef is in excellent condition here – it hasn’t received the bleaching damage that other spots further north have.
This is stinger and crocodile-free territory – perfect for a summer trip.
Lady Musgrave has the only navigable lagoon on the Great Barrier Reef – the water colours are extraordinary.
That lagoon makes the water really, really calm for swimming and snorkelling.
You’re almost certainly going to see turtles.

Book your Lady Musgrave Island day trip over here.

Swimming at Agnes Water Main Beach

Swimming at Agnes Water Main Beach is safest on Sundays between September and May, when it is patrolled by members of the Agnes Water Surf Lifesaving Club. Swim between the red and yellow flags if at all possible, as both waves and rips can be substantial here.

Turtle nesting in Agnes Water

Between November and March – but particularly November and December – turtles come to Agnes Water Main Beach to lay eggs. Most visitors are unlikely to encounter the green, flatback and loggerhead turtles, however, as numbers have reduced in recent years and they tend to come in the middle of the night.

Do not approach the turtles if you do see what – it can stress them out and prevent them from laying their eggs.

Agnes Water Main Beach parking

There is parking available at Agnes Water Main Beach, but the car park has limited spaces. You might be better off parking in town, then taking the short walk to the beach.