Seventeen Seventy, sometimes written 1770 or Town of 1770, is a coastal town and locality in the Gladstone Region, Queensland, Australia.[2][3] In the 2021 census, the locality of Seventeen Seventy had a population of 125 people.[1]
The town is built on the site of the second landing in Australia by James Cook and the crew of the barkHMS 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,[2][3] as per Queensland's place naming convention that numbers are spelled out.[4]
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.[2][5]
Demographics
In the 2011 census, the town of Seventeen Seventy had a population of 76 people.[6]
In the 2016 census, the locality of Seventeen Seventy had a population of 69 people.[7]
In the 2021 census, the locality of Seventeen Seventy had a population of 125 people.[1]
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.[8]
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 village has several caravan parks, camping grounds and an eco-camp.[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.[9]
Heritage listings
Seventeen Seventy has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
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.
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.