1770 Festival

The 1770 Festival is an annual commemorative event held in the Town of 1770, Queensland – the “only number on the map in Australia”! 1770 Festival is held around the historic date of 24 May 1770, when Lt James Cook and his HMB Endeavour crew landed on the East Coast shore at the point now named the ‘Town of 1770’ or Seventeen Seventy. The crew experienced their first encounters in country with the local Gooreng Gooreng people before sailing away on further historic global explorations (which included Lt Cook becoming Captain Cook). Every May, locals and visitors reflect on Cook’s legacy of exploration; his incredible cartography skills; and documented observations of Country and First Peoples. Traditional custodians, the Gooreng Gooreng have participated in the organisation of the 1770 Festival, presented and shared their culture with Festival attendees since the 1770 Festival’s inception in 1992, which has become a collaborative platform increasing the involvement of the traditional custodians and their descendants, plus promoting global cultural unity while celebrating historic local “Encounters in Country” together. The picturesque coastal community of Agnes Water and Town of 1770, gateway to the Southern Great Barrier Reef, is getting ready to fire up again this coming May into a colourful kaleidoscope, showcasing the incredible range of activities and attractions to be experienced in this stunning coastal location.