About 1770 Festival
255 years ago, Lt (later Captain) James Cook and his crew of the HMB Endeavour landed on the East Coast shore at the point now named 1770, where the local Gooreng Gooreng people have resided for centuries.
Cook and his crew came ashore at Bustard Bay on 24 May 1770, before sailing away on further historic global explorations.
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 promoting global cultural unity while celebrating historic local “Encounters in Country” together.
The picturesque coastal community of Agnes Water & Town of 1770, gateway to the Southern Great Barrier Reef, is getting ready to fire up again this May into a colourful kaleidoscope, showcasing the incredible range of activities and attractions to be experienced in this stunning coastal location.
In 2025, like every year, the 1770 Festival organising team met with the Gooreng Gooreng, and together have agreed upon a theme of “From Dreaming to Divesity – celebration our past, embracing our future“.
For 2026, the picturesque coastal community of Agnes Water & Town of 1770 invites you to join them in paradise to commemorate the date when the first Europeans set foot on this land and encountered the Gooreng Gooreng people for the first time.
There’ll be tons of fun for the whole family, with plenty to see and do to suit all ages, tastes and budgets.