Discovery Coast, QLD
surfy · laid-back · low-key · coastal
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Move Regional compares towns across QLD, NSW and WA on price, work, schools and lifestyle, so you can find the one that fits.
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Drive to the coast
2 min
By road
Nearest major hospital
1h 28m
By road
Airport access
1h 33m
By road
Schools access
Moderate
Average daytime temp
26.0°C
Rainfall
Moderate rainfall
Agnes Water is growing quickly, but it still operates like a small coastal town rather than a mature service centre. Around 2,700 people live here and population has risen by roughly 35% since 2016, a major change for a community of this size. The median age is 49, and housing sits around an $800,000 median with three-bedroom rents near $670 a week.
Surfing, the nearby Town of 1770 and access toward the reef give the area a strong outdoor identity, and the coast is only minutes away. The practical limitations are equally clear. Healthcare is very limited, the nearest major hospital is roughly 1 hour 30 minutes away, secondary-school choice is thin and shopping remains basic. The airport is also about 1 hour 30 minutes away.
Tourism is significant, so busy periods can make the town feel much larger than its permanent population. Brisbane is more than 5 hours 30 minutes by road. Agnes Water suits people who actively want a small, surf-oriented community and can structure work and family life around distance. Rapid growth is changing the town, but services have not reached the depth of a regional city, so convenience should not be assumed simply because the population is rising.
8 photos
Agnes Water makes most sense for people who want surfing, boating and beach time to be central to the move. Remote workers, retirees, families and outdoors-focused couples can make the smaller schooling and healthcare base work if limited services are acceptable. The coast needs to do a lot of the heavy lifting here because this is not a service-rich town.
Healthcare is the biggest practical issue, with limited access and the nearest hospital around 88 minutes away. Secondary schooling choice and shopping are also limited, and the airport is roughly 1 hour 30 minutes away. Tourism is high, so visitor periods can be noticeable despite the town's small scale.
Surf at Agnes Water — the last surf beach before the Great Barrier Reef
Explore nearby Town of 1770
Head out toward Lady Musgrave Island and the reef
More from Londoner in Sydney
Looking for the best things to do in Agnes Water and 1770 in Queensland? This Agnes Water guide is written by someone who hasn’t just visited for a couple of days! We lived there up until recently for two years!
Read the guideMedian house price
$800,000
14% below the QLD median
Median attached price (townhouse/apartment)
$515,000
Median weekly rent (3-bed house)
$670
≈ $2,903/month
Sourced from Queensland Government Statistician's Office · 12 months ending 31 March 2026
Healthcare access
Limited
Shopping & everyday services
Moderate
Supermarket within 10km, limited other retail
Internet connection
Fixed line
Job market by industry
Trades — 12.8%
Largest share of local jobs
Employment figures cover this town's wider statistical region, not the town alone — you'll see the same figures for Yeppoon, Byfield, Rockhampton and Gladstone.
The score ranks this region against other regions for the same occupation, not against other jobs here — a low score means it isn't a regional stronghold for that field, not that there are no vacancies. Counts online job advertisements, so trades and farm work hired by word of mouth are undercounted, and outside capital cities this is published at a regional level larger than one town.
Agnes Water (SAL 30014) · 2021 Census
The age profile is close to the national one, with 21.2% aged 65 or over against 17.2% and 15.6% children against 18.2%. Among households, couples without children outnumber couples with them (55.3% of families against 33.1%).
Population
2,729
Population growth
+35.3%
Agnes Water - Miriam Vale (SA2 308051530)
Median age
49 years
Labour force participation
47.2%
Growth is measured across the wider area named under the figure, which can be a different size to the town.
Share of total population in each band — rounding means these won't land on exactly 100%.
Couples are a share of total families; lone-person households are a share of total households — different bases, not one breakdown.
Median personal income
$579
Per week · ≈ $30,108/year
Median family income
$1,382
Per week
Median household income
$1,112
Per week
Personal is one person's income; family and household cover everyone living together — a single-income household will show a lower household figure than its highest earner's personal one. Personal income also covers every resident aged 15 and over, retirees included, so it reads low in a town with an older population even where household income is solid.
Owner-occupied
72%
Rented
23%
Born in Australia
69.8%
Born overseas
15.1%
Doesn't sum to 100% — people who didn't state a birthplace are excluded rather than redistributed.