Joseph Banks Conservation Park

This historic coastal peninsula near Agnes Water is a little-known jewel on the central Queensland coast. Joseph Banks Conservation Park's rocky headland juts north into the sea, with ocean to the east and quiet estuarine waters to the west. Protecting almost all the undeveloped terrain around the headland, the park boasts spectacular coastal beauty in a region of increasing residential development. Its cultural value is equally significant—the park is part of the Gooreng Gooreng people’s traditional homeland and is considered to be Captain Cook’s first landing place in Queensland. Visit the rock cairn marking Cook’s 1770 shore visit from the Endeavour. Walk 250 metres through windswept tussock grasslands, vine thicket and coastal woodland to a lookout at the tip of the headland. Detour 50 metres to another lookout over a small sandy cove on your return. Look for dolphins and turtles frolicking in the clear waters below, or spot white-bellied sea-eagles wheeling overhead.