1770 Cruises From The Marina To Bustard Head And Lady Musgrave Island

The 1770 Marina, Seven Tours

Seven of the 8 tours depart the 1770 marina on Captain Cook Drive in Seventeen Seventy, with from-prices starting at $31.61 per person. The three 1770 LARC! Tours trips start here, as do the four Dive Spear and Sport and 1770 Reef Eco Tours reef trips.

Bundaberg Port Marina, One Tour

The eighth tour, "From Bundaberg, Lady Musgrave" by Lady Musgrave Experience, departs Bundaberg Port Marina at Burnett Heads, from $237 per person. This is a different port: Bundaberg is 122.2 km or 1 hr 25 min by road from the Town of 1770 (Visit Agnes 1770), and the port is at Burnett Heads.

Agnes Water Is Not A Start Point

Queensland Parks names Bundaberg and Seventeen Seventy as the nearest departure points for Lady Musgrave Island, and lists 1770 Marina as the base of 1770 Reef Eco Tours and Bundaberg Port Marina as the base of Lady Musgrave Experience.

Driving To The Region

Visit Agnes 1770, the regional tourism body, gives the road distances: Bundaberg is 122.2 km or 1 hr 25 min away, Gladstone 123.8 km or 1 hr 30 min, and Brisbane 479.9 km or 5 hr 30 min. The same source names Gladstone and Bundaberg as the closest airports, with most flights to both operating via Brisbane.

Getting Between The Towns And The Ports

Hotel pickup is stated as not included on four tours: "Lady Musgrave Snorkelling Cruise", "Southern Reef Snorkelling Trip", "Scuba Diving, Southern Reef" and "From Bundaberg, Lady Musgrave". Greyhound coaches stop in Agnes Water at the AMPOL service station on the corner of Round Hill Road and Captain Cook Drive, not at the 1770 marina.

What A LARC Is

A LARC is an amphibious vehicle, one that travels on land and on water. All three LARC tours on this page are run by 1770 LARC! Tours from the 1770 marina, and each carries up to 29 guests.

The One-Hour Afternoon Cruise

The "One-Hour Afternoon Cruise" is the shortest tour on the page at 1 hour, from $31.61 per person, rated 4.8 across 228 reviews. Food and drinks are excluded, and the tour includes a driver/guide, live commentary on board and a local guide.

The Picnic Lunch Coastline Tour

The "Picnic Lunch Coastline Tour" runs 2 hours, from $61.11 per person, rated 4.9 across 92 reviews. Lunch, snacks and beverages are listed, alongside the driver/guide and live commentary.

Sandboarding, Bustard Head Lightstation

The featured tour of the three is "Sandboarding, Bustard Head Lightstation": 7 hours, from $118 per person, rated 5.0 across 615 reviews, the most reviewed tour on this page. A lighthouse visit and sandboarding are listed on this tour only. Lunch, coffee and tea, all activities and a driver/guide are included. The tour runs along the edge of Eurimbula National Park, the stretch of coast where Captain James Cook made his first landing in Queensland in May 1770. Children under 8 are not permitted inside the lighthouse tower.

Choosing By Length

The three LARC tours split cleanly by clock: 1 hour, 2 hours and 7 hours. Lunch is listed on the two longer tours and excluded on the "One-Hour Afternoon Cruise". The lighthouse visit and sandboarding exist only on the 7 hour "Sandboarding, Bustard Head Lightstation" tour, which also runs up to the 35 metre dunes of Middle Island for sandboarding with equipment included, per the operator.

The Lighthouse At Bustard Head

Bustard Head Lighthouse was established in 1868, with its light first exhibited on 29 June 1868. The original cottages were destroyed by fire in 1932, and the outside stairs were relocated inside the tower in 1935. In 2001 the Bustard Head Lighthouse Association, a volunteer organisation, obtained a lease and restored the site. A volunteer caretaker guides visitors through the keepers' cottage museum, and children under 8 are not permitted inside the tower.

What The Tour Involves

1770 LARC! Tours describes the Paradise Tour day as crossing four tidal creeks and Jenny Lind Creek, with morning tea near Jenny Lind Creek and lunch prepared by 1770 Marina Cafe. The tour is free to cancel up to 24 hours before the start time, as are the other two LARC tours.

The Three Tours Side By Side

All three LARC tours carry up to 29 guests and leave from the 1770 marina. The One-Hour Afternoon Cruise runs 1 hour from $31.61 per person and rates 4.8 across 228 reviews. The Picnic Lunch Coastline Tour runs 2 hours from $61.11 and rates 4.9 across 92 reviews. The Sandboarding, Bustard Head Lightstation tour runs 7 hours from $118 and rates 5.0 across 615 reviews, the largest review count of any tour covered on this page.

What Each Tour Includes

A driver/guide and live commentary on board come with every one of the three. Lunch appears on two: the picnic tour lists beverages, lunch and snacks, while the full day tour lists lunch, coffee and tea, all activities and a local guide. The afternoon cruise excludes food and drinks outright.

The lighthouse visit and sandboarding sit only on the full day tour. Children under 8 are not permitted inside the lighthouse tower, per building standards.

Cancellation Terms

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time applies to all three LARC tours. Prices are per person in USD.

The One Bundaberg Tour

"From Bundaberg, Lady Musgrave" by Lady Musgrave Experience is the single tour in this category, from $237 per person, rated 4.8 across 368 reviews, and at 10 hours it is the longest tour on the page. It departs Bundaberg Port Marina at Burnett Heads, never the 1770 marina, aboard a catamaran. Free cancellation applies up to 14 days in advance, the longest window of the 8 tours.

Inclusions On The Bundaberg Tour

The operator lists premium Mares snorkelling equipment, a glass-bottom boat tour and a guided island walk. A gourmet buffet lunch with local produce, morning and afternoon tea, and access to warm freshwater showers are also listed. Hotel pickup is stated not included. Non-certified introductory dives and certified dives are excluded and available to purchase, as are a premium upgrade, cheese and sparkling, and wetsuit rental.

Same Island, Another Port

This is the same Lady Musgrave Island reached on the 1770 Reef Eco Tours cruise, simply from another port. Queensland Parks places the island 96 km north-east of Bundaberg, against 59 km east-north-east of Seventeen Seventy. The island is a coral cay with pisonia forest inside Capricornia Cays National Park, part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

Distance And Road

The island sits 96 km from Bundaberg and 59 km from the Town of 1770, per Queensland Parks. By road, Visit Agnes 1770 puts Bundaberg 122.2 km or 1 hr 25 min from the Town of 1770, so the port choice ties to where you are staying.

Trip Length And Cancellation

The Bundaberg tour runs 10 hours against 9 hours on the "Lady Musgrave Snorkelling Cruise" from 1770. No crossing time is stated for the Bundaberg tour. Both tours list snorkel gear, a glass-bottom boat tour and a guided island walk. The choice between the two ports comes down to departure point, length, price and cancellation window, which runs to 14 days here against 24 hours on the 1770 cruise.

The table below lines up the boat and LARC trips sold from Town of 1770, plus the one Bundaberg departure, on the points that matter when choosing between them: the operator, the vessel, the trip length, where it departs from, whether snorkel gear is listed, whether lunch is listed, whether a lighthouse visit is listed, and the group size cap.

What Each Column Compares

Vessel types differ across the LARC amphibious vehicle, the power catamaran, the speedboat and the catamaran. For one scuba day trip the vessel is not stated. Length runs from one hour to ten. Group size caps sit between 7 and 29 where stated.

Gear, Lunch And Lighthouse Visits

Snorkel gear appears on 3 tours: the "Lady Musgrave Snorkelling Cruise", the "Southern Reef Snorkelling Trip" and the Bundaberg "From Bundaberg, Lady Musgrave" catamaran cruise. Lunch is listed on 7 of the 8 tours; the exception is the "One-Hour Afternoon Cruise", which lists food and drinks as excluded. A lighthouse visit is listed on one tour only, the "Sandboarding, Bustard Head Lightstation" day run by 1770 LARC! Tours.

Vessels And Group Sizes

Vessels split by tour type. The three LARC tours use the LARC amphibious vehicle, on land and water, with up to 29 guests each. The "Lady Musgrave Snorkelling Cruise" runs on a power catamaran. The "Southern Reef Snorkelling Trip" and "Scuba Diving, Southern Reef" use a speedboat, capped at 10 and 7 guests. "Outer Reef Scuba Diving" takes up to 14; its vessel is not stated. The Bundaberg "From Bundaberg, Lady Musgrave" cruise runs on a catamaran.

Lengths And Departures

Trip lengths run from the one-hour "One-Hour Afternoon Cruise" to the ten-hour Bundaberg catamaran day. Seven of the eight tours depart the 1770 marina; only "From Bundaberg, Lady Musgrave" departs Bundaberg Port Marina at Burnett Heads, a separate port.

Island Walks And Glass-Bottom Boats

Island walks and glass-bottom boat rides are listed on two tours, the "Lady Musgrave Snorkelling Cruise" and the Bundaberg cruise.

Lunch On Seven Tours

Lunch is listed on 7 of the 8 tours: "Sandboarding, Bustard Head Lightstation", "Picnic Lunch Coastline Tour", "Lady Musgrave Snorkelling Cruise", "Southern Reef Snorkelling Trip", "Outer Reef Scuba Diving", "Scuba Diving, Southern Reef" and "From Bundaberg, Lady Musgrave". The exception is the "One-Hour Afternoon Cruise", which lists food and drinks as excluded. On the LARC day the lunch is prepared by 1770 Marina Cafe, with vegetarian options.

Snorkel Gear And Wetsuits

Snorkel gear is listed on three tours: the "Lady Musgrave Snorkelling Cruise", the "Southern Reef Snorkelling Trip" and the Bundaberg "From Bundaberg, Lady Musgrave" cruise. The splits differ after that. The "Southern Reef Snorkelling Trip" includes a full-length wetsuit with the equipment, while the "Lady Musgrave Snorkelling Cruise" lists wetsuits under exclusions. The Bundaberg cruise lists premium mask, snorkel and fins, with wetsuits available to rent.

Island Walks, Glass Bottoms And Scuba Gear

A guided island walk and a glass-bottom boat tour are listed on two tours, the "Lady Musgrave Snorkelling Cruise" and the Bundaberg catamaran cruise. "Outer Reef Scuba Diving" lists use of scuba equipment, lunch and snacks, and is for certified divers only, as is "Scuba Diving, Southern Reef". The "Sandboarding, Bustard Head Lightstation" tour lists all activities, plus coffee and tea, a driver-guide and live commentary.

What To Bring On Each Tour

For the "Lady Musgrave Snorkelling Cruise": sunglasses, hat, swimwear, change of clothes, towel, sunscreen, water shoes and a reusable water bottle. For the "Southern Reef Snorkelling Trip": warm clothing, hat, swimwear, towel, camera, snacks, sunscreen and water. For "Scuba Diving, Southern Reef": hat, swimwear, towel, camera, snacks, sunscreen, water, comfortable clothes and diving certification. The Bundaberg "From Bundaberg, Lady Musgrave" page adds motion sickness prevention, a credit card and cash.

Hotel Pickup

Hotel pickup is stated as not included on four tours: the "Lady Musgrave Snorkelling Cruise" from 1770 Reef Eco Tours, the "Southern Reef Snorkelling Trip", the "Scuba Diving, Southern Reef" day and the Bundaberg catamaran cruise.

Fees And Taxes

On the "Sandboarding, Bustard Head Lightstation" booking page, "All Fees and Taxes" appears under exclusions.

Cancellation Across All Eight Tours

Free cancellation applies on 8 of 8 tours. Seven allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time or in advance of the trip. The exception is From Bundaberg, Lady Musgrave, which requires cancellation up to 14 days in advance for a full refund.

Prices And Booking

Every price on this page is per person, in USD, quoted as a from-price. The eight from-prices span $31.61 to $315.37 with a median of $219. The operator for each tour is the authority on fares, dates and availability, and it is also where terms such as group caps and exclusions appear in full.

The Seventeen Seventy Climate Record

The Bureau of Meteorology's Seventeen Seventy station, with 38 years of temperature records, gives an annual mean maximum of 26.0 °C and an annual mean minimum of 18.9 °C. Annual mean rainfall is 1165.2 mm. The wettest months run December to March, with February the wettest at 172.6 mm on average. The driest months run June to September, bottoming at 34.9 mm in September.

Month By Month

January averages a 29.7 °C maximum, July 21.5 °C. The ribbon below carries the mean maximum, mean minimum and rainfall for each month, exactly as the BoM table gives them, alongside season notes drawn from official sources. No month is named the best month, because none of these sources ranks one.

Cyclone Season

The official tropical cyclone season in the Australian region runs from 1 November to 30 April, per the Bureau of Meteorology. Whether any trip sails on any given day is an operator decision.

Stinger Season

The Queensland Government advises that marine stingers are present in tropical Queensland waters all year round, with higher risk during the marine stinger season from November to May. The advice is to swim at patrolled beaches between the flags, obey signs and consider wearing a full-body lycra suit. The advice is general and does not single out Agnes Water, 1770 or Lady Musgrave Island.

Whales, Labelled Carefully

Humpback whale season in the wider Hervey Bay region generally runs June to November, with most sightings between July and October, per Tourism and Events Queensland. That is a Hervey Bay statement. No tour on this page promises a whale sighting.

Cancellation And Sailing Decisions

Free cancellation is offered on 8 of 8 tours: up to 24 hours before start on seven of them, and up to 14 days in advance for a full refund on the Bundaberg "From Bundaberg, Lady Musgrave" cruise. Confirm directly before travelling.

Reading The Month Ribbon

The ribbon on this page carries Bureau of Meteorology averages for Seventeen Seventy. The warmest month by mean maximum is January at 29.7 °C. The coolest is July at 21.5 °C. Mean minimums run from 13.9 °C in July to 23.1 °C in January.

Rainfall Pattern

Rainfall peaks in February at 172.6 mm and bottoms out in September at 34.9 mm. The wet months are December to March. June to September are the drier months on the same averages.

What The Figures Do Not Say

None of these averages rank a month for any tour.

Two seasonal marks sit alongside the averages. The official tropical cyclone season in the Australian region runs from 1 November to 30 April. Marine stinger season, the period of higher risk in tropical Queensland waters, runs November to May, and the Queensland Government suggests considering a full-body lycra suit.

The Numbers At A Glance

Eight tours sit across three tour types: LARC Amphibious Tours, reef cruises and dive trips from 1770, and the Lady Musgrave cruise from Bundaberg. Per-person from-prices run from $31.61 for the "One-Hour Afternoon Cruise" to $315.37 for "Outer Reef Scuba Diving", with a median of $219 across the eight.

Review Standing

The most reviewed tour is the "Sandboarding, Bustard Head Lightstation" day by 1770 LARC! Tours, rated 5.0 across 615 reviews, starting from $118. Free cancellation applies on 8 of 8 tours: 24 hours before start on seven, and up to 14 days in advance on the Bundaberg cruise. The tiles below carry the detail for each tour.

Comparing Like With Like

Read each per-person from-price next to the trip length and what the operator lists: lunch on seven tours, snorkel gear on three, a guided island walk and glass-bottom boat on two. A higher price sometimes buys a longer day, and sometimes a smaller group, so weigh both.

Reading The Review Counts

Review counts differ widely, from 2 to 615. Read counts beside ratings when comparing, and treat a 5.0 from 2 reviews differently from a 5.0 across 615.

The Booking Page Is The Authority

Ratings, review counts and prices are read from the operators and change over time. Before booking, confirm the current price, the cancellation window and any fee treatment with the operator directly.