The coastline of Round Hill Head can be treacherous (Picture: VMR Round Hill Rescue & Recovery)

Two British tourists have downed off the coast of Australia after they were swept out to sea near the Great Barrier Reef on Sunday.

A 46-year-old man and a boy,17,were swimming off Round Hill Head at Seventeen Seventy,just north of Agnes Water,yesterday afternoon.

They got into trouble around 2.15pm local time amid stronger-than-usual winds.

Both were dead by the time a helicopter pulled them from the water.

They have been confirmed as UK citizens on holiday in the area,police said. Their identities have not yet been confirmed,but they are understood to have been father and son.

Police told Metro: ‘A report will be prepared for the coroner,and there is no further information at this time.’

It is not yet clear whether their family has been informed.

The headland sticks out into the Pacific Ocean (Picture: Aisling Le Gros/Metro)

The beach where they were swimming,near the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef,is not monitored by life guards.

Locals consider it too dangerous to swim at and warn visitors against entering the water there,even at the best of times,Metro understands.

Strong weather warnings are currently in place along this stretch of coast.

A third person – a 37-year-old from Queensland – suffered life-threatening head injuries.

‘We’re not sure whether the third person jumped into the water trying to perform a rescue’,said Darren Everard,the local operations manager for Surf Life Saving Queensland.

He called the drownings an ‘absolute tragedy’,ABC reports.

Cliffy coastlines and strong currents make the sea ‘chaotic’ here (Picture: alltrails.com)

CapRescue said: ‘Multiple crews were tasked to the scene,including CapRescue.

‘Despite the best efforts of all involved,two people tragically lost their lives. One patient was transported by air to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a life-threatening condition.

‘Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this heartbreaking incident.’

Seventeen Seventy is named after the date when Captain James Cook landed there in May 1770.

It was the second recorded landing by a European on the eastern coast of Australia.