Great Keppel Island: Queensland’s Hidden Gem

I was recently hosted by Capricorn Enterprises and Southern Great Barrier Reef Tourism. I was hosted as part of my day job, not in return for any sponsored content. All views below are my own.

My host rounds a bend, and points out the window of her Landcruiser. The Yeppoon marina, and there, off the coast is my destination – Great Keppel Island (Wop-pa) or just Keppel, as it’s known locally.

The largest of the Keppel Islands, Great Keppel is just 18km off the sleepy mainland beach town of Yeppoon, in Queensland’s Capricorn Coast. The island was home to an estimated 60-80 Woppaburra and Ganumi people of Darumbal nation, and then it was colonised by the English in 1770 when Captain Cook came through and named the island after the First Lord of the Admiralty, Admiral Keppel. By the end of the 19th century, the indigenous population had been killed or moved on from the island. The island remained empty from 1903 to 1918, when Michael and Lizzie O’Neill took over the grazing lease and ran sheep, using the tidal creek system at Leeke’s Creek to get their sheep from their lands to ships for transporting. The first resort sprang up around 1957, and tourism on Great Keppel took off. Trans Australia Airlines built an airstrip to service the resort, and the resort accommodated around 350 guests with 150 staff.

That resort was leased by Contiki, and then Mercure, but is now closed, and the ruins stand waiting for new life. All of this history is unknown to me as I gaze from the fast cat ferry over to the island, which looks exactly like a shipwreck island from classic adventure stories.

It takes around half an hour on the fast cat ferry before I’m jumping down from a gangway onto soft white sand. My host Mary, with me for the day, escorts me to a smaller speedboat and it’s not long before the team from Keppel Dive are giving me fins to try on for size while we whiz across the water to a more secluded beach. Mary tells me there’s always a private beach on Keppel. She’s born and raised in the area, and she knows the island intimately.

We come around the bend to Monkey Beach, where Mary tells me you can almost guarantee turtle spottings, but sadly the water is just too choppy for us to pull up there today. Mary has a quick chat with our skipper, Brendan, before telling me we’re going to try to see the other side of the island where the water will be more calm. “More suited to snorkelling, you’ll love it.”

Brendan skims the boat back around and we bang against the swell back past the landing beach, where I can still see swarms of tourists boarding the ferry heading back to the mainland. There was a huge concert on the island last night, some of them look a little worse for wear.

Brendan and Mary have another little chat while I gaze out at the ocean, an unbelievable shade of turquoise and so clear I can see the sandy bottom even this far off shore. We turn up into a small creek, Leeke’s Creek, a tidal creek system bordered by mangroves and lush greenery. Mary starts telling me about the island’s history, and where certain landmarks are in relation to our current location. The homestead, the old resort, you’re not really supposed to fish here at Leeke’s, etc. As we pass by Butterfish Bay, Mary points out a few little goats clinging to the cliffside. Yes, goats. They’ve lived on the island a long time, and now roam feral in the bushland and are the subject of much local debate about how to control the population.

Brendan pulls the boat in at Secret Cove, which is exactly as delightful a little beach as it sounds. And we’re the only ones here. I’ve got my own private beach on an island in the Great Barrier Reef – I pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming! I grab my fins and snorkel and say good bye to Brendan. He’ll be back to pick us up in a little while. Keppel Dive offer more than just diving excursions, if you want to get dropped off at any of the local beachs for the day, Brendan will drop you off in the morning, and swing past to pick you up in the afternoon – for a fee of course.

I spend my time reading, watching crabs scuttle about on the sand and then I decide I can’t wait any more. I grab my fins and jump in the water, Mary pointing out to me that I should follow the reef around the rocks and watch for reef sharks and turtles. The coral is amazing, and equally grim. The colours are a little muted, and due to the swell the visibility isn’t the best. And then there is the bleaching. I’ve not seen coral bleaching so close before except in photos, and the stark white of the corals is really jarring. The Reef is so special, it’s maddening we aren’t doing more to help it. I do spot the promised turtle, having a little swim and he lets me hang out and watch him for a while. There are abundant fish swimming about and it is a lovely snorkelling experience, weird visibility and coral bleaching aside.

I head back to the beach, and Brendan shows up ready to escort me back to my accommodation for the evening – Great Keppel Island Hideaway. The Hideaway is one of two properties on the island, and by far the most popular. It’s a barefoot on the beach, watch the sunset kind of accommodation where they’re light on luxuries but big on service.

There’s heaps to do on Keppel that I didn’t even really get time to explore with my one night stay. If you’re not really into beaches and snorkelling, then there are kilometres of bush tracks to follow, there is great birdlife for those into that, you can visit the old lighthouse and heaps more! I could have stayed a week or longer. Keppel has truly transformed from it’s party reputation, and embraced rest.

As I watch the sun sink over the horizon, sipping on my wine, I think to myself that I could really get used to this island life.