Things to do on Great Keppel Island

To chat face-to-face to a local about all the best things to see and do on Great Keppel Island, step into a Visitor Information Centre. 

Water lovers will relish the 17 white-sand beaches to choose from. The likes of Long Beach, Wreck Beach, Clam Bay, Butterfish Bay and Monkey Beach are accessible from the web of walking tracks which cover the island.

A number of these trails cater to the adventurous - try the 3.5-hour hike up Mount Wyndham (the island’s highest point) or the full-day (15.4km) Lighthouse Walk, meandering from Fishermans Beach to the petite lighthouse on Bald Rock Point. It’s along these pathways that you’ll be able to discover the island's rich Aboriginal heritage and abundant native wildlife, including more than 90 species of birds.

Nestled within the Southern Barrier Reef, aquatic adventures are also at your disposal. Snorkel straight off the beach into the surrounding coral, or jump aboard a catamaran and spend the afternoon boom-netting. Kayaking, diving, watersports or glass bottom boat all await year-round. The resident wildlife population extends below sea level; you’ll be sharing the water with turtles, dugongs, and dolphins and, from June to October, migrating humpback whales.

Getting here is surprisingly convenient. Great Keppel Island sits just 18 kilometres off the coast of the mainland, a half hour ferry ride from Rosslyn, near Yeppoon. It’s also within arm’s reach of major transport hub Rockhampton, where plane, bus and Tilt Train connections all dwell.