About Great Keppel Island
Great Keppel Island is the largest island in the Keppel Group, located about 15 kilometres off the coast of Yeppoon in Central Queensland. Part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and Keppel Bay Islands National Park, it is known for its 17 white sandy beaches, fringing coral reefs, and clear waters. The island offers resort and holiday park accommodation and is a popular day-trip and overnight destination for swimming, snorkelling and bushwalking.
Visitors guide
Visitors can expect a low-key tropical island with extensive sandy beaches, fringing reefs close to shore, and bushland interior with walking tracks. The developed western side around Fishermans Beach and Putney Beach has accommodation, cafes and hire facilities, while eastern and southern beaches are more natural and accessible by foot or boat. Activities centre on beach swimming, snorkelling, kayaking, glass-bottom boat tours, diving and bushwalks to lookouts such as Monkey Point.
Key highlights
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Largest island in the Keppel Group within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
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17 sandy beaches including Fishermans Beach, Long Beach and Monkey Beach
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Fringing coral reefs suitable for snorkelling directly from the beach
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Bushwalking tracks to lookouts including Monkey Point and Mount Wyndham
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Glass-bottom boat and snorkelling tours to nearby reefs
History of Great Keppel Island
The Keppel Islands are traditionally the country of the Woppaburra people. The islands were sighted and named Keppel Isles by Captain James Cook in 1770. Great Keppel Island was later used for pastoral leases from the late 19th century and developed as a tourist resort from the 1950s-1960s, becoming a well-known Great Barrier Reef island holiday destination.
Culture & Context
The island holds ongoing cultural significance for the Woppaburra Traditional Owners, who maintain strong connections to the Keppel Islands (Woppa) through stories, place names and custodianship of land and sea country.
Route
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