If you’re visiting the tropical paradise that is Great Keppel Island, here are 20 amazing things do while you’re there!
An introduction to Great Keppel Island
Crystal clear, sparkly blue waters. Soft white sand. Palm-lined beaches. An ocean full of colourful corals and chilled out turtles. This is Great Keppel Island. We spent three incredible nights exploring this hidden gem, and we have without a doubt fallen in love and left a piece of our hearts on this island. Great Keppel Island is part of the Keppel Group of islands, found on the Southern Great Barrier Reef in Queensland. The islands are located in the central Queensland region of Capricorn, off the coast of the town Yeppoon.
Great Keppel Island is the largest of the islands, at over 1,300 hectares, and is by far the most developed. But when I say developed, it’s not really. The extent of the development is a couple of accommodation options, a handful of restaurants and a few tour operators all clustered in one tiny corner of the island. The rest of this beautiful place is wild. There are no real roads across the island and bar a few 4WDs, no cars either. Your trusty two feet or a boat are the main methods of transport. This is the reason why we loved this place so much. It really felt like nature was still in charge. Although you can traverse across most of the island, having all the human impact confined to one small section was really great to see and made the island feel so wild and untouched.
How to get to Great Keppel Island
Before I dive into all the incredible things there are to do in Great Keppel Island, you need to know how to get there. The main way to access the island is by ferry from Yeppoon. The ferry takes about 40 minutes, and this quick access is one of the major drawcards of Great Keppel Island. No need to sit on a boat for 3+ hours as you do for some of the other islands in the Great Barrier Reef. The trip is short, and even if you have a choppy journey like we did, you’re back on dry land pretty quickly!
The ferries depart from the Keppel Bay Marina, which is about a 10-minute drive from the centre of Yeppoon. There are two ferry providers to choose from, Freedom Fast Cats and Keppel Konnections. The cost of a return journey for an adult with both providers is just $45. We went over with Keppel Konnections, and we couldn’t fault them. Their staff were lovely and did a great job of looking after the passengers who were feeling a little woozy.
How long to stay on Great Keppel Island
However long you were thinking of staying on Great Keppel Island – double it! Triple it if you can! This place is full of amazing things to do and discover, and our three days here were nowhere near long enough.
Lots of people choose to visit the island on an organised day trip from Yeppoon. We would strongly advise against this. Both the island and Yeppoon have so much to offer, it’s worth dedicating a few nights to each of them. Check out this post for some of the best things to do in Yeppoon.
To get the most out of this beautiful place, you should at the very minimum stay one night here. If we had our time again, we would have at least five full days, if not longer.
Things to do on Great Keppel Island
Without further adieu, here is our list of 20 amazing things to do on Great Keppel Island. We had such a jam-packed, adventurous three days here. And we honestly could have stayed a week longer to fit more things in!
1. Explore the Fisherman’s Beach area
Great Keppel Island is blessed with 17 different beaches to choose from! But Fisherman’s Beach is the beach you will land on when the ferry drops you off. And yes, the ferry literally pulls up on the beach. You disembark with your feet in the sand and the blue water lapping at your heels – welcome to heaven am I right? Most of the tourist facilities and development is centred on Fisherman’s Beach. When we arrived we spent some time wandering around and getting our bearings, and exploring what there was in the area. The beach itself deserves some recognition, with a long stretch of palm-lined white sand and calm waters. This is also a beautiful place to catch the sunset.
2. Hike to the highest point on Great Keppel Island
Great Keppel Island is a hikers dream, and there are a ton of walking trails crisscrossing all over the island. They range from short strolls to beaches, to all-day hikes across the island. We opted for the Mount Wyndham circuit and thoroughly enjoyed this hike. Mount Wyndham is the highest point of the island, and this vantage point offers some INCREDIBLE views of the surrounding islands. The hike was approximately 10km return, and it took us about three and a half hours to complete. This included multiple stops to ooh, aah and take photos of the stunning views that we found at literally every turn!
3. Get a water taxi to a beach for the day
Remember I said there were 17 beaches to choose from on the island? Well some of them are within an easy walk of the central Fisherman’s Beach area, and others require multi-hour hikes to get to. Don’t feel like a walk? Enter GKI Watersports, which offers beach drop-offs in their boat. Jumping in a boat allows you to access some of the further beaches without the lengthy hike, and we would 100% recommend taking up this service! Chat to the guys at GKI Watersports to choose the best beach for the current weather conditions. We had quite strong winds when we visited, and they helped us select a beach that was sheltered. They can also give great advice on snorkel spots too.
We got dropped off at Secret Cove for the day, which is adjacent to a great snorkelling spot, Big Peninsula. We were literally the only people on the beach all day, and it was so much fun having the beach all to ourselves! This was one of our favourite things we did on the island. We packed a picnic, some bevs, tunes, and our snorkel gear and had an amazing day on the beach. We even saw a turtle when we were snorkelling and some rays gliding around in the shallows! It cost us $80 for a return beach drop off, and the boat was back to collect us exactly when we agreed.
4. Chill out on Putney Beach
This beach is right next to Fisherman’s Beach and is a very short walk from the main accommodation options. The beach here is lined with trees, and some beautiful person has strung up hammocks and swings. Is there anything more relaxing than swinging on a swing hung on a palm tree looking at the ocean? I don’t think so!
5. Have a cocktail at happy hour
Great Keppel Island Hideaway is the largest accommodation option on the island, and they also have a great bar and bistro which is pretty much the main choice for food and drink. They have happy hour every day from 4 pm – 5 pm, where cocktails are $10, and wines and beers are just $5. If there’s a happy hour, you can guarantee we will find it (#brokebackpackers). What made this one even better was the stunning view over the ocean and the perfect vantage point for sunset.
6. Visit Long Beach
This 2km stretch of sand has been ranked as one of Australia’s 20 best beaches. We sadly didn’t make it to Long Beach when we were on Great Keppel Island. We had quite windy weather and the southern side of the island where Long Beach is located was copping the brunt of it. But this is the top of our list for our next visit, and looks like a postcard picture of paradise! You can walk to Long Beach from Fisherman’s Beach in about an hour.
7. Snorkelling at Shelving Beach
Shelving Beach is about a 15-minute walk from the main centre on Fisherman’s Beach. To get here, you walk all the way along Fisherman’s Beach and then follow a sign inland at the end of the beach. You will have a short walk up a bushy track, before following the signs to descend onto Shelving Beach. It is a gorgeous little stretch of sand that is sheltered by two rocky headlands either side. This makes it a great spot for snorkelling, with the reef very close to the beach. We saw lots of different fishies here, and the water was just crystal clear! The beach itself is the perfect spot for an afternoon with a book, as it is sheltered well from any winds.
8. Go camping on Great Keppel Island
Okay, I know this is really an accommodation suggestion, BUT we think camping counts as an activity. And even better than that – glamping! We stayed at the Great Keppel Island Holiday Village, and we absolutely loved this place! We spent three nights in one of their glamping tents, and we adored the laidback atmosphere and chilled tropical vibes.
9. Rent a stand up paddle board
This is something we didn’t do when we visited, due to the weather, but we would love to go for a SUP on our next visit! GKI Watersports rents out stand up paddleboards from their hut on Fisherman’s Beach. They are $20 for an hour or $80 for the whole day. The waters around Fisherman’s Beach were so beautiful and clear, and you would have a great vantage point on the paddleboard to spot marine life like turtles and rays in the water below.
10. Have a meal and catch some live music at the Hideaway Bar and Bistro
If you’re looking for somewhere for dinner on the island, head for the Hideaway Bar and Bistro. They have a delicious range of meals, that were really affordable considering they are on an island (which usually = $$$). We visited on a Friday night and they had some great live music. They also run different concerts and music events throughout the year, hosting the likes of Daryl Braithwaite and Ross Wilson. Check out their Facebook page for any upcoming events.
11. Hike to the lighthouse
Another hike you can do on the island is out to the lighthouse at the island’s eastern point. This is the longest hike on offer at over 15kms return. We didn’t do this one, but we’re told it’s well worth the journey and the views are breathtaking! Allow most of the day to complete it, and bring plenty of water and snacks with you.
12. Snorkelling at Monkey Beach
Another great snorkelling spot that is within walking distance from the tourist centre of the island is Monkey Beach. The reef here is renowned as one of the most pristine around the island, with over 38 species of colourful corals. You can swim out to the reef straight from the beach, and could easily spend hours floating around with the fish. We were so impressed by the huge range and colours of the corals here.
13. Go kayaking
The (usually!) calm waters around Great Keppel Island are the perfect spot for a kayak. You can cruise around the waters near Fisherman’s Beach, or pack a bag and park up on a beach for the day. GKI Watersports offer kayak rental at $20 per hour or $80 per day for a single or double kayak. They also offer guided tours if you would prefer, visiting different spots around the island depending on the conditions. The tours are $60 per person.
14. Don a mask and fins and go on a snorkel tour
If you would prefer to hit the reef from the side of a boat, not the beach, you can go on a snorkel tour with GKI Watersports. These guys had a big group visiting the island when we were there, and unfortunately the tours were all booked out. But they offer you the opportunity to explore parts of the reef that are inaccessible from the land, and will take you to the best spot based on the conditions. The tours are $50 per person, and include all your gear.
15. Get deeper with a dive
If you want to explore the Southern Great Barrier Reef further, you can opt to go diving. GKI Watersports also offers a range of diving options, from single boat dives to certification courses. We still have scuba diving on our bucket list, but Great Keppel Island would have been an incredible spot to try diving.
16. Explore the old homestead
Great Keppel Island has a brutal history, with European settlers moving in in the 1900s and killing many of the local indigenous population. The Europeans used the island for agricultural purposes, housing thousands of grazing sheep. You can get a glimpse of how the island used to operate at the Leeke Homestead, behind Leeke’s Beach. The old building is still standing, and keep an eye out for the flock of goats that live around this part of the island.
17. Visit Leeke’s Creek
Leeke’s Beach is one of the largest beaches on the island. At its eastern end, Leeke’s Creek is a gorgeous tidal creek with azure waters, home to many species of fish and rays. Time your visit around mid-tide to see the shades of blue water swirl around sandbars. You can walk to Leeke’s Beach, or if the conditions are right, kayak there. Another thing on our bucket list for next time, with hopefully no wind!
18. Catch a sunset
Great Keppel Island puts on some pretty epic sunsets. It’s not easy to watch the sunset over the water in Queensland, being on Australia’s east coast. But on the island you can watch the sun go down below the water, looking towards the mainland. Anywhere along Fisherman’s Beach, or with a cocktail in hand at the Hideaway Bar and Bistro is the best spot to see nature’s daily show.
19. Go fishing
We’re not keen anglers ourselves, but we were told by a lot of locals that the fishing on Great Keppel Island was amazing. We heard from a few people that you are almost guaranteed to catch something if you fish off the sand wall at The Spit (the point between Fisherman’s and Putney beach) at the turn of the tide. A guaranteed catch sounds like my kind of fishing! If you don’t bring your rod with you, you can hire gear from GKI Watersports for $25 for the day.
20. Do nothing!
It is hard to resist the temptation to clock on to island time, completely slow down and do NOTHING! The island oozes laidback vibes, and there is something enticing about grabbing a book and spending the arvo swinging in a hammock. The garden at Great Keppel Island Holiday Village was the perfect spot, with a couple of hammocks and lounge chairs just waiting to be laid in. And don’t forget the beautiful beaches if you want to add the sound of waves to your relaxation. Our only regret is that we didn’t stay longer, and carve out some chill time in our schedule.
Planning your trip
For more information about Great Keppel Island, and to start planning your epic island adventure head to the Visit Capricorn website.
The Comments
Elyse
Love this article, so much awesome information!! Love the photos too… thanks for sharing