The famous pink chairs, a symbol of the resort at Great Keppel Island

Great Keppel Island
Attractive island resort destination.
Located 696 km north of Brisbane, 55 km north-east of Rockhampton and 15 km east of Rosslyn Bay, Great Keppel Island is a 1454 hectare tropical island edged by 17 sandy beaches. It is the largest in the 14 islands known as the Keppel group.

The first European to travel through the area was Captain James Cook who sailed through the Keppel group between 25 - 27 May 1770. He experienced some difficulty with the shallowness of the water. During this time he named Great Keppel Island and Keppel Bay (after Admiral August Keppel - first Lord of the Admiralty) and Cape Capricorn.

Cook did not land at Great Keppel. Nor did Matthew Flinders who must have sighted the island in 1804 when he circumnavigated Australia.

It wasn't until 1847 that the first European, a naturalist named McGillivray, set foot near Leeke's Creek. Of course Aborigines had been using the island for thousands of years prior to this. There are well preserved middens (mounds of shells) at the western end of Long Beach.

Things to see:  

The beach in front of the resort

Vital Information About the Island
1. The Island Itself
Location
Located on the Capricorn coast 15 km east of Rosslyn Bay and 55 km east of Rockhampton.

Description of the island
A substantial island covering 1454 ha. It is 28 km in circumference and has 18 km of beaches. Most of the island is covered by scrubby land (the island has poor soils) with 17 particularly beautiful white sandy beaches.

How do visitors access it?
By boat from Rosslyn Bay and Whitaker Air from Rockhampton.

Activities on the island
Bushwalking
Great Keppel Island Resort lists ten walking trails starting with a 15 minute beach walk and culminating with a walk to the lighthouse at the other end of the island. The vegetation, because of the poor soil, is low-lying and scrubby. It is common to see goannas and possums.

Birdwatching
The island boasts over 100 species of bird including the ubiquitous seagull, kookaburras, rainbow lorikeets, drongos and a diverse range of seabirds. The mangrove swamps near Leeke's Beach are particularly impressive.

Swimming
The waters around the island are safe. There are 18 km of beach with coral around the headlands. As a general principle the beaches are characterised by fine white sand packed hard enough to allow 4WD vehicles to drive along the beaches at low tide.

Leeke's Homestead

Leeke's Homestead
A fascinating insight into the simplicity of life on the island at the turn of the century. The homestead has been preserved to capture the daily life of the fisherman, Ralph Leeke (whose family can be traced back to the 12th century) and his wife Lizzie who ran sheep on the island. The yard still has a range of domestic animals. Beware of the geese.

2. Resorts on the Island
History
The first lease on the island was taken out by James Paige in 1908. It was transferred to N.C. O'Neil in 1918. After O'Neil's death in 1923 it was taken over by his wife Lizzie who subsequently married a local fisherman, Ralph Leeke. Both Leeke's Creek and Leeke's Beach are named after the couple whose house and shearing shed still stand on land behind and above the mangroves.

The island's first resort, Silver Sands, was established on the island in the late 1950s. A new resort was opened in 1967, the airstrip was built in 1975 by TAA and it was during this time it was modernised and updated. Today it is operated by Accor Asia-Pacific and Contiki who have spent $3.5 million refurbishing the property.

How big is it?
The resort has 181 rooms in four different styles. It has a capacity of around 360 people.

Who does it appeal to?
The resort targets the 18 to 35-year-old holiday market.

Free activities
Aqua-aerobics, archery, badminton, baseball, softball, bushwalking, catamarans, cricket, fishing gear, swimming, paddle skis, sailboards, 7-hole chip and putt golf, snorkelling, tennis, touch football, squash, volleyball.

Other activities
Tandem skydiving, banana rides, coral viewing, kayaking, massages, jet skis, guided nature walks, island cruises, parasailing, scuba diving, guided snorkelling cruises, sunset cruises and water skiing.

Eating at the resort
Brunch and dinner are included in the cost of a stay at the resort. Wood-fired pizzas, burgers and noodles are served at the Reef Bar and their is fine dining at Aqua. There is also Micro-Market for all other needs. Cocktails are on offer at the Sunset Bar.

	Resorts
	Mecure Resort Private Mail Bag 8001 North Rockhampton, 4701 Great Keppel Island QLD 4655 Telephone: 1800 245 658, (07) 4939 5044 Facsimile: (07) 4939 1775 Rating: ***1/2
	Backpackers
	Great Keppel Island Holiday Village Community Mail Bag Great Keppel Island QLD 4655 Telephone: (07) 4939 8655, 1800 180 235 Facsimile: (07) 4939 8755