Great Keppel Island facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Great Keppel IslandQueensland |
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Aerial view of Great Keppel Island
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 Great Keppel Island
Location in Queensland
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| Postcode(s) | 4700 |
| Time zone | UTC+10 (UTC) |
| Location | 15 km (9 mi) from Yeppoon (W) |
| LGA(s) | Shire of Livingstone |
| State electorate(s) | Keppel |
| Federal Division(s) | Capricornia |
Great Keppel Island (called Wop-Pa by the Woppaburra people) is a beautiful island off the coast of Queensland, Australia. It's about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Yeppoon. This island is the biggest of the eighteen islands in the Keppel Group, covering an area of 1308 hectares (about 3,232 acres).
Great Keppel Island is known for its warm, tropical weather and amazing beaches. It has 17 white sandy beaches and some of the best hard coral reefs on the Great Barrier Reef. The clear waters around the island are home to many different types of coral, similar to those found in the Whitsundays. Many tourists visit the island, and there are places to stay, from simple cabins to private houses.
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Getting to Great Keppel Island
You can reach Great Keppel Island by taking a ferry or by flying in. Ferries leave every day from Keppel Bay Marina and Pier One in Rosslyn Bay. There are also special boat trips and sailing adventures available.
The island has a small airport called Great Keppel Airport. In the past, larger planes used to land there. Now, it's mostly used by smaller private planes. If you want to land a plane there, you need to get approval 24 hours beforehand.
The Island's Past
Naming the Island
The islands in the Keppel Group were named by Captain James Cook in April 1770. He named them after Admiral Augustus Keppel, who was a very important naval officer at the time.
Traditional Owners: The Woppaburra People
Before Europeans arrived, Great Keppel Island was home to the Woppaburra and Ganumi people, who are part of the Darumbal nation. They lived on the island for about 5,000 years! They gathered lots of seafood from the waters around the island, and you can still find ancient shell piles, called middens, that show how much seafood they ate.
Sadly, by the end of the 1800s, most of the Woppaburra people were forced to leave their home. The last 18 Woppaburra people were removed from the island in 1902.
Early European Settlement
The first recorded visit by a European was in 1847 by a naturalist named John MacGillivray. In 1866, Robert Ross started using the island for farming, mainly raising sheep. William T Wyndham was the first European to live on Great Keppel Island permanently. He was a stock-keeper and got along well with the Woppaburra people. The highest point on the island and a cove are named after him.
Leeke's Homestead
After 1903, the island was mostly empty for a while. Then, in 1918, Michael and Lizzie O'Neill took over the sheep grazing. Lizzie O'Neill stayed on the island even after Michael died. She later married Ralph Leeke. Their home, now known as Leeke's Homestead, is a special historical site listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. Leeke's Beach and Estuary are also named after them.
Great Keppel Island as a Tourist Spot
First Resorts and Growth
After World War II, Great Keppel Island started to become a popular place for tourists. In 1935, the first two huts for visitors were built at Fisherman's Beach. By 1957, Charles Tompson built a house and seven cabins, starting the island's first small resort.
Later, the resort was bought by different owners and grew bigger. Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) even built an airstrip to help bring tourists to the resort. The resort became very famous for its fun advertising campaigns.
Changes in Ownership
Qantas took over the resort in 1992, but then sold it to other business owners. It was managed by companies like Contiki and Mercure.
In 2006, a company called Tower Holdings bought the resort. They closed it in 2008 and announced big plans to build a huge new resort with hotels, apartments, a marina, a golf course, and a bigger airstrip. However, these plans faced many challenges and did not happen. In April 2023, the Queensland State Government canceled the leases held by Tower Holdings, which means new plans for the island's future can now be made.
Current Accommodation
Even though the main resort is closed, you can still find places to stay on Great Keppel Island. There are options like tents, cabins, and even private beach houses right by the water.
Island Environment
Great Keppel Island is an important part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The island has about 27 kilometers (17 miles) of beautiful beaches and many coral reefs. The waters around the island are full of different kinds of fish, making it a great place to explore marine life.
You can also find special trees on the island, like the Swamp mahogany, which only grows in certain areas.
Heritage Listings
Great Keppel Island has some special places that are protected because of their history. One of these is:
