Yeppoon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yeppoon Queensland
Looking across Keppel Bay from Wreck Point
Yeppoon Location in Queensland
Population	7,037 (2021 census)
• Density	255.0/km2 (660/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	4703
Elevation	6 m (20 ft)
Area	27.6 km2 (10.7 sq mi)
Time zone	AEST (UTC+10:00)
Location	21.2 km (13 mi) NNW of Emu Park 40.9 km (25 mi) NW of Rockhampton 672 km (418 mi) NNW of Brisbane
LGA(s)	Shire of Livingstone
State electorate(s)	Keppel
Federal Division(s)	Capricornia
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 25.9 °C 79 °F 18.5 °C 65 °F 824.9 mm 32.5 in
Localities around Yeppoon: Pacific Heights Inverness Barlows Hill Meikleville Hill Farnborough Barmaryee Yeppoon Coral Sea Hidden Valley Taroom Ball Taranganba Cooee Bay

Yeppoon (pronounced like "yeh-POON") is a cool coastal town in Queensland, Australia. It's famous for its beautiful beaches, warm weather, and the many islands nearby. Yeppoon is about 41 kilometres (25 mi) from Rockhampton city. It's the main town on the Capricorn Coast, which is a long stretch of seaside towns.

People love Yeppoon for its pretty beaches and calm coves. It's a great spot for tourists and for people who want to retire. There are 27 islands offshore, including Great Keppel Island, which is only 20 kilometres (12 mi) away. In 2021, about 7,037 people lived in Yeppoon.

Where is Yeppoon Located?

Yeppoon is right on Keppel Bay, which opens up to the big Coral Sea. It's about 700 kilometres (430 mi) north of Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland. The town is part of the Shire of Livingstone local government area. For a few years (2008-2013), it was part of the Rockhampton Region, but it's back to being in the Shire of Livingstone now.

The main road connecting Yeppoon to Rockhampton is called Rockhampton-Yeppoon Road.

A Look Back at Yeppoon's History

The land around the Capricorn Coast traditionally belongs to the Darumbal Aboriginal people. The first European family to settle in Yeppoon was the Ross family in 1865. They owned a lot of land along the coast.

Early industries in Yeppoon included growing fruit, raising cattle, and producing wool. For a short time, from 1883 to 1903, people tried to grow sugar cane. But this didn't work out because of too much rain and not enough money. During this time, some South Sea Islanders were brought to work on the sugar farms, often without their choice.

After the sugar cane failed, people started growing pineapples, mangoes, and other tropical fruits. Raising cattle and fishing also became important for the local economy.

Schools and Buildings in Yeppoon's Past

• Yeppoon Provisional School opened on May 4, 1885. It became Yeppoon State School in 1889. It moved to Tucker Street in 1957.
• St Ursula's College, a Catholic school for girls, started on March 12, 1918.
• St Brendan's College, a Catholic school for boys, opened on October 8, 1939.
• Yeppoon Infants State School opened in 1955 but closed in 1968.
• Yeppoon State High School opened on January 28, 1969.
• The Bay View Tower motel was Yeppoon's first tall building in 1986.
• The Yeppoon Public Library opened in 1990 and was updated in 2017.

Cyclone Marcia's Impact

On February 20, 2015, a very strong tropical cyclone Marcia hit the Capricorn Coast. It was a Category 5 cyclone. The storm damaged over 150 houses in Yeppoon. It also left more than 13,500 homes without electricity.

Who Lives in Yeppoon?

In 2016, about 6,334 people lived in Yeppoon. By 2021, the population grew to 7,037 people. This number only counts people living in Yeppoon itself, not in the towns nearby.

Important Historic Places in Yeppoon

Yeppoon has several places that are important for their history. These are called "heritage-listed" sites:

• Yeppoon railway station, on James Street.
• Yeppoon War Memorial, on Normanby Street.
• The old Yeppoon State School building, on 29 Queen Street.
• The current Yeppoon State School, on Tucker Street.

How Yeppoon is Governed

Cadastral map of the Parish of Yeppoon displaying real property information and Administrative Areas including Parish; County and Land Agents District

In 1879, the Gogango Division was created to help manage the area. Even though it was run from Rockhampton, a local group called the Yeppoon Progress Association helped with the town's needs.

As more people moved to the area, especially after gold was found, the divisions changed. In 1903, the Gogango Divisional Board became the Shire of Livingstone.

The Shire of Livingstone's borders stayed mostly the same until 1984. Then, some areas like Nerimbera and Parkhurst joined the larger City of Rockhampton. This caused some disagreements between the local governments.

Finally, in 2008, the Shire of Livingstone joined with other areas to form the new Rockhampton Region. But many people in Yeppoon wanted their own local government back. After a vote, the Shire of Livingstone was started again on January 1, 2014, with Yeppoon as its main town.

Learning in Yeppoon: Schools and Colleges

Yeppoon has several schools for students of all ages:

• Yeppoon State School is a government primary school for kids from early childhood to Year 6. It's located at 14–16 Tucker Street. In 2018, it had 320 students. It also has a special education program.
• Yeppoon State High School is a government secondary school for students from Year 7 to Year 12. You can find it at 30 Rawlings Street. In 2018, about 1,033 students attended this school.
• St Ursula's College is a Catholic secondary school for girls, from Year 7 to Year 12. It's at 42–62 Queen Street. In 2018, it had 393 students.
• St Brendan's College is a Catholic secondary school for boys, from Year 7 to Year 12. It's located at 139 Adelaide Park Road. In 2018, 614 students were enrolled here.

Fun Things to Do and Places to Go

The Livingstone Shire Council runs the Yeppoon Library on 84 John Street.

The Yeppoon branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association meets at the RSL Hall.

The council has also built some cool water attractions:

• The Keppel Kraken is a waterpark on the foreshore. It has fun water features and play areas for kids.
• The Yeppoon Lagoon is a huge, resort-style swimming pool, about 2,500 square metres (27,000 sq ft) in size. It's right on the waterfront. The lagoon has a shallow area for kids, a lap pool, and an infinity edge with amazing views of the Keppel islands.

The Yeppoon Wesleyan Methodist Church is at 1 Fred Lawn Drive.

Shopping Spots

Yeppoon has a few places where you can go shopping:

• Yeppoon Central
• Keppel Bay Plaza
• Yeppoon CBD (Central Business District)
• Tanby Road District

Healthcare

• The Capricorn Coast Hospital is where people go for medical care.

News and Radio in Yeppoon

While Yeppoon mostly gets its news from nearby Rockhampton, there are some local media options.

Until 2020, Yeppoon had its own weekly newspaper called The Capricorn Coast Mirror. It was started by locals John and Suzy Watson in 1983. This paper focused on news important to the people of Livingstone Shire and the Capricorn Coast. However, in 2020, The Mirror was closed by News Corp Australia.

Now, there's an independent news magazine called The Spectator. It's published every two weeks and was also started by Suzy and John Watson.

Keppel FM (which used to be called 4NAG) is Yeppoon's local community radio station. It has local presenters who host different shows every day from a studio in Yeppoon. The station started in 1998 and broadcasts on 91.3 FM.

Sports Teams in Yeppoon

Yeppoon has several sports teams:

• The local rugby league team is the Yeppoon Seagulls, started in 1968. They play in the Rockhampton District Rugby League competition. Many professional rugby league players have come from St. Brendan's College in Yeppoon, including Paul Bowman, Casey Conway, PJ Marsh, Matthew Scott, Jake Granville, Corey Oates, Dave Taylor, Ben Hunt, and Harry Grant.
• The Capricorn Coast Football Club started in 1972 and plays in the local soccer competition.
• The Yepoon Swans are an Australian rules football team, started in 1981. They play at Swan Park. Their senior men's team holds a record for winning the most games in a row in Australian rules football. They were undefeated for 8 years and 128 matches, winning 8 championships in a row!

Yeppoon's Climate

Yeppoon has a humid subtropical climate. This means it has hot, wet summers and very mild, fairly dry winters. On average, it rains about 977.0 millimetres (38.46 in) each year, with most rain falling in late summer. The temperature has been as low as −0.1 °C (31.8 °F) (on July 25, 1995) and as high as 42.2 °C (108.0 °F) (on November 28, 2018).

Images for kids

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  Panorama over the CBD

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  Beak Bridge over Ross Creek

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  Cooee Bay

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  Yeppoon Railway Station (defunct) 2011

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  Yeppoon Main Beach

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  Yeppoon Main Beach amphitheatre

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  Yeppoon town, 1953

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  Yeppoon Main Beach, 1948

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  Yeppoon Main Beach, 1936