10 Best things to do on Great Keppel Island

Part of the Southern Great Barrier Reef, Great Keppel Island lies 15 kilometres from the coast off Yeppoon in the Shire of Livingstone, Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Capricorn Coast of Central Queensland. Great Keppel Island is one of the best island getaways on the Southern Great Barrier Reef. It’s easy to see why with the option of snorkelling right off the beach, spotting wildlife during hinterland hikes and trying an array of aquatic adventures. Just a 30 minute ferry ride from the the mainland, getting here is convenient even for a day trip. To get the most out of a visit to the Great Keppel Island, I recommend staying over night. Great Keppel Island is the largest of a group of islands called the Keppel Islands. Great Keppel island 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.

When to visit?

With warm water temperatures year round, there’s no bad time to visit Great Keppel Island. However, here are a few key dates and seasons to consider:

• February to April – is turtle hatching season on the Keppel Bay Islands.
• August to September – is whale watching season. Keep reading to find out about whale watching tours.
• October to May – is jellyfish season in the Capricorn Coast. Although stings are less common then further up north, they can still happen. Tour companies like the Keppel Explorer will provide optional stinger suits for snorkelling.
• December to January – is the height of the summer. It can get very hot and humid.

If you’re keen on hiking and snorkelling then April- Oct may be the best bet, with better underwater visibility and milder temperatures. In winter, the high temperature is 22C with an average water temperature of around 20C.

How to get there?

There are two ferry companies with daily transfers from Rosslyn Bay Harbour to Great Keppel Island (GKI). Both are comparably and reasonably priced.

Keppel Konnections: Located within the Keppel Bay Marina, Keppel Konnections has daily ferries departing from the mainland as early as 7:30 am and returning from GKI as late as 4:00 pm or 6:20 pm on Fridays.

How much: $50 return per adult for the ferry transfer only. $70 with lunch or $90 to add-on lunch & snorkel hire.
Where to book: The Keppel Konnections website or through Great Keppel Island Hideaway if you want an accommodation package.

Freedom Fastcats: The schedule for Freedom Fast Cats varies with the earliest departure from the mainland at 7:30 am on a Saturday and 3:45 pm return on any day except Tuesday. You can depart with one company and return with the other if the times work out better for you that way.

How much: $50 per adult for return ferry transfers.
Where to book: The Freedom Fast Cats website.

Where to stay?

Great Keppel Island Hideaway Resort – Choose from motel-style rooms, studios, cabins, and a house for up to six people per location. Packages are available with ferry tickets and meals. Rooms start from $154 per night.

Great Keppel Island Holiday Village – Budget boutique accommodation with a kitchen to cook your own meals. Comfortable and simple decked tents, twin or double bedrooms are available. There is a minimum stay of two nights and two nights for two person sharing starts from $286.

Things to do:

1. Relax on one of the islands 17 incredible beaches. The likes of Long Beach, Wreck Beach, Clam Bay, Butterfish Bay and Monkey Beach are accessible from the web of walking tracks which cover the island. Shelving Beach is easily reached on foot and you can access the reef and snorkel right off the beach.

2. Climb to the highest point of the island or chose another hike on the official Great Keppel Island visitor map with many more signed trails on the north side of the island. Great Keppel Island is a hikers dream, and there are plenty 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 spectacular views of the surrounding islands. The hike was approximately 10km return, and it took us about 2.5 hours to complete with plenty of stops for photographs.

3. 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.

4. Get a water taxi to visit some of the harder to reach beaches for the day. We didn’t get a chance to do this on our day trip and also the boats weren’t running due to the crazy strong wind that day but this is a great way of exploring the harder to reach beaches. Some of the 17 beaches are easily walked from the central reach of the central Fisherman’s Beach area, and others require multi-hour hikes to get to. GKI Watersports offers beach drop offs allowing you access some of the further beaches without the lengthy hike. The guys at GKI Watersports will advise you on the best beach for the current weather conditions. They can also give great advice on snorkel spots too. The price depends on the beach you are being dropped to but return trips start from $50.

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. It’s a great place to watch sunset from if you are staying over night. We got lunch here too after our hike to Mount Wyndham.

6. Snorkel the Southern Great Barrier Reef with visibility of 10-15 metres (weather dependent). If you aren’t taking a tour, you can hire equipment from Great Keppel Water Sports. You can snorkel off Shelving and Monkey Beach and reach both of these beaches on foot very easily from Fishermans Beach.

7. Scuba dive the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Great Keppel Water Sports offers multiple diving experiences from beginner to intermediate. You’ll have the opportunity to see turtles, reef fish, clown fish, moray eels, rays, sea cucumbers, sea snakes, and dugongs.

8. Kayak to Middle Island.The (usually!) calm waters around Great Keppel Island are the perfect spot for a kayak. When we were here the winds were too strong to avail of much of the water based activities. 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.

9. Surf at Red and Wreck Beach. You’ll need a boat to take you over to the eastern side of the island, from $100 return per person through Great Keppel Water Sports. Or if you stay at Svendsens Beach, your board over to Wreck Beach.

10. Take a boat tour around the islands with Keppel Explorer. The Keppel Explorer is the only tour company that ventures beyond the western end of Great Keppel Island and visits other Keppel Bay Islands. The tour runs from 9 am to 2 pm and costs $180. The tour is action packed with a maximum of 12 on board. The offers a balanced blend of time exploring or relaxing on the islands and cruising to secluded beaches, swim & numerous snorkel locations.

Planning your trip

For more information about Great Keppel Island, and to start planning your epic island adventure head to the Visit Capricorn website.