Great Keppel Island
Postcode: 4700
The island is situated off the Capricorn Coast , just an hour’s boats ride away from Yeppoon. You can also take a flight there from near by Rockhampton.
The island itself is superb – naturally beautiful with a great main beach that has its own coral reef. The views and the weather is stunning; literally picture perfect. I’d recommend the bushwalking tracks which take you to some more remote parts of the island – Long Beach and Monkey Beach are well worth the fairly easy walk from the resort.
Once you are there you are pretty well trapped and at the mercy of Great Keppel Islands offerings which is not much.
The accommodation was basic with the majority of bungalows without air conditioning. This was OK when we were there but I’d hate to sleep in 40 degree heat without it. The hillside bungalows do have air-conditioning for a few dollars extra if you don’t mind climbing a steep hill to go to bed every night and these are also furthest from the beach.
The other options are bars. So unless you’re an alcoholic, things start to look limited fairly quickly. The Mercure Resort Restaurant has all the atmosphere of a funeral – tired families eating dinner and old married couples staring at each other in stony silence. This I didn’t understand, because the buffet offered more conversation starters than you could poke a stick at.
The buffet costs $32 a head every night, which was overpriced given that the quality and choice simply wasn’t there. And don’t even think of trying to eat your way to value. Do you have any idea how many serves of fluorescent beef and potato wedges you’ll need to eat? Of course, if you have no tastebuds and an insatiable appetite, things could be looking up for you. If that’s not the case and you want to find something remotely edible, there are currently two other dining options on the island which you will find quite easily.