(not so?) Great Keppel

Haydee at school with Great
Keppel in the background.

We sailed from Cape Capricorn to Great Keppel Island yesterday. It was a fantastic sail; running under spinnaker all the way, clear sunny skies, and 26 degrees. The kids did their school work while we sailed. Sitting on the helm was a glorious way to spend a Tuesday morning. A bad day on the water always beats a good day in the office, and it was better than a bad day on the water.

After anchoring on the north side of Great Keppel (Second Bay), we went ashore and had a quick look around the beach. We got to talking to a couple off Babe who have been sailing the Queensland coast for the last twenty odd years. They were a good source of information on some of the places to visit and how the coast has changed over time. One thing we found out from them is that the main resort at Great Keppel closed several years ago. It has apparently been bought and there are development plans going through the approval process. We decided we would have to go to the western (resort) side of the island to have a look.

Great (?) Keppel Resort

After school work this morning, we took the dinghy and had a look at a few beaches, including Middle Island and the now closed underwater observatory, and then went and walked around the resort area. It all had quite a strange feel. The resort itself is closed and fenced off, but there is a neighbouring area that appears to be orientated towards backpackers (accommodation, bar/bistro, dive shop, reef tours), supported by a couple of kiosks/shops. We took a photo of the kids in the mouth of a shark that looks like it has seen better days, and I wondered how many other kids have had their photos taken there over the years. We got the impression that Great Keppel Island could not compete with the likes of the Whitsundays, and is no longer what it used to be. That said, while it lacks some reef, it still has spectacularly clear water over clean white sand and has made a great anchorage.