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| The famous pink chairs, a
symbol of the resort at Great Keppel Island
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Great Keppel Island
Attractive island resort destination.
Located 696 km north of Brisbane, 55 km north-east of
Rockhampton and 15 km east of Rosslyn Bay, Great Keppel
Island is a 1454 hectare tropical island edged by 17 sandy
beaches. It is the largest in the 14 islands known as the
Keppel group.
The first European to travel through the area was Captain
James Cook who sailed through the Keppel group between 25 -
27 May 1770. He experienced some difficulty with the
shallowness of the water. During this time he named Great
Keppel Island and Keppel Bay (after Admiral August Keppel -
first Lord of the Admiralty) and Cape Capricorn.
Cook did not land at Great Keppel. Nor did Matthew
Flinders who must have sighted the island in 1804 when he
circumnavigated Australia.
It wasn't until 1847 that the first European, a
naturalist named McGillivray, set foot near Leeke's Creek.
Of course Aborigines had been using the island for thousands
of years prior to this. There are well preserved middens
(mounds of shells) at the western end of Long Beach.
Things to see:
|
| The beach in front of the
resort |
Vital Information About the Island
1. The Island Itself
Location
Located on the Capricorn coast 15 km east of Rosslyn Bay and
55 km east of Rockhampton.
Description of the island
A substantial island covering 1454 ha. It is 28 km in
circumference and has 18 km of beaches. Most of the island
is covered by scrubby land (the island has poor soils) with
17 particularly beautiful white sandy beaches.
How do visitors access it?
By boat from Rosslyn Bay and Whitaker Air from Rockhampton.
Activities on the island
Bushwalking
Great Keppel Island Resort lists ten walking trails starting
with a 15 minute beach walk and culminating with a walk to
the lighthouse at the other end of the island. The
vegetation, because of the poor soil, is low-lying and
scrubby. It is common to see goannas and possums.
Birdwatching
The island boasts over 100 species of bird including the
ubiquitous seagull, kookaburras, rainbow lorikeets, drongos
and a diverse range of seabirds. The mangrove swamps near
Leeke's Beach are particularly impressive.
Swimming
The waters around the island are safe. There are 18 km of
beach with coral around the headlands. As a general
principle the beaches are characterised by fine white sand
packed hard enough to allow 4WD vehicles to drive along the
beaches at low tide.
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| Leeke's Homestead
|
Leeke's Homestead
A fascinating insight into the simplicity of life on the
island at the turn of the century. The homestead has been
preserved to capture the daily life of the fisherman, Ralph
Leeke (whose family can be traced back to the 12th century)
and his wife Lizzie who ran sheep on the island. The yard
still has a range of domestic animals. Beware of the geese.
2. Resorts on the Island
History
The first lease on the island was taken out by James Paige
in 1908. It was transferred to N.C. O'Neil in 1918. After
O'Neil's death in 1923 it was taken over by his wife Lizzie
who subsequently married a local fisherman, Ralph Leeke.
Both Leeke's Creek and Leeke's Beach are named after the
couple whose house and shearing shed still stand on land
behind and above the mangroves.
The island's first resort, Silver Sands, was established
on the island in the late 1950s. A new resort was opened in
1967, the airstrip was built in 1975 by TAA and it was
during this time it was modernised and updated. Today it is
operated by Accor Asia-Pacific and Contiki who have spent
$3.5 million refurbishing the property.
How big is it?
The resort has 181 rooms in four different styles. It has a
capacity of around 360 people.
Who does it appeal to?
The resort targets the 18 to 35-year-old holiday market.
Free activities
Aqua-aerobics, archery, badminton, baseball, softball,
bushwalking, catamarans, cricket, fishing gear, swimming,
paddle skis, sailboards, 7-hole chip and putt golf,
snorkelling, tennis, touch football, squash, volleyball.
Other activities
Tandem skydiving, banana rides, coral viewing, kayaking,
massages, jet skis, guided nature walks, island cruises,
parasailing, scuba diving, guided snorkelling cruises,
sunset cruises and water skiing.
Eating at the resort
Brunch and dinner are included in the cost of a stay at the
resort. Wood-fired pizzas, burgers and noodles are served at
the Reef Bar and their is fine dining at Aqua. There is also
Micro-Market for all other needs. Cocktails are on offer at
the Sunset Bar.
Australian Businesses for sale
Caravan Parks for sale
Motels for sale
Hotels for sale
Broadwalk Business Brokers
Businesses for Sale in Great Keppel Island
: Buy or Sell Hotels, Motels, Caravan Parks, Bed & Breakfast,
Pubs, Wine Bars, Restaurants, Cafe, English Tea Rooms, Coffee Shops,
Deli, Catering Business, Pubs, Bars, Sandwich Bars, Pizza Delivery,
Bakeries, Hot Food Take-away, Fish & Chips, Petrol & Service Stations,
Australian Businesses for sale, Car Sales, Motor & Transport, Car/Van
Hires, Newsagents, Dry Cleaners, Salons, General Stores, Retail Stores,
Post Office, Printers, Convenience Stores, Clothes shop, Hair Dressers,
Beauty Salon, Fruit Markets, Butchers, Florist, Card & Gift shop, Sports
shop, Book Shops, Care Agency, Pharmacy, Tool-Hardware & DIY shops, Pet
Shops, Auto Mechanical, Auto Parts & Accessories,
Bakery Businesses for sale , Motel sales, caravan park sales, Hotel
sales, Business sales, Bar for sale, Juice Bar for sale,
Beauty Salon for sale, Bike and Motorcycle Businesses for sale ,
Australian Businesses for sale, Blinds and Shutters Businesses for sale , Boat Business for sale ,
Book Shop , Bread Run, Building and Construction , Butcher Shop,
Café Business for sale, Car Dealerships for sale, Car Rental
Business for sale , Car Yard, Cleaning Business for sale, Computer
Business for sale, Childcare Centre for sale, Confectionary
Business for sale, Convenience Store for sale, Deli Businesses for
sale , Distribution Businesses for sale , Earth Moving Businesses
for sale , Businesses for sale , Engineering Businesses for sale ,
Export/Import Businesses for sale , Fitness Centres for sale,
Florist for sale, Franchise Businesses for sale , Fruit and Veg
Shop for sale, Function Centre for sale, Funeral Parlour for sale,
Furniture Businesses for sale , Garden Equipment Businesses for
sale , General Store s for sale, Gift Shop for sale, Hairdressing
salons for sale , Hardware Businesses for sale , Hire Businesses for
sale , Businesses for sale, Motels for sale, Caravan Parks for sale,
hotels for sale, Ice Cream Businesses for sale , Juice Bar for sale, Laundrette ' s for sale, Lawn Mowing Businesses for sale , Magazine
Businesses for sale , Manufacturing Businesses for sale , Marine
Businesses for sale , Menswear Businesses for sale , Milk Run 's
for sale, Mixed Businesses for sale , Mobile Businesses for sale ,
News agency Businesses for sale , Pawnbroker Businesses for sale ,
Preschool for sale, Pest Control Businesses for sale ,Business for
sale Pet Shop, Plumbing Businesses for sale , Post Office for sale ,
Removalist Businesses for sale, Restaurants for sale, Roadhouses for
sale, Rubbish Removal Businesses for sale , Rural Supplies
Businesses for sale , Sales and Distribution Businesses for sale ,
Security Businesses for sale , Service Station for sale, Shoe Shop
for sale, Supermarkets for sale, Takeaway Businesses for sale ,
Taxi Businesses for sale , Transport Businesses for sale , Vending
Machine Businesses for sale , Wholesale Businesses for sale,
Wrecking Yard for sale in Great Keppel Island.
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