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Singing Ship, Emu Park
Coast north of Yeppoon
Great Keppel Island
Rockhampton Post Office
Rosslyn Bay (9km south), the departure point for Great Keppel Island
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An attractive resort and residential centre situated to the east of Rockhampton, Yeppoon is the step-off point to the Barrier Reef resort of Great Keppel Island.
Where is it?: Queensland: Capricorn Coast. Yeppoon is 681 km north of Brisbane; 40 km north east of Rockhampton.
Things to see and do:
The Capricorn Coast is a coastal strip of deserted beaches, sparkling white sands and small seaside villages between Yeppoon and Emu Park. The Capricorn Coast region is spared the higher temperatures and humidity of North Queensland. As a result visitors in summer often find the more temperate climate easier than the extremes further north. More >>
North of the town is the Byfield State Forest and National Park. The State Forest consists largely of pine plantations and is home to the Byfield Fern (Bowenia Serrulata). The National Park is largely coastal and sand dune based geographical areas. It is popular with Four Wheel Drive enthusiasts.
Surrounding area:
Emu Park (18km south) is home of the famous Singing Ship Monument, a musical sculture. It sings almost constantly because of the on-shore breezes. The Singing Ship was created to celebrate the bi-centenary of James Cook's exploration of the Australian east coast in 1770. The small, peaceful town of Emu Park is a popular tourist spot overlooking the islands of Keppel Bay, including the Great Keppel Island.
Just a 30 minute glide across the waters from Yeppoon lies Great Keppel Island, one of the most famous islands on the Great Barrier Reef and the biggest of the Keppel group of islands. Fringed by stunning, coral gardens, turquoise waters and sun drenched beaches. The island's interior abundant with native wildlife and acres of bush land scattered with winding walking trails. The island has a Resort and Holiday Village.
Rockhampton (40km south west), the centre of a prosperous agriculural and mining region, is a city of considerable charm, with many fine stone buildings dating back to the late 19th century. More >>
Brief history: Yeppoon is an Aboriginal word from the Darambul tribe, either meaning 'wetlands' or being the Aboriginal name for the wetlands here. The first European settlers, the Ross family, arrived in 1865. The town of Yeppoon was surveyed in 1867 but the road from Rockhampton was completed until the 1870s. The Yeppoon Sugar Company was established in 1883. By 1910 the railway arrived.
Yeppoon developed as a seaside resort in the late 19th century, being particularly popular with working-class people from Rockhampton, in contrast to Emu Park, 20 kilometres south along the coast, which had a more select reputation. Many large company picnics and day outings organised by Rockhampton businesses, such as the Railway workshops and administrative staff, Lakes Creek Meatworks and James Stewart & Co. were held at Yeppoon, particularly after a branch line of the Rockhampton - Emu Park railway was opened in 1910.
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