Great Keppel Island

Remember this photo I showed looking out to the islands from Yeppoon?

Well, the largest of those islands is Great Keppel Island.  Despite visiting the area many times, we have never managed to visit.  The weather had either not been cooperating or we haven’t had the time.  This time we were making a point of visiting.

It used to be a very popular holiday resort island, but the resort is now defunct.  However, there is still a small amount of accommodation, a couple of shop/cafes and that’s about it.  There are a few permanent residents. You can also take day trips, which is what we did.

We caught the ferry out, and it was the perfect day.  I’m not a good traveler, but I had no trouble at all. The weather on the days before and after weren’t nearly as good, so we were blessed.

When you reach the island the boat just runs up to the beach and you disembark down a ramp onto the sand.

We then boarded another, smaller, glass bottomed boat to do a tour of the coral, as this area is at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef.

We were all rather intent on looking down into the water.

It was hard to photograph, but we saw a variety of corals, some giant clams and various fish.  

This is a Barracuda.    We also saw one small shark and a stingray, among others.

The hexagonal structures have been put in place to give the coral something to grow back on after storm damage.  Apparently, it is working well.

The island had been battered by cyclones in recent years, causing a large amount of beach erosion.  These giant sand bags are now stabilising the worst affected areas.

Now, isn’t that the idyllic tropical island beach.

The tide was low, so we could see all the little shell inhabiting creatures crawling around the rocks and sand.  Intriguing to watch.

Yes, I picked up a few more shells and took their photo.

Someone had done a rather clever drawing in the sand.  Not us, we just got it admire it.

Mick and I had a play with our shadows.

And then, before we knew it, it was time to return to the mainland, enjoying seeing the hazy light on the other islands as we went.  A rather lovely way to spend the day.

Yeppoon

We spent quite a bit of time at Yeppoon while away.  We always have to see who can say “I can see the sea” first as we drive into town.

Much of our time was spent just hanging out with our friends, but we did play the tourist a bit.  Don't you love the hibiscus in our friends' garden.

We took a drive down to Emu Park one day.  Where Yeppoon is a reasonable sized town with two shopping centres, a big Bunnings and lots of services, Emu Park is quieter, and therefore a nice holiday spot.  

It is also home to the Singing Ship, which was created in 1970 to commemorate 200 years since Captain Cook sailed through the area.  It was a really windy day, so it was singing away.

The view out to the islands was lovely.  Everything was so sparkly.

We had morning tea down at the surf club, which has some fun murals on the walls. 

Rather a pleasant spot to sit and take in the view.

On another day we took a drive along the Yeppoon coastline and visited a couple of beaches.  I like to keep an eye out for shells and found a few, as the tide was out.

I had a play laying them out and left them there.  I don’t need any more shells here at home.  We wondered what the rib bone came from.  I know, I'm a big kid at heart.

The view from Wreck Point Lookout was also lovely.

I liked how the play equipment was made to look like a ship wreck.

An ice cream topped off the day.

Remember how my friend and I made our apple pincushions.

Well, while we were doing that, Mick was having a little go at doing some wood turning.  Now, his trade is a fitter and machinist, so he spent much of his apprenticeship working on a metal lathe.  Despite that, he decided that wood turning is not going to be his next hobby, but it was nice to have a little go.  He will admire the workmanship from afar.

And that about sums up Yeppoon.

Rockhampton

Back to our travels.  We spent just over a week in the Rockhampton and Yeppoon area visiting with friends.  After our two aborted trips to see them last year, it was nice to actually spend some time with them this time.  Where to start?  Let’s start with Rockhampton, or “Rocky”.

Rocky is a large regional centre with lots of services.  However, we have not really played the tourist too much.  This time we went on a historic walking tour.  

The tour started at the Criterion Hotel, which is quite a landmark.  It is on the site of the first hotel in the area, which was the Bush Inn.  

 The interior is rather grand.

Gracemere, just a bit further inland, is the older settlement, established by the Archer brothers, who were the first Europeans to explore the area and settle in the early 1850s.  They realised that a port would be needed to service the area, so they established one on the Fitzroy River.  Of course, a pub was soon established. 

As the port was the main transport hub of the area, that section of the town thrived.

It was interesting hearing about the early days.

In the late 1850s there was a gold rush nearby, which helped the establishment of Rockhampton, followed by a meat works in the 1870s, as a result of the cattle grazing enterprises in the area.

In 1882 a massive gold discovery was made at Mount Morgan, and the town really boomed, hence the impressive buildings built along the waterfront.

Quay Street, which runs beside the river, is Queenland’s longest heritage listed street.  The Customs House is the stand out building.  

There are no remains of the bustling old port, as rail and road have long since replaced shipping for transporting goods and people.  In its place are beautiful gardens and a leafy tree lined street.

In the middle of all the heritage buildings, next to the Customs House there is one very modern one.  It is the Rockhampton Museum of Art.  It was only opened in 2022.  It has been built on the site of another modern building. 

I loved the wall construction, using sandstone, but with a rougher mortar finish.  A nod to the earlier buildings, but not copying them.

We visited on another day.  

In the large foyer is a featured sculpture, created by an artist from Switzerland.  It is actually a huge candle, made entirely from wax.  

There are two wicks sticking out of the subject's head.    It had only just been installed in the museum, as it was nearly intact.  Over time it will gradually melt.  

Once completely melted, it will be recast and the process started over again.

There were a couple of interesting exhibitions to have a look at.  This one caught my eye, as it was embroidered, and covered Friday, Saturday and Sunday.    The text on the phone is saying she just wants to be friends.  Something quite different.

After our browse, it was time for morning tea in the gallery cafe. This was recommended by the lady behind the counter and it did not disappoint.  Oh my! Rather decadent.

Behind the gallery there is a walkway through to the main shopping street, which features some murals.

The crocodile was the centrepiece.

Of course, we had to have lunch too, and found a nice pub beside the river.  It turned out that it had only opened a few months before we were there.  It was lovely sitting on the verandah in the warmth.  

We did a bit of celebrity spotting while there.  The football legend Wally Lewis and a group of people were also lunching there.

We had a bit more of a wander around town and took in some other old buildings.

It was interesting to see that the railway line runs right through the centre of town.  There were flashing lights and boom gates in the main street, but just one street over, (still very busy), there was only a railway crossing sign, no lights or gate.  It was a very long train.

And that about sums up our looking around Rockhampton.