Yeppoon

Yeppoon is a town of around 16,000 people on the Capricorn Coast, 40 kilometres east of Rockhampton and facing the Keppel Bay islands across sheltered tropical waters. The town has been the main beach escape for Rockhampton residents for generations, but a major foreshore redevelopment completed in 2015 transformed the waterfront from a tired strip of grass into one of the best-designed small-town coastal precincts in Queensland.

The Yeppoon Lagoon, the centrepiece of the foreshore, is a large free public swimming pool built into the beachfront parkland, with a separate children's water play area, shade structures and barbecue facilities. The lagoon is the social hub of the town and is surrounded by cafes, restaurants and casual dining options that have improved markedly since the redevelopment. The Saturday morning Yeppoon Markets run along the foreshore and offer local produce, baked goods and handmade crafts.

The main beach at Yeppoon is a long, gently curving stretch of sand facing north-east, with views across the water to the Keppel islands. The beach is patrolled in season and is safe for swimming in the designated areas. Farnborough Beach, a few kilometres north, is quieter and backed by casuarina trees, while Cooee Bay to the south has a more suburban character and a popular fish-and-chip shop on the waterfront.

Yeppoon is the departure point for Great Keppel Island, with ferries running daily from the Keppel Bay Marina (about 30 minutes crossing). The Capricorn Coast also includes the Byfield National Park to the north, a rugged and relatively unvisited area of coastal sand dunes, rainforest and eucalypt woodland that rewards four-wheel-drive exploration.

The town has a dry tropical climate with warm winters and hot summers. The best visiting months are April to November. Cyclone season runs from November to April but direct hits are rare on this part of the coast. Rockhampton Airport, 40 minutes away, has daily flights from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.