Guide to Great Keppel Island
With your choice of 17 pristine beaches to explore, Great Keppel Island is sure to satisfy your tropical island craving.
Great Keppel Island is one of the best island getaways on the Southern Great Barrier Reef. It’s easy to see why with the option of snorkelling right off the beach, spotting wildlife during hinterland hikes and trying an array of aquatic adventures. Sitting just 18km (11mi) off the mainland coast, getting here is convenient even for a day trip. But stay a while and experience a quiet island escape that's anything but boring.
Top things to do on Great Keppel Island
Visit a new beach each day
Fringed with 17 beaches, you’re sure to find a stretch of sand all your own. Check out Second Beach, Wreck Beach and Monkey Beach, among others. You can even pitch a tent and set up camp at Great Keppel Island Holiday Village. Learn more.
Spot humpback whales
From April to November, humpback whales migrate through Keppel Bay. Try and spot them from the coast, or get a closer encounter on a three-hour boat tour with Keppel Konnections. Explore the whale watching tour.
Pull on your hiking boots
There is a fabulous network of bush tracks that wind across the island. Reach panoramic ocean views, walk along white sand beaches and uncover heritage homesteads as you stretch your legs. Check out these great walking tracks.
Discover an underwater world
Pop on a snorkel to see the underwater marvels just off Great Keppel's beaches. You could spot everything from turtles and starfish to mesmerising coral gardens. Discover some of Great Keppel’s best snorkelling spots.
Sign up for an "ocean spa"
Head out on a day trip with Freedom Fast Cats. Your catamaran will be equipped with boom-netting – also known as the ocean spa – where you hang on tight to a net at the back of the boat as the ocean waves wash over you. Find out more.
Try out every kind of aquatic sport
Head to Great Keppel Island Watersports on Fishermans Beach to see which of the aquatic activities takes your fancy. Choose from kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, snorkelling and more. Explore aquatic adventures.
Stay at an island hideaway
Fit for couples, families and groups, Great Keppel Island Hideaway gives you the chance to get back to basics. There’s no in-room wifi or TVs, letting you reconnect with nature and each other. See accommodation options at Great Keppel Island Hideaway.