Secluded beaches are aplenty on GKI
Picture this; you are lying in a softly swaying hammock outside your cabin,sand beneath your feet and lush palms shading you, the fronds stirring slightly in the airy breeze. The sky is a brilliant blue and just beyond are the crystal clear waters of Great Keppel Island.
Great Keppel Island boasts 17 pristine sandy beaches to snorkel, swim, dive or fish and rugged hikes and trails to explore making this part of the Great Southern Barrier Reef the ultimate island adventure.
GKI Holiday Village captures the essence of the island. It is a peaceful island retreat, which exudes a casual, laidback and relaxed atmosphere. It offers a variety of simple and comfortable accommodation to suit everyone including fully self contained (house/cottage), semi contained cabins with private bathrooms and 'terraced' double tents (glamping) with all the amenities you need close by. There are also some camping sites available if you wish to bring your own gear.
The warm welcome and farewell from GKI
Great Keppel Island is a short 40 min ferry ride from Rosslyn Bay, a scenic quiet coastal town, only 40 kms from Rockhampton on the Capricorn Coast. There are daily transfers available to and from the island.
We stayed for 2 nights but could have easily stayed for more. Just as we were beginning to embrace the island life of sun, sand and reef, it was cut short with a return to reality and the mainland.
There are excellent snorkelling, fishing and swimming spots located around the island and if you are a keen walker or hiker you will enjoy the adventure of getting there. You can do as much or as little as you like on the island, with the closest beach 5 mins away, a cool reef 15-20 mins walk (good for kids) or a day's hike to more secluded scenic trails to the other side of the island.
White sand and crystal waters
When we first arrived on Great Keppel Island, Cedric, from GKI Holiday Village, was there waiting to greet us and transport our luggage to our cabin. As we arrived at the open and bright reception area, we were greeted with some very cool offbeat designs depicting island life in bright and vibrant bold colours and simple but important life reminders, close to my heart. The main theme of the holiday village was summed up beautifully with 'Peace, love and sand beneath my feet'. I didn't need any further incentives to leave my 'baggage' at the door.
Relaxing by the cabin
After 30 years of living on the island, owner Geoff embodies the spirit of the island and has created a special place for everyone to enjoy during their stay. He retains a relaxed and casual attitude with lots of love and care still evident for his island home. The environment is a big focus, with carefully organised recycling of all types. He operates an honesty box for items such as wet suit hire and groceries purchased and provides snorkel and other gear available for guests to use.
Designed as a peaceful and tranquil retreat, it provides both a serene ambience and pleasant shared communal spaces to enjoy, creating the perfect option to be as introverted or as social as you like. If you really want to party, there is beer available and a bar located next door at the GKI Hideaway.
As a self confessed foodie, the communal kitchen was absolutely spotless and better stocked than my own kitchen at home with all the essential cookware available. The handful of staff, who seem to love living on the island as much as Geoff himself, keep the entire place immaculately clean.
We found the staff friendly, helpful and always ready to have a chat about 'where to' and 'what to do' whenever we needed.
Geoff is a wonderful host who keeps his finger on the pulse, on hand if you need anything, otherwise you're left to enjoy the peace and serenity in your own way and in your own time.
The indoor and outdoor communal spaces provided opportunities for relaxed and informal catch ups with other guests who, like us, were enjoying the discovery of our own special places on this beautiful island.
Highlights: Shelving Bay and Monkey Beach for snorkelling off the beach. Plenty of trails for those avid walkers, hikers and runners
What to bring: Communal kitchen is available to cook all your meals (there is a limited amount of groceries for purchase on the island; (best to bring your own)
Bistro/bar operates from GKI Hideaway (next door)
Don't miss the opportunity to come across a sea turtle or two while snorkelling.
Colourful and offbeat designs make this a bright and vibrant place to stay
