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Capricorn Coast and Southern Barrier Reef Islands
Round Hill Inlet at 1770, Capricorn Coast, Queensland © Tourism QLD
Scroll down for details of Rockhampton area, Keppel Islands, Gladstone area and Carnarvon Gorge

Capricorn Coast and Southern QLD Islands - Introduction
This is the area straddling the Tropic of Capricorn and although now often called the Capricorn Coast, it does stretch inland to Jericho. It is a region with great coal resources and mineral wealth and you can still fossick for precious stones around Emerald, Rubyvale and Sapphire.  The main islands in the region - Lady Elliot Island, Lady Musgrave Island, Heron Island, Wilson Island and the Keppel Islands - are on a separate page Southern Barrier Reef Islands

Rockhampton area
Customs House, Rockhampton © Tourism QLDROCKHAMPTON is a large city and the centre for the central Queensland beef farming plus heavy industry, a university and a busy port area. Scattered about, it has some impressive colonial buildings (such as the Customs House, pictured).
YEPPOON and EMU PARK are popular local seaside towns and resorts.
BYFIELD NATIONAL PARK To the north, Farnborough beach leads to the popular fishing and Barramundi breeding area of Corio Bay and neighbouring rainforested Byfield National Park www.epa.qld.gov.au/projects/park(Byfield). Byfield National Park is a small park on the coast with beautiful beaches. It is the home of the rare Byfield fern and has three camping areas plus a shop for basics at Byfield itself. The park is a breeding ground for koalas and to the north, the park borders a military training area.

Keppel Islands including Great Keppel

Sunset at Great Keppel Island © Tourism QLDThere are 18 islands in the Keppel Group, the best known being Great Keppel Island.  Access to all the islands is from Rosslyn Bay, 8 km south of Yeppoon near Rockhampton.
GREAT KEPPEL ISLAND is about 1450 hectares and is ringed by 17 white sandy beaches, coves and pockets of fringing reef and is 13 km from the mainland. The island offers resort hotel and other accommodation, restaurants, cafes and entertainment and ferries and cruises leave from Rosslyn Bay for the 30 minute crossing.

Gladstone area

To the south of the Capricorn Coast region are Gladstone and Bundaberg. Between them lie the once tiny and now burgeoning communities of 1770 and Agnes Water, flanked by two national parks

Eurimbula National Park www.epa.qld.gov.au/projects/park(Eurimbula)
Deepwater National Park www.epa.qld.gov.au/projects/park(Deepwater)
1770 and AGNES WATER  The Township of 1770, site of James Cook’s historic landing on 24 May 1770, lies on a beautiful inlet (pictured at top of page) and faces the Eurimbula National Park and Joseph Banks Conservation Park www.epa.qld.gov.au (Eurimbula). Together with its larger neighbour Agnes Water, it has grown enormously over the last few years and the two are now virtually linked with residential development. Modern, pleasant Agnes Water has a full complement of supermarkets and shops for supplies, and holiday accommodation in the area is increasing.
Aerial view of Gladstone © Tourism QLDGLADSTONE
The port of Gladstone is the mainland departure point for Heron Island and islands of the southern Great Barrier Reef. It is a busy port and modern industrial centre including the processing and exporting of bauxite and coal from its hinterland. Gladstone is the departure point for two of the southern barrier reef islands, Heron Island and Wilson Island. South from Heron are Lady Musgrave and Lady Elliot islands - Lady Musgrave can also be accessed from 1770 - see Southern Barrier Islands

Carnarvon Gorge National Park

Rock art at Carnavon Gorge National Park © Tourism QLDWell inland to the south west of the Capricorn Coast is Carnarvon Gorge National Park www.epa.qld.gov.au/projects/park(Carnarvon). The 30 km long sandstone gorge is the most spectacular feature of this large straggling park and there are good walking tracks.  Carnarvon Creek winds through the gorge which is an oasis in a semi-arid area of Queensland. The park also has some good examples of Aboriginal rock art.
There are a number of campsites, which do tend to get booked out at peak holiday times, and there is also hotel accommodation just outside of the park.
Enjoying the view at Kroombit Tops National Park © Tourism QLD
Between the coast and Carnarvon Gorge is Kroombit Tops National Park  www.epa.qld.gov.au/projects/park(Kroombit), the site of a large erosion caldera up to 40m across, formed by past volcanic activity. Most of the park is rugged wilderness with few facilities. 
It is a refuge for wildlife including tropical and subtropical rainforest species and has rugged mountain scenery, sandstone cliffs and gorges, creeks and waterfalls.
 
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Truly Australia have attempted to give an honest and objective description of the topics covered on this page and have deliberately avoided regurgitating tourist office media releases. The information shown has been compiled from a variety of reputable sources and our own experiences. We check and review this information from time to time, but we assume no responsibility for the absolute accuracy of the details given.