After leaving Noosa, we headed towards Hervey Bay for a spot of Whale watching. Unfortunately, there were no whales there! So, after a fifteen minute break, we were back on the road – destination Rockhampton. We stayed overnight in Rockhampton and from there we made the short hop to Roslyn Bay, where we caught a ferry to Great Keppel Island.
Great Keppel is a relatively undeveloped island. Although it isn’t actually on the Great Barrier Reef, the Island has a few small reefs and some beautiful beaches. Because Great Keppel isn’t really on the backpackering map, the island is not crowded – which gives it a deserted tropical island feel.
We stayed in a very quiet “open” hostel. Open in that there is no crime (or police) on the island, so you don’t get keys to your cabin – there isn’t any need to lock them. The generators shut down at nine p.m. and there is a radio ban in the hostel… it’s quiet, very very quiet. I like it.
The hostel provides free snorkeling gear, so we took advantage and headed for the nearest reef. This was my first time snorkelling in years, it was so much fun. The coral was so colourful, some of it is solid, some of it sways in the currents like grass in the wind – a different world. We saw a few Stingrays and swam along with a large turtle, who seemed quiet happy to have us there!
After a stressful days snorkelling, we headed back to the hostel and lay around in hammocks for a few hours (to help us de-stress!). This is the sort of place where you could happily spend a few weeks doing absolutely nothing at all. But unfortunately, due to budget and time restrictions, we had to leave the next day.
Thanks for suggesting this place Mar!