Capricorn Region Guides Attractions Events in Queensland

Alpha, the 'Town of Murals', was established in 1884 and is part of Jericho Shire, one of Queensland's largest cattle producing areas. Located on the Capricorn Highway, its streets are named after poets, the main street being Shakespeare Street.

The town is known for the 27 murals painted on various buildings throughout the town. Each mural depicts a different aspect of pioneering and contemporary Outback life.

The Jane Neville-Rolfe Gallery also boasts an excellent range of artworks from local artists and travelling shows.

The volunteers at the Rowley Roberts information centre can show you examples of petrified wood and direct you to where you can see its natural setting. Don't miss the photo opportunity at the bottle tree across from the Information Centre. An optimist installed a tap in the bottle tree - there's no news as to whether water has started to flow as yet.

Alpha has a pub where you can enjoy a meal and drink, along with a cafe and a bakehouse that serves award winning pies. Mobile phones can get reception but there are also pay phones. Alpha also has its own airstrip and hospital.

Blackwater is known as the Coal Capital of Queensland and the newly built, nine million dollar Blackwater International Coal Centre showcases the Central Highlands Coal Industry for the world. Located on the Capricorn Highway, Blackwater also boasts a fine Japanese Garden, reputed to be the best of its kind in Queensland, that marks the relationship between Blackwater and its sister city Fujisawa, Japan. The coal mines each year around Blackwater produce millions of tonnes of coking and steaming coal. The coking coal is exported to Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom, Holland, France, Spain, Greece, Chile and many other countries, while the steaming coal produced is used for power generation within Queensland.

The Lions Park is well known for one of the largest displays of flags in the world, each flag being representative of one of the 37 nationalities who laboured together in their efforts to establish the district's coal industry.

Anglers are welcome to drop a line in the Bedford Weir which is stocked with barramundi. 26 kilometres north from town, there are boating, camping, toilet and shower facilities. Don't miss the Saratoga fishing competition in September.

Just 55 kilometres east from the township of Blackwater you will find the spectacular Blackdown Tableland National Park. Offering you spectacular views and hundreds of plants and wildlife species, some of which are only found in the park. You can enjoy the picnic areas, fireplaces, lookouts, camping area and scenic walking tracks that feature throughout the park.

The Capricorn Coast is exciting, diverse and breathtakingly beautiful. Visitors to the Coast enjoy golden days and balmy, moonlit evenings with the brilliant sunsets and scents of the tropics as well as the crispness of a temperate climate. The Coast is under the Tropic of Capricorn, for which it is named, and it sweeps along the Pacific Ocean at Central Queensland just a 30 minute drive from the Beef Capital of Australia, Rockhampton, and only 600 kilometres from the capital, Brisbane.

You can still enjoy a beach to yourself at the Capricorn Coast with views of Great and North Keppel Islands and the many smaller islands, which act as stepping-stones to the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef.

Great Keppel Island is a popular island to visitors and is accessible by a 30-minute ferry ride. Ferry services operate daily out of Rosslyn Bay.

Yeppoon is the Coast's major town, which has retained its village style appeal, yet offers a variety of wonderful restaurants, accommodation and shops. Just north of Yeppoon is the Capricorn Resort, set on 22,000 acres of nature and offers two world standard golf courses, whilst to the south at Zilzie, the Reef Palms Complex offers night-time golf with a floodlit course, featuring a world-first - synthetic golf course.

The beaches along the Capricorn Coast are touched by the legacy of Captain James Cook. Emu Park, the second largest town on the Capricorn Coast, has honoured Cook's exploration with a monument, the famous 'Singing Ship', a soaring white sculpture with Great Keppel Island as a back drop.

Lammermoor, Kinka, Mullambin and Kemp beaches, Cooee Bay and the Causeway Lake, all line the Capricorn Coast offering many pleasures, wonderful accommodation and so much beauty you will never want to leave.

The Capricorn Coast is easily accessible by road, rail, coach and air and is situated 38 kilometres north east of Rockhampton.

Dingo is a small town located just across the railway line from the Capricorn Highway. The origin of the town's name is shrouded in mystery - some say a railway surveyor saw a dingo on the creek bank and gave the town its name whilst others say that Moses Wafer, an early pioneer, heard dingo's howling at night and named the town after his camp site.

A bronze statue of a Dingo is in the town commemorating the town's name. This busy town sits on two major highways that service the beef, mining and coal industries. Up to 1,000 vehicles pass through in one day, and it's not unusual to see 10 triple road trains outside the roadhouse.

There is accommodation at the cattle station, where you can horse ride and muster. Dingo also holds the annual World Championship Dingo Trap Throwing and Picnic Races in July. For more information, just ask at the 24 hour service station on the Highway.

The last colony of the endangered Bridled Nailtail Wallaby was found north of Dingo.

Emerald is a large, modern country town that was established in 1879 as a base for the building of the western railway. The town is named after 'Emerald Downs Hill', a lush emerald green hill located just north of town. Emerald is now considered the 'hub' for the Central Highlands and the 'gateway' to the Sapphire Gemfields; the largest, and one of the richest, sapphire fields in the southern hemisphere.

In 1972, the construction of Fairbairn Dam and the Emerald Irrigation Scheme allowed for the significant development and expansion of agriculture across the region. The dam construction, and its associated Lake Maraboon, also initiated large-scale coal mining within the Bowen Basin in 1977, which at present, produces a significant proportion of Queensland's total coal exports.

Fairbairn Dam is a holiday destination in itself with a selection of cabin, caravan and camping accommodation. The lake is stocked with eight different kinds of fish including barramundi, but is famous for the Red Claw Crayfish. Relax by the lake or take a swim. Picnic tables and free electric and wood barbecues are available.

Once famous for its reputation as a major sunflower producer, Emerald is now home to the world's biggest Van Gogh sunflower painting on an easel located in Morton Park at the western end of Clermont Street (Capricorn Highway). The superstructure is 25 metres high with approximately 13.6 tonnes of steel involved in its construction. Adjacent you'll find the 'straw bale' Visitor Information Centre where the friendly volunteer staff can provide information on exploring emerald and the surrounding Central Highlands.

Built in 1900 and restored in 1986, the National Trust listed Railway Station with its wrought iron lacework and pillared portico provides visitors with great photo opportunities. At the Emerald Town Hall view an ancient fossilised tree aged 250 million years.

Gracemere is located nine kilometres west of Rockhampton in the Fitzroy Shire. The town is home to the largest saleyards in the Southern Hemisphere, each week thousands of cattle, horses and livestock go under the auctioneers hammer. There is accommodation available at the caravan park. Attractions include the saleyards, the Long Island nature reserve, the Stanwell Power Station and fossicking for Mount Hay Thunder Eggs.

Great Keppel Island in Central Queensland boasts 17 pristine beaches. The island is mostly composed of natural bushland with several walking tracks and lookouts for you to enjoy. But it’s the beaches that really set Great Keppel apart from other islands. And with the fringing coral reefs off the island, you’ve found a perfect holiday escape.

Great Keppel Island truly has something for everyone. With spectacular snorkelling and scuba diving and some excellent bush walks through the National Park, you’ll never be longing for choice. There are also several accommodation options available.

Great Keppel Island is just off the coast of Rockhampton, which makes it easily accessible for day trips as well as extended holidays. Great Keppel Island, it's a tropical paradise waiting for you to explore.

Located along the Capricorn Highway, between Emerald and Barcaldine in Queensland's Outback, Jericho's streets are named after scientists. The town is renowned for the Crystal Trumpeters, a striking sculpture constructed in memory of the Biblical Jericho, which was said to be destroyed by trumpeters marching around the city's walls.

Take a step back in time at the 36 car drive in, the smallest in Australia. Movies are shown once a month. Enjoy the peace sitting by a billabong under a Coolabah tree at Redbank Park - there are no ghosts to worry about here!

Once Keppel Sands (south of Yeppoon) went by the name of The Sandhills. Sandhills along the beach front were about all there was, until a sleepy town amidst the sugar cane plantations started to emerge. That's all changing these days, particularly since real estate started going 'through the roof'.

The majority of the sugar cane plantations have all but gone and a different community has developed, partly due to tourism, a burgeoning real estate market and, one would imagine, the excellent fishing. The town is set on a tidal stretch of water and that makes for good crabbing and fishing.

A 'must visit' is the Joskeleigh South Pacific Museum, which highlights the role played by the Kanakas, brought out by the 'blackbirders' to work the sugar cane fields as indentured labour.

There's a good picnic area by the beach.

With wide open beaches lapped by the calm, gentle waters of Keppel Bay, Kinka Beach, just 15 minutes’ drive south of Yeppoon, is the perfect seaside destination for families looking for an affordable getaway.

Kinka Beach holiday-makers enjoy unfiltered views over the water to the world-renowned Great Keppel Island. Its quiet locale and tranquil waters make Kinka Beach an excellent swimming beach for all ages and abilities. Grab a bucket and spade and make the most of the clean sand and idyllic location.

The seaside hamlet of Emu Park is just three kilometres down the road offering a range of shops, cafes and facilities to ensure your stay is a comfortable one.

At the northern end of Kinka Beach is Causeway Lake, offering great picnic and barbecue facilities and pretty water views. A local kiosk sells bait and tackle along with ice creams and treats for the whole family.

Explore the lake by boat, catamaran, kayak, paddle boat or canoe, available for hire at the local boat shop. Take the kids fishing, throw in a crab pot, or at low tide visit the nearby rock pools and delight at the strange and wonderful creatures who call this place home.

Several beachside units with pools are available for hire and the area also has a number of good caravan parks and holiday villages offering self-contained units, cabins, and camping facilities.

Marlborough is situated 102 kilometres north of Rockhampton in the Livingston Shire along the Capricorn Coast. It can be reached along the Bruce Highway, and is the site of the chrysoprase mine. There is motel and caravan park style accommodation and the Marlborough Historical Museum to visit.

Protected from the elements behind an enormous volcanic outcrop, Rosslyn Bay is just seven minutes’ drive south of Yeppoon on the beautiful Capricorn Coast. The steep volcanic outcrop that shelters the bay was formed over 70 million years ago and is one of the most fascinating geological formations in the area. A short, but vigorous walk to the summit reveals magnificent views of the Keppel Islands, the surrounding coastline and volcanic formations.

Rosslyn Bay Harbour is a hive of activity with ferries regularly departing for Great Keppel Island, along with Keppel Bay cruises, bareboat charters and recreational fishing cruises. Local fishing trawlers also make use of the harbour, returning with freshly caught reef fish, prawns, bugs and mud crabs. Visitors can indulge in this mouth-watering bounty at the Rosslyn Bay Fisherman’s Co-op where it’s guaranteed fresh!

Nearby Statue Bay and Double Head are renowned fishing destinations where you’ll find Black Jewfish, Cod, Tuna and Mackerel. The rock wall surrounding Rosslyn Bay Harbour is also known as a good spot to wet a line.

North Queensland’s largest marina, Keppel Bay Marina, is also located at Rosslyn Bay, boasting 400 berths. Enjoy a scrumptious lunch at the Marina cafe as you look out over the cool blue waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The Caves, 25 minutes on the Bruce Highway travelling north of Rockhampton, sounds a rather fascinating place to visit and it is! This is the home of the Capricorn Caves. They are above ground and with wheelchair access, they are popular with all. There is something about an above ground cave, as it can dilute that fear associated with claustrophobia.

There are daily guided tours of these caves which were first discovered in 1882. Mid-December to mid-January, during the Summer Solstice, there is an extra special treat, with the sun's rays penetrating deep into the caves. There is a good old character-type pub on hand, along with cabin and camping facilities.