Yeppoon Hotels

Yeppoon is a coastal resort town situated in Central Queensland, Australia. Located on Keppel Bay, at the 2006 census, Yeppoon had a population of 13,284. Yeppoon is the major town along the tourist strip of the Capricorn Coast, and is around 700 km north of the state capital, Brisbane, and 40 km from its nearest regional centre, the city of Rockhampton. Long stretches of beaches are the main tourist attraction, while the islands of the Keppel Group, in particular Great Keppel Island, are another drawcard. The Rosslyn Bay boat harbour caters for professional and privately owned vessels and was once the centre of a thriving commercial fishing industry. Yeppoon is a very popular place to raise a young family as well as those seeking a sea change. Yeppoon's rapid population growth is a reflection of its very popular conditions. North of the town is the Byfield State Forest and National Park. The State Forest consists largely of pine plantations and is home to the Byfield Fern (Bowenia Serrulata). The National Park is largely coastal and sand dune based geographical areas. It is popular with Four Wheel Drive enthusiasts. Pineapple farming at Lammermoor Beach south of Yeppoon in the early 1970s.Pineapples and sugar were the major industries of the early town. The first European residents arrived in 1865. Along with other sugar growing areas of Australia, South Sea Islanders were used as labourers on the sugar plantations, often without their consent (see blackbirding)[citation needed]. No sugar is grown in the area today, and pineapple production has declined significantly in recent years.