Great Keppel Island – one of Australia’s last untouched natural beauties.
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Great Keppel Island – one of Australia’s last untouched natural beauties.
The Capricorn Coast is a stretch of small coastal towns 40km North-East of Rockhampton in Central Queensland, Australia. It is known as the Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and is a growing holiday destination for tourists around the world.
Yeppoon, the largest township on the Capricorn Coast with a population of 11,500, is the region’s business centre, and offers a vibrant scene of boutique shops, restaurants, cafes, pubs, high-rise apartments, beachfront waterparks, and scenic drives to neighbouring communities.
Travelling from afar? The city of Rockhampton is the central transport hub of the region, providing airline, train, bus, taxi and car rental services. Yeppoon is a short 40 minute drive North-East of Rockhampton via State Route 4 (Rockhampton-Yeppoon Road). Access to Great Keppel Island is via ferry services at Rosslyn Bay Harbour, just 10km South of Yeppoon on State Route 4 (Scenic Highway).
There are many accommodation options available on the Capricorn Coast, including backpackers, tourist parks & cabins, motels & apartments, holiday homes & resorts. More information can be found at Visit Capricorn.
Host to 17 pristine beaches, coral reef, and an abundance of island and marine life, Great Keppel Island is truly a place like no other.
Located just 30 minutes from Yeppoon on the Capricorn Coast, GKI lies slightly north of the Tropic of Capricorn and enjoys an ideal sub-tropical climate with plenty of sunshine, mild winters and temperate crystal clear water. The island remains largely non-commercialised and offers a relaxing natural setting for day guests and holiday-makers alike. Accommodation, dining, entertainment, snorkeling, reef tours, cruises, and watersport activities are available on the island.
Stay one night, or bring the family and turn this event into a holiday! Please contact our sponsors for ferry and accommodation bookings at Great Keppel Island Hideaway on (07) 4939 2050. Simply mention ‘Swim Around Keppel 2025’ for bookings. YOU MUST CALL TO BOOK! If you trying to book online, the system will tell you it’s all booked.
Additional ferry options are available at Keppel Konnections Ph 0484 241 505 and Freedom Fast Cats Ph (07) 4933 6888.
Additional accommodation options are available at Rosslyn Bay Resort Ph (07) 4933 6333, Great Keppel Island Holiday Village Ph (07) 4939 8655, as well as plenty of Airbnb and small hotels & motels within 15 min driving from Rosslyn Bay Marina.
Many dream about it. Only a few have done it.
On Saturday 6th September, 2025 be one of the few to swim around beautiful Great Keppel Island.
The 7th Annual Swim Around Keppel 2025 (SAK2025) will be held on Great Keppel Island on Friday the 5th and Saturday 5th of September.
SAK2025 offers a few different swim categories to suit participants of all ages (12 years +) and swimming experience.
The main event scheduled for Saturday 6th September, features a 20km circumnavigation-style island swim route in tropical waters – one of Australia’s longest swimming marathons. The swim will start at ~9:30am from The Spit and proceed in a clockwise direction around the island, officially finishing at 5pm.
Participants may enter the event as an Individual, or enter the Duo or Team Relay categories. Teams will comprise 3 to 5 swimmers and male / female (mixed) teams are welcome. All Individual and Duo swimmers must be at least 14 years of age on the 6th September 2025 to participate. Team Relay swimmers must be at least 12 years of age by event day. For more information, please see our Event Info.
Due to the nature of this event, all Individual swimmers must be accompanied by an assisting vessel. Teams MUST be accompanied by a motorised support boat. No motorised vessel is required for an Individual swimmer and no SUPs are allowed, unless a swimmer has a motorised support vessel.
Numerous KISA general safety boats will be presented on the course and safety PWCs will be navigating. Course markers/buoys might be used. For more information, please see our Event Info.
For those interested in shorter swims, the SAK2025 event will offer a 6km Swim around Middle Island and a 1km Swim alongside the Putney Beach on Friday, 30th of August.
These shorter distance events are a great opportunity for those new or less experienced in open water swimming to be involved in an official swim event over the weekend.
Persons aged at least 12 years of age by 5th September 2025 are eligible to register for these events. For more information, please see our Event Info.
Join in our free Sandcastle Building & Scavenger Hunt activities over the weekend. Prizes and goodies up for grabs! Bring the kids and make the weekend a family event to remember.
The Presentation & After Party will be held at the The Hideaway Bar & Bistro at 5:45pm with local entertainment. Late boat departure on the day is available, but…why would you want to leave..?
In addition to our Swim Around Keppel event, we are excited to offer swimmers the chance to complete a Solo Swim around Great Keppel Island throughout the year. For more information, please contact us at admin@swimaroundkeppel.com.au.
Yes, you can register online without having yet completed your qualifying swim. However, you must complete your qualifying swim and add proof of your results in your registration form by August 2025.
In the unlikely event of cancellation of Swim Around Keppel, participants will be notified via email/SMS at the earliest of convenience, and an announcement will be made on our website and social media pages. We cannot foresee the weather conditions and advise participants to follow our website and social media for regular updates. In case of unsupportive weather, KISA planned some alternative swims on the day.
Due to the committed outgoing costs, if the event is cancelled you will not receive a refund – as per our event Terms and Conditions. The option to transfer your registration to the following year will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Persons registering for the Individual & Tandem 20km Swim must be at least 14 years of age at the time of the event. All Individual & Tandem Swim participants must have completed an official 10km qualifying swim by August 2025.
Persons registering for the 6km and Team Relay event must be at least 12 years of age at the time of the event.
There is no upper age limit.
RELAY TEAMS: Each relay team is required to have a support boat. You must organise your own boat. For more information on boat requirements please see Event Info page section on Support Boats.
INDIVIDUAL SWIMMER: Participants registered for the Individual Swim event must be accompanied by a paddler while in the water. No motorised boat required. No stand up paddle boards (SUPs) permitted, unless you have a motorised vessel. You must organise your own vessel.
This event is proudly brought to you by the Keppel Islands Swimming Association.
Swim Around Keppel is supported by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland and features on the It’s Live! in Queensland events calendar.
