One of my favourite dog-friendly spots that I’ve visited throughout all of Queensland is Great Keppel Island, also known as Wop-pa. This island off the coast of Yeppoon is delightfully dog-friendly, unlike many of the other tropical islands off the Queensland coast. Find out more about visiting Great Keppel Island with a dog, including the best dog-friendly beaches.
Can you Take Dogs to Great Keppel Island?
Unlike many of the other islands that are scattered throughout the Great Barrier Reef of the Queensland coast, you’re allowed to take dogs to Great Keppel Island.
While many of the other islands are contained in national parks, including most of the other Keppel islands, or are privately owned and simply prohibit dogs, this luckily doesn’t apply on Great Keppel Island. Previously there was a large resort on the island, but this closed long ago, although there are regularly plans for a new resort.
It’s best to visit Great Keppel Island with a dog on a day trip. While there is some accommodation on the island (see below), unfortunately there’s virtually no dog-friendly options. However, with its compact size, it’s a popular day trip from the nearby coast.
How to Get to Great Keppel Island
It’s quick and easy to get to Great Keppel Island, including with a dog. There are two ferry companies that take visitors out to the island, departing from the Keppel Bay Marina in Yeppoon. The journey takes about 30 minutes, with multiple departures throughout the day.
We travelled with Keppel Konnections. At the time, they accepted dogs on board for free. However, there is now a small charge of $5 for small dogs and $10 for large dogs. There was no requirement for our dog to wear a muzzle.
You can also take the large boats operated by Freedom Fast Cats. Pet dogs are allowed on their island transfer, but not their cruises, with the same fees charged of $5 for small dogs and $10 for large dogs.
A brochure produced by the local council advises that pets should stay outside on the ferries, and wear a muzzle if appropriate. They also mention a limit of travelling with two dogs at a time.
No matter what ferry you take, you’ll land at Fishermans Beach on the island – there is not jetty on the island, so be prepared. Advance bookings are recommended for both companies.
Dog-Friendly Beaches on Great Keppel Island
The main attraction on Great Keppel (Wop-pa) Island are its beautiful beaches, perfect for spending your day swimming and snorkelling. Best of all, the beaches are dog-friendly, with the same rules applying as on the nearby mainland.
When I visited Great Keppel Island, I didn’t notice any signs advising whether or not dogs were allowed. This still may be the case, but there is now a handy brochure produced by the local council explaining the rules. Dogs are allowed on the beaches on-leash all day long. Plus, before 8am and after 4pm, dogs are allowed off-leash!
Consider visiting some of these dog-friendly beaches on the island:
Fishermans Beach: The hub of the island, this beach is close to the limited shops, cafes and accommodation on the island, plus where the ferries will drop you and pick you up. Stroll along the beach to its southern end for the start of the walking track to nearby beaches.
Shelving Beach: The next easiest beach to visit (if you don’t have a boat), Shelving Beach is a 5-10 minute walk from the end of Fishermans Beach, although the last part of the track is quite rough, especially if you’re wearing thongs.
This small beach is popular for swimming and snorkelling, with sections of reef on each side of the beach. We preferred the area on the left, which became easier to reach as the tide went out. We took turns to snorkel, while the other lazed on the beach with Schnitzel, who delighted in digging in the sand.
Monkey Beach: Regarded as having some of the best snorkelling on the island, to visit Monkey Beach skip turning off to Shelving Beach and continue along the longer walking track to it. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to visit this beach, so don’t have any photos to share.
Long Beach: This gorgeous long stretch of white sand is terrific for doggy paddling and swimming. There’s two walking tracks to the beach, with the easier to find option starting from the end of Fishermans Beach. There’s also a more inland track that goes past the island rubbish tip. The eastern end is actually a nudist beach, although we had nearly the whole beach to ourselves on the afternoon that we visited.
If you’ve brought your own picnic lunch, I recommend making a circuit of Shelving Beach, Monkey Beach and Long Beach.
Dog-Friendly Walks on Great Keppel Island
Great Keppel Island is home to a number of walking tracks, although at the time of our visit they were not well maintained or even signposted, and this is unlikely to have changed.
As well as the short walks from the end of Fishermans Beach to Shelving Beach and Monkey Beach, there are also longer walks to Long Beach. To reach the beach, we firstly took the walking track starting near the island rubbish tip (which you quickly pass). We returned by the shorter and easier walk to the end of Fishermans Beach. There are maps available on the island.
It’s best to keep your dog on a leash while walking, as we spotted a goanna, an echidna and lots of birdlife in the otherwise quiet bushland. If staying on the island, it’s recommended to inform your accommodation of your bushwalking plans.
Dog-Friendly Boat Hire on Great Keppel Island
Instead of exploring Great Keppel Island on foot, another option is to instead hire a boat and explore the island’s beaches, fishing spots and hidden gems from the water!
GKI Boat Hire recently launched, offering boats for hire without the need for a boat license from Fishermans Beach. (You just need to be at least 18 years old and have a driver’s license.) Choose between a two hour, half-day or full-day hire period.
The 3m Polycraft Tuffy boats can accommodate up to three people or 217kg and come with life jackets, required safety gear, map and dry bag for your phone. Dogs are welcome to join you onboard – just take into account your dog’s weight when calculating the total.
Make sure you bring a flotation device for your dog – these are not supplied. If you don’t already have one, a locally sold option is the Hedz UP Watercollar distributed by the local Emu Park business, Lisa’s Pet Products.
Dog-Friendly Dining on Great Keppel Island
As part of our ferry booking with Keppel Konnections, we paid for a package that included lunch. The lunch and drink was at Great Keppel Island Hideaway, and was great value and tasty. This option is still offered.
The bistro at Hideaway is mainly outdoors and dog-friendly, with plenty of water bowls. I noticed a “no dogs past this point” sign when leaving, but I’m not sure what area that referred to – we weren’t the only ones with a dog.
Other dining options on the island include the Tropical Vibes Cafe at the main store and Great Keppel Island Pizza. Both venues have tables out the front, or ask for takeaway and head to the beach. Double check the opening hours – often both cafes are only open on the weekend.
If you’re only visiting for the day and want to spend your day exploring, it’s actually best to bring your own picnic lunch, so you don’t need to retrace your footseps to Fishermans Beach during the middle of the day.
Pet-Friendly Accommodation on Great Keppel Island
Unfortunately, the one area of Great Keppel Island that isn’t particularly dog-friendly is accommodation. For this reason, I visited the island on a day trip and I recommend doing the same.
While the main resort on the island has been closed and largely demolished for many years, there are still a number of small accommodation options and holiday homes on the island. However, the vast majority of these are not pet-friendly.
The only pet-friendly accommodation that I’ve been able to uncover is this beach house on Airbnb. Located just off Fishermans Beach, it has three bedrooms and can accommodate up to six human guests. Some of the recent reviews are from guests who stayed with their dogs. Make sure you make a booking well in advance!
There are plans for a new resort to be developed on the island. While it would be great if it had pet-friendly accommodation, I also fear that potentially pets may one day stop being allowed to visit this beautiful tropical paradise.
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About the Author
Shandos Cleaver is the founder of Travelnuity: Dog-Friendly Travel. She has travelled extensively with her Miniature Dachshund, Schnitzel, including to 33 countries across Europe, every state and territory of Australia except Tasmania, and 10 of the United States. She’s passionate about providing inspiration and information to others wanting to travel with their dogs, whether close to home or internationally.
Thank you – you had more information than the chatbot for Great Keppel Island who referred me to iteneraries which also had no information .
Thanks Glynis, that’s funny to hear!