On the coast 40 km north of Rockhampton. Since before the turn of the century, this is where the folks of Rockhampton have fled to get away from the heat. When the summer temperatures soar in ‘Rockie’ it’s always a little cooler on the coast.

A few kilometres north is the Mercure Capricorn International Resort, one of the first Japanese developments in Queensland. When it was first built this spot caused a racist furore (a bomb was even set off). Some of this was understandable. Many older generation war veterans had bitter memories of what the Japanese had done to them and their mates in the POW camps of the Burma Road and such like. The rest of the uproar was mainly provincial xenophobia of the ugliest sort, which has fortunately now simmered down.

Nowadays Yeppoon is a pleasant small resort, where Nippons (and even Poms) are quite acceptable. There are fine beaches in the bays for many kilometres to the east. On the eastern outskirts of town you come to Cooee Bay, the site of the famous ‘Cooee!’ competition, where competitors holler from Wreck Point – a taste of what life is like along here.