The Very Hungry Nomads: an update on their explorations across the Tropic of Capricorn
Posted on September 8th, 2020
The Very Hungry Nomads Rach & Marty, recently came to our destination and spent two weeks exploring the region’s attractions, natural wonders, and the Southern Great Barrier Reef.
From the Keppel Island to the Central Highlands, Rach & Marty sunk their toes into the soft sand on Great Keppel Island, snorkelled & dived with the local turtles, captured the chic coastal vibes of the Capricorn Coast, dined at world class cafes & restaurants, explored the Capricorn Caves, witnesses the sunset at Mt Archer, fossicked for gems at the Sapphire Gemfields, hiked at Carnarvon Gorge National Park and reconnecting with nature at Byfield National Park.
Having never visited the Capricorn region before, they shared some of their fabulous travel experiences with their 7,000 newsletter subscribers.
Read their newsletter below:
 Hello,Well, what an amazing few weeks we’ve had exploring the Capricorn Coast in Queensland. We honestly had no idea that there were so many fantastic things to see and do here. We wanted to discover it all, so our itinerary was jam-packed with beaches, islands, lagoons, diving and snorkelling, turtle spotting, hiking, wildlife, street art, limestone caves and soooo much incredible food! So, let’s take it from the top and fill you guys in on our favourite parts of Capricorn Coast and why we think you should pop this region on the very top of your ‘Aussie Bucket-List’. We left the beautiful towns of Agnes Water and 1770 behind us as we drove further North to Yeppoon. This small coastal town with loads of character and charm is the hub for the region and immediately we loved the endless blue skies, pretty beaches and swaying palms. Yeppoon is beautiful! We parked our van, Frida at NRMA Capricorn Yeppoon Holiday Park and settled in very nicely. Wow, this park really has it all! Our large powered site with lush green grass, palm trees and clean and modern amenities were wonderful. Exploring Yeppoon over the next couple of days was fun! We loved searching for the colourful street art that can be found dotted around town, and also continues in the nearby town of Emu Park (another place you shouldn’t miss). We spent hours at the beautiful Yeppoon lagoon. It was so relaxing and we love that it’s free! This place is a real bonus for the town.  The food is amazing! Did we mention all the incredible food we ate during our visit? Yes, Yeppoon and Rockhampton totally won us over with the calibre of food served at some cafes and restaurants. So much so, we put together this post for you guys. – The Best Food Guide to Yeppoon and Capricorn Coast. Our foodie guide has our all-time favourite places to eat her and some of our recommendations on what to choose when you visit. Great Keppel Island We’d heard so much about this island, we thought we had better go and check it out! We took the morning ferry over to the Island with Keppel Konnections. These guys run a passenger ferry (twice daily) offering island transfers for day-trippers as well as guests staying in island accommodation. Lucky for us, we got to spend three nights in paradise! Seriously…we absolutely loved it here! We stayed at Great Keppel Island Hideaway, which is only a stone’s throw from where we disembarked the ferry. Our island cabin was super comfortable, and talk about location! We literally woke up to enjoy views of gorgeous Fisherman’s Beach, which is one of the 17 pristine beaches on the island. The sunsets from the restaurant at Hideaway are absolutely EPIC! The food here was fantastic too – I’d recommend the fresh barramundi fillet at dinner.  So many things to do on Great Keppel As usual, we wanted to experience as much as we could in the 3 nights/4 days we had in paradise. We checked out the incredible underwater world with the guys at Keppel Dive. It was the perfect day. Marty snorkelled around looking for Nemo and was stoked to follow a turtle swimming by. I chose to scuba dive and I loved the huge schools of tropical fish and vibrant coral and sea creatures below. Aside from Scuba diving and snorkelling, Keppel Dive has also got you covered for watersports such as SUP paddle-boarding, kayaking and even boat drop-offs to different beaches on the island. We spent the other few days on the island just exploring! We walked to some other beaches to soak up the sun and do a little more snorkelling. Our favourite spots were Shelving Beach and Monkey Beach. We were blown away with the pristine white sand and how turquoise blue the water is, and it’s everywhere you look! Rockhampton & Capricorn Caves After leaving Great Keppel Island and Yeppoon behind, we spent a couple of days in Rockhampton. We loved the gorgeous botanical gardens here and we even popped into the free zoo located next door. We drove Frida up to get stunning views over Rockhampton from Mount Archer. Next, we drove to the Capricorn Caves. These were first discovered back in 1881 by a Norwegian John Olsen. The story has it that he tied a rope around a tree, around his waist, and with a candle in hand, he began to explore the caves. Only three years later, he opens the Caves as an attraction to the public. The natural limestone formations have been carved out over millions of years. We loved our cave tour and we particularly liked learning as we explored. The Cathedral was a highlight for us. This open and large cave area is big enough to host weddings and it has phenomenal acoustics. Listening to music inside was one of those “goosebumps “ moments. There are a couple of different tours available, depending on your fitness level or how down and dirty you want to get – but we totally recommend you stop by if you’re in the area. You can book a cabin or a spot in the caravan park at the Capricorn Caves. Check out all the details here. Stories from our International travels Did you catch our latest podcast with the ladies from ExtraVirgin Food and Travel? We talk about food, travel, our ultimate packing list for travelling the world and discuss some of our scary moments from the road….plus loads more. Listen to the podcast here So….what is Australian food? After being back in Australia (after spending years abroad trying to visit every country in the world), we’re asked the question about what food we’d recommend as ‘most Australian’ when people visit. Sure, Australian is full of incredible food, however, we came up with our 12 Classic Australian Foods you need to try. Check it out and tell us if you’ve tried any of them and what would you add to our list? Follow us as we travel around Australia! Want your daily dose of live travel inspiration – follow our Instastory here as we travel by campervan across Australia – @Veryhungrynomads. You can also see where in the world we are and keep up with our best travel pics, tips and hints on our Facebook Page. Check out some of our most popular blog posts: 30 of the Best Big Things in Australia The Best Travel Websites to Save Money Our Best Travel Tips from over 15 years of Travel Why you should use Airbnb when you travel (and claim a $40 discount on your first booking) So what’s next for us? We’re just left Carnavon Gorge. Wow, now we see why everyone is talking about this beautiful place. We absolutely loved it. Now we’re in the Outback of Queensland, visiting a friend and hoping to unwind for a few days – then it’s back on the road and heading North. Happy Travels! Rach & Marty 🙂 |
