Yeppoon

Yeppoon
Queensland

Looking across Keppel Bay from Wreck Point
Yeppoon
Coordinates 23°08′0″S 150°44′0″E / 23.13333°S 150.73333°E / -23.13333; 150.73333Coordinates: 23°08′0″S 150°44′0″E / 23.13333°S 150.73333°E / -23.13333; 150.73333
Population 16,372 (2011 census)[1]
Postcode(s) 4703
Elevation 6 m (20 ft)
Location
LGA(s) Shire of Livingstone
State electorate(s) Keppel
Federal Division(s) Capricornia
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall
25.9 °C
79 °F		 18.5 °C
65 °F		 824.9 mm
32.5 in
Localities around Yeppoon:
Pacific Heights
Inverness		 Barlows Hill
Meikleville Hill		 Farnborough
Barmaryee Yeppoon Coral Sea
Hidden Valley Taroom Ball
Taranganba		 Cooee Bay

Yeppoon is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Livingstone, Central Queensland, Australia.[2][3] Yeppoon is renowned for its beaches, tropical climate, and the islands out on the bay. Twenty-five minutes from the city of Rockhampton, Yeppoon is the principal town on the Capricorn Coast, a string of seaside communities stretching more than 150 kilometres (93 mi) from north to south. The beaches and shallow coves provide a destination both for tourists and miners settling down in Central Queensland. Offshore, there are 27 islands including Great Keppel Island which is 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Yeppoon.

Geography

Yeppoon is located on Keppel Bay, around 700 kilometres (430 mi) north of the state capital, Brisbane, and 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Rockhampton City. It is within the local government area of Shire of Livingstone (between 2008 and 2013, it was within the Rockhampton Region).

For more details on this topic, see Capricorn Coast.

History

The Capricorn Coast was part of the traditional lands of the Darumbal Aboriginal people. Yeppoon was first settled by the Ross family in 1865 who took up large landholding along the length of the Capricorn Coast. Fruit crops, cattle, and wool were the major industries of the early town. A short-lived period of sugar cane growing followed from 1883 to 1903, which failed due to unseasonal rains and lack of financial backing. 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).[4] Pineapples, Mangoes, and other tropical fruit became the mainstay of local agriculture in the new century, with cattle grazing and fishing also contributing to the local economy.

On 20 February 2015, severe tropical cyclone Marcia crossed the Capricorn Coast near Shoalwater Bay as a category 5 Cyclone. The storm destroyed more than 150 houses in Yeppoon and left more than 13,500 residents without power.

Heritage listings

Yeppoon has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

Governance

In 1879, the Gogango Division was established as one of 74 divisions in Queensland under the Divisional Boards Act 1879. The Gogango Divisional Board's scope of authority comprised a large area north and east of Rockhampton. While the Division was administered in Rockhampton, a locally appointed body, the Yeppoon Progress Association, met once a month to look after the minor requirements of the town.[8]

The discovery of gold brought a huge influx of people to the region, and the various Boards broke up into smaller administrative bodies to better service the growing population. In 1903, the Gogango Divisional Board was renamed Shire of Livingstone.[9]

The boundaries of the new shire remained largely unchanged until 1984, when outlying districts including the suburbs of Nerimbera and Parkhurst were ceded to Livingstone's larger neighbour, Rockhampton City. Continued growth in both Local Government Authorities became a contentious subject from then on, which caused much political tension, until finally in 2007, local conflicts came to a head with the tabling before the Parliament of Queensland of the proposed Local Government (Reform Implementation) Act 2007.

The Act passed, and on 15 March 2008, Livingstone Shire merged with Fitzroy Shire, Mount Morgan Shire, and Rockhampton City to form the new LGA Rockhampton Region.[10] This forced amalgamation has caused political tension ever since,[11][12] but a heated and public campaign for the reinstatement of Livingstone Shire as a separate LGA has had little impact or interest from the general public. Particularly in localities in outlying areas, there is an equal and perhaps more vocal argument that the old LGA was too "Yeppoon-centric". In November 2011, the matter descended into the realm of gutter politics and became a source of national embarrassment for people associated with both sides of the conflict.[13] On 1 January 2014 the Shire of Livingstone was re-established with its 2008 boundaries.[14]

Climate

The Capricorn Coast experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa/Cwa).

Due to its location in the southern tropics, the Capricorn Coast experiences hot summers without the extreme humidity of Far North Queensland, and mild winters

Climate data for Yeppoon The Esplanade
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 38.6
(101.5)		 34.0
(93.2)		 39.1
(102.4)		 31.8
(89.2)		 29.1
(84.4)		 29.2
(84.6)		 29.4
(84.9)		 30.1
(86.2)		 34.4
(93.9)		 36.6
(97.9)		 38.4
(101.1)		 40.5
(104.9)		 40.5
(104.9)
Average high °C (°F) 29.3
(84.7)		 29.2
(84.6)		 28.3
(82.9)		 26.6
(79.9)		 24.1
(75.4)		 21.9
(71.4)		 21.4
(70.5)		 22.1
(71.8)		 24.4
(75.9)		 26.1
(79)		 27.5
(81.5)		 28.7
(83.7)		 25.8
(78.4)
Average low °C (°F) 23.7
(74.7)		 23.6
(74.5)		 22.4
(72.3)		 19.7
(67.5)		 15.7
(60.3)		 13.4
(56.1)		 11.8
(53.2)		 12.6
(54.7)		 15.7
(60.3)		 19.0
(66.2)		 21.3
(70.3)		 22.7
(72.9)		 18.5
(65.3)
Record low °C (°F) 12.5
(54.5)		 15.2
(59.4)		 10.4
(50.7)		 10.2
(50.4)		 4.9
(40.8)		 2.7
(36.9)		 −0.1
(31.8)		 2.7
(36.9)		 5.3
(41.5)		 8.8
(47.8)		 9.9
(49.8)		 12.7
(54.9)		 −0.1
(31.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 133.3
(5.248)		 173.6
(6.835)		 136.6
(5.378)		 73.8
(2.906)		 78.7
(3.098)		 55.5
(2.185)		 29.6
(1.165)		 36.4
(1.433)		 36.6
(1.441)		 45.9
(1.807)		 71.3
(2.807)		 122.6
(4.827)		 981.7
(38.65)
Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology[15]

Shopping

Yeppoon has a number of shopping centres.

Healthcare

Education

Media

Although mainly served by media from nearby Rockhampton, there is a small selection of local media based on the Capricorn Coast.

Yeppoon has its own weekly newspaper called The Capricorn Coast Mirror, which is an APN News & Media publication and an offshoot to the region's daily newspaper The Morning Bulletin. The Capricorn Coast Mirror focuses only on news and issues directly relevant to communities throughout Livingstone Shire and the Capricorn Coast.

Similarly, an local independent publication called The Spectator News Magazine also focuses on news and issues affecting Livingstone Shire residents, and is issued monthly.

Radio 4NAG is Yeppoon's local community radio station which has locally based on-air presenters hosting a variety of special interest programming each day from a studio in Yeppoon. The station was founded in 1998 and broadcasts to the Livingstone Shire on 91.3 FM.

Sport

Yeppoon is home to prominent Rugby league breeding ground St. Brendan's College. Professional players Paul Bowman, Casey Conway, Tom Hewitt, PJ Marsh, Shane Marteene, Julian O'Neill, Matthew Scott and Dave Taylor are all St. Brendan's alumni.

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Yeppoon (Significant Urban Area)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "Yeppoon - town (entry 38658)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "Yeppoon - locality (entry 48955)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  4. ↑ "The History of Joskeleigh". ABC Capricornia. 17 September 2007. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  5. ↑ "Yeppoon Station Building (entry 602563)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  6. ↑ "Yeppoon War Memorial (entry 602126)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  7. ↑ "Yeppoon State School (former) (entry 602404)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 12 July 2013.
  8. ↑ "Sugar in Central Queensland". The Queenslander. 18 January 1896. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  9. ↑ "Gogango Shire Council". Queensland State Archives. Retrieved 27 December 2011.
  10. ↑ "North Rockhampton Borough Chambers (entry 601370)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 20 April 2008.
  11. ↑ "Rocky Council Motion to Muzzle Ludwig". The Morning Bulletin. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  12. ↑ Taylor, Adrian (24 August 2011). "Council Ousts Bill Ludwig". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  13. ↑ Taylor, Adrian (25 November 2011). "Schwarten Speech Attacks Ludwig". The Morning Bulletin. Retrieved 25 December 2011.
  14. ↑ "De-amalgamation". Queensland Government. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  15. ↑ "Climate statistics for Yeppoon AWS". Australian Bureau of Meteorology. March 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.

External links

Media related to Yeppoon, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons

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