Ever since I first visited Florida as a child, the image of palm trees always stirs my memories of exotic holidays and far away places. I love tropical holidays and couldn’t wait to see my first line of palms in Queensland, signalling I had arrived somewhere that was likely to have sun, sea and snorkelling.

I wasn’t disappointed when our ferry pulled up to Fisherman’s Beach on Great Keppel Island. Only 30mins by fast-cat from the mainland, I expected it to be more rugged than tropical, but was delighted to step off the boat onto a sweeping white sandy beach, lapped by clear turquoise waters and fringed by – you guessed it- swaying palms, alongside native gum and fig trees. Even the birds were exotic, with plenty of colourful parrots and lorakeets.

The big resort on Great Keppel is currently closed for ongoing renovations, leaving just a handful of small accommodations and making for a real sense of being on a deserted island. We chose to stay with Geoff at the Holiday Village, a small camp of permanent tents set just back from the beach among the trees. For a reduced price, Geoff allowed us to pitch our own tent and kindly furnished it with mattresses and a lamp – luxury.

Our three days were spent reading in hammocks, eating pineapple, lying on the beach and drinking sundowners by the sea. The highlight of our trip was snorkelling on the reef just off Shelving Beach, where we saw lots of fish including a small Epaulette Shark. Of course, the best spot was a Green Turtle, who we spent several minutes observing before s/he swam off into deeper waters. That really made my day ;o)

We managed to get some reasonable underwater photos, including of the turtle if you want to take a look. They’re better than previous attempts I promise, and it may be the last lot we take as my underwater camera developed a leak and is now sadly out of action.

Other than underwater life, we encountered a few possums and lizards, and I came very close to stepping on a deadly (?) snake on our way to the pizza restaurant. Just what you need on a remote island with only one ferry a day. All in all, we had a great trip and would highly recommend a visit to see Geoff, who will warmly welcome you to his island!

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