Yeppoon, the largest town on the Capricorn Coast, is the archetype of a Queensland coastal holiday town characterised by broad, tree-lined streets, blue skies, sunshine and an easygoing, informal and friendly population. It was because of its natural beauty, beaches and proximity to Keppel Bay that the site was chosen as a "watering place" for the people of Rockhampton and Central Queensland and proclaimed the township of Bald Hills in 1868, it was later renamed Yeppoon through popular usage.
Population
At the 2006 census, Yeppoon had a population of 13,284 but recent figures are showing it’s population is now well over the 15,000.
Origin of the name Yeppoon
There is no certainty but Yeppoon is possibly derived from the aboriginal word for water or lagoon, the Yeppen-Yeppen lagoons in Rockhampton are an indication of this possibility because the tribes in both areas were part of a large tribal group, the Darumbal, with strong linguistic affinities.
It was the presence of fresh water that led Government surveyor Gregory to report; “Yapoon, a spot northward of Emu Park about nine miles was most suitable as a watering place….” after sailing into "Yapoon inlet" in 1867. |
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