‘Exceptional numbers’: How Central Queensland tourism is faring these school holidays

School’s out in Central Queensland for two weeks from this weekend, and Capricorn Enterprise CEO Mary Carroll’s “hot tip” is not to leave itineraries until the last minute.

Central Queensland businesses are reporting “exceptional numbers” for these school holidays. Photo: Tourism and Events Queensland

You’ll need to call ahead to ensure your school holidays go to plan, with bookings at Rockhampton and Capricorn Coast attractions “very, very strong”.

School’s out in Central Queensland for two weeks from this weekend, and Capricorn Enterprise CEO Mary Carroll’s “hot tip” is not to leave itineraries until the last minute.

“Please pre-book,” she said. “Pre-book restaurants and cafes as well.

“Gone are the days where in school holidays you could just turn up to a tour or an attraction.

“We have been so exceptionally busy: some people have found that if they haven’t booked their favourite restaurant and just turned up, often it’s booked out.

“Our tour operators are reporting exceptional numbers.”

The Morning Bulletin headed down to the Yeppoon Foreshore on Saturday afternoon and spoke to a number of Queensland tourists who were all loving the area and the weather.

Tourists had come from the Gold Coast, Hervey Bay and Brisbane and some more local from Blackwater and Gladstone, along with some families from Rocky.

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Social photos from Yeppoon Foreshore on Saturday

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A quick search on booking.com for accommodation in the Yeppoon area for two adults and two children came up with no properties available.

The popularity of the region was due to two factors, Ms Carroll said: more locals deciding to holiday close to home, and an increase in metropolitan visitors seeking destinations free of COVID-19.

“A lot of the school kids aren’t heading to south-east Queensland because of the uncertainty I think with COVID snap lockdowns, so a lot of the school groups are either staying in Central Queensland or school groups are heading up to Central Queensland, which is fantastic.

“So it’s not just our regular visitors, it’s additional school groups.

“We’re enjoying a continued positive visitation, which we have seen since pretty much June last year.

“We’re very fortunate that we’ve got a very stable and loyal Central Queensland population that has continued to support our local operators, but also we’ve got that south-east market that are really enjoying going to a COVID-free Central Queensland and southern Great Barrier Reef.”

The Capricorn Caves offer more than 1.5km of passages to explore.

Ms Carroll said that among the most sought-after destinations were Great Keppel Island, Koorana Crocodile Farm, Cooberrie Park Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Capricorn Caves.

“Camping will be popular too,” she said.

“And of course swimming is always high on the agenda with the September-October holidays because of the temperature.

“There’s a whole raft of beaches and destinations including Yeppoon Lagoon and national park swimming holes and the islands that are always popular.”

Information about tourism attractions or last-minute accommodation vacancies is available at visitor information centres.

Many attractions may be booked online.

Originally published as ‘Exceptional numbers’: How Central Queensland tourism is faring these school holidays