Great Keppel Island – a Case Study of the effects of people on the physical environment

Great Keppel Island is the southernmost part of the Great Barrier Reef. (The site linked to Great Barrier Reef is currently in a developmental stage and not all areas are operating).

What is a Coral Reef? - also look at the variety of species found on the reef.

What impact do people have on the Barrier Reef? (scroll down this link until you get to the headings you need) or use this link to problems on the reef

Many of the islands of the Great Barrier Reef are National Parks. The Area is called the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

The Great Barrier Reef is a World Heritage listed area. Write down 4 reasons why the International Community declared this as a world heritage area.

What problems does the Great Barrier Reef face from its interaction with people? Refer to the newspaper article "Reef’s Future bleak as pollution unchecked".

Describe the location of Great Keppel Island; Near what large city is it located? Calculate its distance from the mainland.

Look at the map of Great Keppel Island.

  1. Identify the land feature at its northernmost point. Give the map reference for this point.
  2. Give the map reference of the lighthouse.
  3. On what side of the island is most of the "development"? Can you explain this?
  4. Using your personal copy of the island map, calculate the length and breadth, then the area. Estimate how much of the island is heavily impacted by the activities of people.
  5. How might visitors travel to this island?

  1. Construct a time line, showing the history of the island. Make sure your timeline shows how people have interacted with Great Keppel Island.

     

      SOME OTHER FACTS:

    • Aboriginal history has been recorded by archaologists as spanning more than 45,000 years. The tribe which inhabited Great Keppel island were the Wapparaburra. Although small in number, they had a rich cultural and spiritual life with songs, dance and ceremonies distinctly different from the mainland tribes.
    • Matthew Flinders dropped rabbits and goats off on the island so that any stranded sailors might have food.
    • Settlement in this area began in the 1860’s
    • The Morris family settled on the island and established a sheep farm in the 1860’s
    • The Leeke family took over this farm in 1896. Mr Leeke was drowned while unloading supplies from a ship in 1901 and in 1932 Mrs Leeke was put into a nursing home. After that the farm fell into disrepair.
    • Tourism has been the most significant use of the area since the 1940s

  2. How have aboriginal people interacted with the land on Great Keppel Island? What evidence is there of their impact?

    Indigenous Sites. Around the island there's evidence of the island's original inhabitants, with ancient middens near Long Beach. Red Beach was of particular importance to local Aborigines who used it as a family meeting place;

  3. What is the principal use being made of this island today?
  4. What is the aboriginal name for Great Keppel?
  5. The Middle Island Underwater Observatory is a tourist attraction which allows visitors to see the coral and fish to be found in this southern part of the Barrier Reef. It was constructed off site and towed to the area. A confiscated Taiwanese ship was sunk to provide a place for the fish to "hide". What are the positive and negative impacts of people on this environment? Look also at the photos.
  6. List all the ways that people are interacting with the physical environment on Great Keppel Island and write down whether these interactions will preserve the environment or damage it. (Use the photos to help you)
  7. How can people use this environment to make sure it is preserved for our future?
  8. This area has been declared a marine park and its species are protected.
  9. Between August and October whales rest in the area. What significance does this have for human impact on the environment?

This photo shows Fisherman's beach. Locate it on your map.

Make a sketch of this photo which identifies the impact of human activities.

Which human activities are most obvious?

What evidence of erosive activity can you see? What might be the cause of that?

On the beach you can see a barge. What is the reason for it being beached on the sand?

How deep do you think the water might be? Why?

This photo shows a catamaran landing at the Spit. What vehicles can you see? What is their function?

Catamarans arrive at and leave the island 5 times each day. The first "ferry" leaves the mainland at Roslyn Bay at 7.30am and the last ferry arrives at the Spit at 6.30pm. Two companies offer ferry and tourist services to Great Keppel Island. Why would they need to limit the number of trips?

Would any type of boat be suitable?

 

This photo shows the natural vegetation beside the main walking path which runs parallel to Fisherman's beach. In the foreground are the grasses growing on the leeward side of this first sand dune, with scrub and smaller trees growing behind (such as Casuarina, Melaleuca, tea tree and small eucalypts).

The island would originally have been covered with similar vegetation, with pockets of dense wet schlerophyll forest in areas protected by the hills.

 

 

The first sand dune behind Fisherman's Beach shows evidence of small scrub growing in the sand, of the heath type. This vegetation is characterised by small thin leaves and thick bark to reduce transpiration and improve water retention. The climate is generally warm all year. There is plenty of rain and winds are usually from the North East. Check the local weather statistics for Rockhampton and Yeppoon in Queensland at the bureau of meteorology site. You can also check the climate features of this region here. (What is the diference between weather and climate?)

 

 

This is the main path from Keppel Haven Resort to the Great! Keppel Resort (which runs parallel to Fisherman's beach and passes other accommodation, the pizza place, the rainbow hut (a tourist shop) and the shell place.

 

What do you notice about the vegetation here? Why?

 

 

 

Keppel Haven is the resort closest to The Spit. It is the older of the two main resorts and offers camping and cabins. The building in the photo is for reception and the "bistro" which also serves as the main entertainment area. You can see that grass has been planted in front of this building and because it is not native to the area, a watering system has been installed.

Why would non-native plants require watering?

 

 

 

Great! Keppel is the newer resort. It is currently being refurbished and is located next to the airstrip at the southern end of Fisherman's Beach.

What sort of tourists would this resort be most likely to cater for? Why do you say this?

 

 

 

 

 

Investigate human impact on the Murray River.