Yeppoon, Queensland
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Yeppoon is a coastal resort town situated in Central Queensland, Australia. The town is the administrative centre for the Livingstone Shire. Located on Keppel Bay, Yeppoon has a rapidly growing population of 8000+.
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Yeppoon is the major town along the tourist strip of the Capricorn Coast, and is around 700 km north of the state capital, Brisbane, and 40 km from its nearest regional centre, the city of Rockhampton. Long stretches of beaches are the main tourist attraction, while the islands of the Keppel Group, in particular Great Keppel Island, are another drawcard. The Rosslyn Bay boat harbour caters for professional and privately owned vessels.
Pineapples and sugar were the major industries of the early town. The first European residents arrived in 1865. Along with other sugar growing areas of Australia, South Sea Islander's were used as labourers on the sugar plantations, usually without their consent (see blackbirding). No sugar is grown in the area today, however pineapples are still a major crop in the region.
The Shoalwater Bay military training area lies to the north of the town, and military exercises are regularly held there for soldiers of the Australian, Singapore and United States armed forces. Current controversy hangs around a proposed American expansion to the base, which local residents feel may have negative affects on the environment, roads and community infrastructure.