Central Queensland’s Capricorn Region begins approximately 630 kilometres north of Brisbane and covers an area of 115,000 square kilometres, stretching from the Southern Great Barrier Reef and the Capricorn Coast in the east, through to the major city of Rockhampton and further west to Emerald, the Sapphire Gemfields and spectacular Carnarvon Gorge.
The Capricorn Region gets its name from the parallel latitude known as the Tropic of Capricorn, which sits approximately 23.5 degrees south of the equator and marks the split between the ‘Tropics’, a region of consistently warm climate, and the ‘Southern Temperate Zone’. The Tropic of Capricorn also runs through South America, Namibia in southern Africa, Madagascar, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean just south of Tonga.
The Capricorn Region is a jumping off point to one of the natural wonders of the world – the magnificent Southern Great Barrier Reef. With just a short ferry ride from the mainland, you’ll be walking on sun-bleached beaches and snorkelling in crystal clear waters.
All images © Tourism and Events Queensland/Vince Valitutti