Pumpkin Island
A private island in the Keppel group of the Southern Great Barrier Reef, 14 kilometres off Yeppoon in Queensland. Seven self-catering cottages and beach bungalows for up to 34 guests, run on solar and wind power, and named Australasia's most sustainable hotel in 2019.
Pumpkin Island sits in the Keppel group, 14 kilometres off Yeppoon, at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. It is small, private, and run almost entirely off-grid.
Accommodation is seven self-catering units: five cottages and two beach bungalows, sleeping four to six each, for up to 34 guests across the island. Each runs on 12-volt solar and wind power, with gas hot water and filtered rainwater to drink; the cottages have wide private decks angled at the sunset.
The sustainability credentials are not incidental. The island runs on 100% renewable energy, was the first beyond-carbon-neutral island in Australia, and was named Australasia’s most sustainable hotel at the 2019 World Boutique Hotel Awards.
Days here are reef days: glass-bottom kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, walks out to the rock formations the low tide uncovers, and the resident turtles going quietly about their business in clear water. The island can be booked cottage by cottage, or taken whole.
