Capricorn Coast - Definition

Definition

While the Capricorn Coast has no registered geographic boundaries, it is largely defined as the coastal area cradled between Rockhampton in the west, Keppel Bay to the east, Thompson Point on the Fitzroy River in the south, and Shoalwater Bay in the north. Beyond Shoalwater Bay, the remote community of Stanage (or Stanage Bay) is often defined as part of the Capricorn Coast as well.

An alternative definition suggests that the Capricorn Coast extends south to include Gladstone and the towns of Agnes Water and 1770, however the bulk of reference materials refer to that region north of Bundaberg as the Discovery Coast or the Gladstone Region, and that north of Gladstone, the string of seaside communities surrounding Rockhampton and centred upon Yeppoon, is called the Capricorn Coast.

It is possible that scholarly confusion stems from the geographical region known as Capricornia centred around Rockhampton, which historically encompasses all areas both coastal and inland between Bundaberg and Mackay.

Then there is the Federal Government seat of Capricornia again based in Rockhampton, which also takes in a large section of the same area, and then finally the Capricorn Region, which is a tourism body that promotes all areas within the Capricornia geographical region.

Pointedly, of the 19 Queensland Registered Businesses that incorporate "Capricorn Coast" in their names, every one is located in Yeppoon and surrounding townships. There are none in Gladstone, Mackay, or Discovery Coast regions, or indeed in Rockhampton itself. This indicates support for the view that Yeppoon is the principal town on the Capricorn Coast, and that this region only extends to the boundaries of its neighbours.