A 500-metre golden curve of sand bordered by steep headlands and dramatic ocean views. Wreck Point's panoramic lookout, the strange story of the Selina, and a beach where dogs and locals call out across the water — Cooee Bay is the quiet heart of the Capricorn Coast.
Cooee Bay is a small beachside hamlet on Queensland's Capricorn Coast, about two kilometres south of Yeppoon — the kind of place travellers drift through and then quietly tell their friends about. Only 500 metres long, the beach curves from Wave Point to the southern end of Wreck Point, framed by steep headlands and shallow rockpools. From the summit you can see all the way south to Lammermoor Beach, Rosslyn Bay and Great Keppel Island. The sailing ship Selina washed ashore here in 1848 and nobody quite knows how. Each August, the suburb hosts Australia's longest-running Cooee Championship — the call that gives the bay its name. We acknowledge the Darumbal people as the Traditional Custodians of this Country.
The view from Wreck Point — where the Capricorn Coast unfolds toward Great Keppel Island and the Southern Great Barrier Reef.
A small bay punching far above its weight: a clifftop lookout with one of the Capricorn Coast's best views, a 1848 shipwreck story walked into a hillside, and a beach where locals literally shout at the sea.
Only 500 metres of golden sand bookended by Wave Point and Wreck Point — but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in natural beauty. Excellent for swimming, fishing, beachcombing and rockpool exploring on either headland. Off-leash dog times are before 8am and after 4pm daily (council bags and bins provided). Plenty of shells and quiet corners that the big Yeppoon beaches don't have.
Plan a Capricorn Coast day
The Capricorn Coast's most photographed lookout. Sweeping panoramas from Yeppoon to Lammermoor Beach, Rosslyn Bay and Great Keppel Island. Best at sunset and dusk when the walkway lights up in multi-colour. A short nature trail loops the headland with interpretive panels — perfect for a slow half-hour before dinner in Yeppoon.
Capricorn Coast guide
In 1848 the 62-ton sailing ship Selina washed ashore at Cooee Bay — and to this day no-one's quite sure how she got here. Descend the 68 steps below the lookout to find a symbolic wooden art installation and information boards telling her story. A short, atmospheric walk that anchors the headland in a piece of Capricorn Coast history.
More Yeppoon stories
Every August, contestants climb to the summit of Wreck Point and open their vocal cords in pursuit of the longest, loudest cooee — the traditional Australian call shouted down toward the town of the same name. New names appear on the leaderboard every year. It's one of the most genuinely Australian community events you'll find on the coast.
Time a tour for August
The post-Wreck Point coffee stop. Just back from the beach, Two Sisters Coffee is the unofficial heart of Cooee Beach — a picket-fenced outdoor seating area, beachy murals and a steady stream of dog-walkers and surfers. Perfect after an early morning beach walk and an easy add-on to any Capricorn Coast itinerary.
Yeppoon eats
The next bay south of Cooee, Lammermoor is often the most swimmable beach on this stretch of coast — sheltered, gently shelving and quiet outside school holidays. Combine with Cooee Bay and Wreck Point for the classic three-stop Capricorn Coast morning.
Capricorn Coast beaches
Five minutes north of Cooee Bay, Yeppoon's beachfront lagoon has been the talk of the Capricorn Coast since 2018 — an infinity-edge swimming lagoon overlooking the Keppel Islands, with a shallow children's play area and a patrolled lap pool. Free, open daily, and the perfect cool-down after a hot afternoon at the lookout.
Yeppoon Guide
From Rosslyn Bay Marina — just south of Cooee Bay — it's a 30-minute ferry to Great Keppel Island and the Southern Great Barrier Reef. White-sand beaches, snorkel-from-shore coral gardens, bushwalks and beach bars. The original Capricorn Coast bucket-list day out.
Plan an island day
Cooee Bay is one of the stops on the Capricorn Coast's emerging street art trail — works scattered across Cooee Bay, Rosslyn, Mulambin and Emu Park, all inspired by the local landscape and community. A great excuse to slow down and explore beyond the lookout.
See the trailTime your Cooee Bay visit around one of these and you'll see the Capricorn Coast at its best.
The bay's own signature event. Climb Wreck Point, fill your lungs, and shout your name into the leaderboard. Free to enter and watch.
Local produce, hot breakfasts, plants and craft at the Yeppoon Showgrounds — a five-minute drive from Cooee Bay.
Handmade, home-baked and home-grown wares at Bell Park — live music, coffee, and a relaxed Capricorn Coast atmosphere.
Wreck Point is one of the Capricorn Coast's best free whale-watching headlands as migrating humpbacks pass close to shore.
A small bay rewards a slow approach. A few local tips so you make the most of an hour or a whole day.
Year-round subtropical. May–October is dry, sunny and cooler (20–26°C) — ideal for the lookout and whale watching. November–April brings warmer water for swimming. Sunrise and dusk are magic at Wreck Point.
2km south of Yeppoon along the Scenic Highway, over Ross Creek. From Brisbane: 7 hours up the Bruce Highway. From Rockhampton airport: 40 minutes east. Cooee Tours can pick up from Rockhampton, Yeppoon and the Capricorn Coast resorts.
Sheltered shallow swimming, rockpools on both headlands, a short and easy headland walk, and Yeppoon Lagoon's free patrolled pool just up the road. Pack reef shoes for the rocks.
Walk Wreck Point at sunset to catch the lit walkway. Coffee stop at Two Sisters before you head south to Lammermoor. Check Livingstone Shire's dog rules (off-leash before 8am, after 4pm).
The southern end of Wreck Point has a tiny set of weather-cut rockpools that fill at high tide — perfect for kids on a calm day. Drop down the steps below the Selina installation and turn left at the foreshore.
Watch sunset from Wreck Point, then drive five minutes back into Yeppoon for dinner on the foreshore at the Beach House or Megalomania. The lagoon's lit walkways are gorgeous at dusk.
Use Cooee Bay as your launchpad — day trip to Great Keppel Island, explore Byfield National Park's rainforests and sand dunes, take in Emu Park and the Singing Ship, or wander the Yeppoon foreshore. Contact Cooee Tours to design your Capricorn Coast itinerary.
The Capricorn Coast hub — lagoon, marina, foreshore, food and the gateway to the Keppels.
Explore Yeppoon
Southern Great Barrier Reef snorkel, swim and bushwalk — 30 minutes by ferry.
Plan your island day
Coastal rainforest, sand dunes, ancient cycads and creek-side camping just north.
Byfield guide
Twenty minutes south — coastal village, the Singing Ship sculpture and the ANZAC walk.
Emu Park guideCooee Bay is a small beachside suburb on Queensland's Capricorn Coast, about two kilometres south of Yeppoon and 40 minutes east of Rockhampton. Travel along the Scenic Highway across Ross Creek and follow the signs.
Walk Wreck Point Scenic Lookout for panoramic Capricorn Coast views, explore the Selina shipwreck nature trail and wooden art installation, swim at the 500-metre beach (dog-friendly off-leash before 8am and after 4pm), grab coffee at nearby Two Sisters Coffee, watch the August Cooee Championship at Wreck Point, then drive on to Lammermoor Beach, Yeppoon Lagoon, or the marina for Great Keppel Island.
The Selina was a 62-ton sailing ship that washed ashore at Cooee Bay in 1848. The reason she came to rest here remains a local mystery. Today, Wreck Point Lookout features a nature trail, a viewing platform, 68 steps down to a shipwreck-inspired wooden art installation, and interpretive panels telling her story.
Each August, contestants gather at the summit of Wreck Point to compete for the longest, loudest cooee — the traditional Australian bushland call shouted down toward the town of the same name. It's the local highlight on the Capricorn Coast events calendar, free to enter and watch.
Yes — and proudly so. Cooee Bay is one of the Capricorn Coast's favourite dog-walking beaches. Off-leash times are before 8am and after 4pm daily. Livingstone Shire Council provides poo bags and bins; please respect the doggy rules and keep the bay looking good.
Yes. The 500-metre beach is popular for swimming, fishing, and rockpool exploring. The beach is unpatrolled, so swim within your ability, watch for the tides on either headland, and consider Yeppoon Main Beach (patrolled) or Lammermoor Beach (often the most swimmable) on bigger swells.
Cooee Bay is around 7 hours by road from Brisbane via the Bruce Highway (M1/A1), or a 1-hour flight to Rockhampton followed by a 40-minute drive east through Yeppoon. Cooee Tours runs guided Capricorn Coast itineraries from Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast — call (07) 4194 3333 or book online.
Expert local guides, hotel pickup, and the best of the Capricorn Coast — Wreck Point, the Selina story, Great Keppel Island and beyond — all in one perfect day.
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