Swim Around Keppel Returns This August
‘Come for the Event, Stay for the Experience’ is the message behind this year’s 5th Annual Swim Around Keppel event weekend scheduled for 11th to 13th August on Great Keppel Island.
Event organisers are confident in the numbers already registered for Australia’s only tropical island swimming marathon, but say the event is more than just about the swim.
Keppel Islands Swimming Association President Val Kalmikovs says “We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world, with Keppel at our doorstep. We want people to come and enjoy the event, the island, and perhaps extend their stay and enjoy the other amazing local attractions of the Capricornia region”.
Over 50 swimmers are expected to do a 20km lap around Great Keppel Island on Saturday 12th August, with shorter 6km and 1km swim events around Middle Island scheduled for the Friday and Sunday.
Val says the event has grown since its inception in 2019, surviving travel hiccups caused by the pandemic in recent years, and is now full steam ahead with registrations already coming in from Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia.
“We welcome locals and visitors to the region, not just to participate in official swimming events, but to assist our swimmers as support paddlers or boat crew, and also to cheer our swimmers on,” Val says.
A 2-hour ferry cruise run by Freedom Fast Cats will follow swimmers around the island during the main event on Saturday 12th August, enabling spectators, family, and friends to catch all the action and to discover parts of the island they may have never seen. Beach activities for the kids and dinner at GKI Hideaway with live entertainment also features on the program.
“Thanks to funding support from Tourism and Events Queensland, we have the means to showcase not only GKI but other fantastic attractions of our region over the coming months in lead up to the event”.
Val says event organisers are working with local businesses and operators on the mainland to provide flexible and affordable transit and accommodation options for visitors wanting to stay and play a little longer.
For full event details please visit Swim Around Keppel.
