RURAL LUXURY
Hotel group to press on with cattle station accommodation expansion
CRYSTALBROOK Collection has another major development up its sleeve with a $10 million-plus plan to transform a rural cattle station into a luxury tourist destination.
Crystalbrook Station, 180km west of Cairns, near Chillagoe, currently has a fivebedroom lodge for visitors seeking a deluxe outback experience with all the modern conveniences.
It is set on a private 120ha freshwater lake and has its own infinity pool, chefs and cocktail bartenders – all alongside the cattle station that supplies the meat for Crystalbrook’s growing collection of hotels and restaurants.
The site is earmarked for major expansion, with a new development application to Mareeba Shire Council revealing the extent of the vision.
The proposal centres on four stand-alone accommodation cabins, including 12 singlebed, double-storey eco-suites and two eco-villas across two floors. A communal recreation centre is on the cards, as well as a pool, deck, shed and other amenities.
The blueprints also feature a new camping ground, staff and managers’ quarters, extensive landscaping, new access roads, carparking, and a solar farm and associated electrical infrastructure.
It might seem a strange time to press forward with a tourist development, but Crystalbrook Collection acting chief executive Geoff York said the company wanted to be ready to start work when it made financial sense.
“We’ve decided to push ahead, get the plan up to a DAapproved stage and then assess things where they sit,” he said.
“It will be ready to go when we decide the time is right.”
The firm has a logistic battle on its hands.
The remoteness of the property means the cabins will be built off-site and delivered to the station – but there are other obstacles to traverse.
“There are a lot of infrastructure needs there with water, power and the solar farm,” Mr York said. “We have to come up with power solutions. There’s no mains electricity, and likewise, there’s no mains water or sewerage.
“We have to do all of those things on a much larger scale than what was happening with only a five-room lodge.”
The grand opening date for Crystalbrook’s third and final new hotel in Cairns, Flynn, has been pushed back to October, although the COVID-19 pandemic will dictate whether the date changes.