Daydream after Debbie
It’s nearly two years since Cyclone Debbie hovered over Daydream Island in Queensland’s Whitsundays, destroying its resort and fringing reef.
The reef is still recovering, but the resort reopens on 10 April after a $100 million redevelopment by Shanghaibased owner China Capital Investment Group. It features a new look in 277 guestrooms and suites, and a fresh focus on couples in adults-only areas and eateries, including three new restaurants and three bars.
The family appeal remains, says the resort’s Jayson Heron, with a revamped kids’ club and the reopening of the Living Reef, a 1.5 million-litre lagoon filled with more than 100 species of marine fauna and coral. An underwater observatory tended by three marine biologists allows close viewing and includes an interactive “touch tank”.
Also in the Whitsundays, Hayman Island reopens this year as an InterContinental resort, and the redevelopment of Daydream’s neighbour, South Molle Island, is expected to start this year.