Marina not a bar to trade
QUESTIONS are brewing over how current tenants of the Port Douglas marina will operate when work starts on Crystalbrook Collection’s $200 million-plus resort redevelopment.
The development process is still in its early days with Douglas Shire Council yet to sign off on an expansive “clean slate” design concept including a new public plaza, floating boardwalks, private villas and five-star hotel.
Hemingway’s Brewery coowner Tony Fyfe said it would be business as usual in the short-to-medium term.
He said a plan to open a second microbrewery-bar in the heritage-listed Shed 2 at the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal was not a move to safeguard the business during the Port Douglas construction period.
“We had been planning our Cairns project well before GA even thought about purchasing the marina,” he said.
“We have an aggressive growth strategy with plans for multiple venues within Australia, and our roots (and) headquarters will remain in FNQ.”
Douglas Chamber of Commerce president Wade Greasley said at the chamber’s next meeting on January 22 he would propose a community forum to flag any concerns.
“Once it’s got support, we can organise a time for representatives of Crystalbrook to come up,” he said.
He backed Crystalbrook’s promised effort to make the transition as painless as possible for current tenants.
“There’s no sense in trying to create enemies in Port Douglas,” he said.
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