Lease scrap puts end to island idyll
ONE of Queensland’s most renowned island resorts will be lost to tourists forever after the Palaszczuk Government secretly scrapped the destination’s 45-year-old lease.
The leasehold area of Hinchinbrook Island was withdrawn late last year after disputes with the owners over unpaid fees and the failure of numerous attempts to revive the resort.
Environmentalists will praise the move after campaigning against Hinchinbrook’s redevelopment for decades, but the decision is another blow to Queensland’s archipelago of island resorts, many of which lie in ruin.
The move ends Hinchinbrook’s chequered history as a resort destination after the Bjelke-petersen government handed the first lease to Queensland’s original “white shoe brigade” developer Keith Williams, who built Sea World and developed Hamilton Island.
It last operated as Hinchinbrook Island Wilderness Lodge and won eco-tourism awards in 2004 for its unique treehouse accommodation.
The idyllic island between Townsville and Cairns was also the destination for Hollywood film Nim’s Island with Jodie Foster and Gerard Butler.
However, the resort at Cape Richards was closed in 2010 after the global financial crisis and subsequently smashed by a cyclone, destroyed by vandals and ravaged by fire.
The Department of Environment and Science confirmed the lease had been withdrawn.
“Hinchinbrook Island National Park is set to be rejuvenated, with the Queensland Government committed to return the dilapidated resort at Cape Richards to the natural environment,” it said.
Companies will now tender to remove the remnants of the resort and restore the site, which has already been partially consumed by undergrowth after years of neglect.
“The initial clean-up and removal of resort materials is scheduled to occur before the end of the year,” the department said.
“The actual cost is not expected to exceed $1.3 million.
“The tourism lease has outstanding debts of $499,519.99, as at 20 December, 2018.
“As the resort area has always been national park, there is no legislative or legal action required for the area to continue as national park.”
The move comes three years after former environment minister Steven Miles urged island owners to develop their properties or risk having their leases given to others who would.
“The embarrassing thing is most are on state-owned land, including national parks, so to do nothing is unacceptable. We need to take action,” he said. “This issue is holding back Queensland’s tourism appeal.”