From regular Joes to multi-millionaires: Who owns Qld’s private islands, resorts
Foreign investors, millionaire entrepreneurs and your regular Joes – take a look at who owns Queensland’s tropical islands and how much they paid.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Owning your own island may sound like the stuff of far fetched dreams, but with a number of smaller islands available off the coast of Queensland, some are available for less than the average home.
While major tropical destinations like Great Keppel and Dunk Island cost upwards of tens of millions, lesser known islands like Gladstone’s Worthington Island sold for just $385k in 2021 – significantly less than the country’s median house price.
Richard Vanhoff of Private Islands Online Australia said lifestyle changes like the death of the 9-to-5 work week post-Covid has seen a shift in the demand for islands.
“Covid has probably been our best ally,” Mr Vanhoff said.
“People have worked out they don’t have to be in an office... they can do their business from home or anywhere. And if you can afford it, why not an island?”
While the median Australian house price sits around the one million dollar mark, Mr Vanhoff has found the type of prospective buyer has changed.
“When I first started out it was generally an elite group of people... be it a celebrity, an industrialist or mining operator,” he said.
“But now, it’s really a mix... both the sellers and buyers have changed.With so many beautiful spots across the Queensland coastline, here are some of the state’s finest islands, the people who own them, and what’s in store for 2024.
READ MORE: INSIDE QLD’S RUN DOWN TROPICAL ISLANDS
Dunk Island
Sitting four kilometres from the Far North Queensland coastline, Dunk Island is situated between Cairns and Townsville and was last purchased by Annie Cannon-Brookes, the partner of Australian billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes who founded Atlassian.
Annie purchased the derelict island in July, 2022 for $24 million, 11 years after the island was destroyed by Cyclone Yasi.
The Queensland island is part of the couple’s $300 million property portfolio which has been a topic of interest after Annie and Mike announced they would be separating after 13 years of marriage in July, 2023.
Mission Beach local Joshua Childs was appointed as general manager of Dunk Island Group in October, 2023, with campsites on The Spit – a local area of the island which includes a bar and amenities – expected to open in July, 2024.
Sweers Island
While the 1100ha Sweers Island is owned by the traditional owners, the Kaiadilt people, the Sweers Island Resort which sits upon it was recently purchased by Mt Isa-based couple Mick McConachy and wife Kathleen in November, 2023.
The Queensland pair, who have been visiting the Far North Queensland resort for years, bought the 30ha site from its original owners Tex and Lyn Battle who had been operating the holiday spot on a perpetual lease for 35 years.
Mr McConachy and his wife who own MAK Diesel & Earthmoving have plans to continue the 30+ year legacy of the resort, including its rich history of good fishing, stating they want to ‘keep the same happy atmosphere going’.
Sold through Private Islands Online’s Richard Vanhoff, the sale price was not disclosed but was marketed for around $3.9 million.
Pumpkin Island
Situated 14 kilometres from Yeppoon, Pumpkin Island is currently owned by the Rumble family through their company Sojourn Properties Pty Ltd.
The family purchased the leasehold for the six-hectare Pumpkin Island Eco Resort in 2003 for $1.3 million.
Laureth and Wayne Rumble put the eco-friendly accommodation on the market in 2020 for $25m, offering prospective buyers and opportunity to purchase the boutique tourist destination, including its five self-contained guest cottages, manager’s cottage, 36-passenger catamaran and oyster lease.
From 2012 to 2015, the whole island was renamed ‘XXXX Island’ after the Rumble family leased the Keppel Bay spot to Castlemaine Perkins in a promotional move for their Queensland-born beer brand.
Sojourn Properties Pty Ltd are still the owners of Pumpkin Island today and were previously the owners of the adults-only Elysian Resort on Long Island before selling it for $8.75m to a Sydney buyer in 2022.
Bedarra Island
Seven kilometres off the coast between Townsville and Cairns, Bedarra Island is situated in the Family Islands group and is owned by Kerri-Ann and Sam Charlton of The Charlton Hotel Group who also own the Elandra Resort in Mission Beach.
Discovered by Captain James Cook in 1770, Bedarra Island was owned and lived on by landscape painter Noel Wood from 1936, who transformed East Bedarra into a holiday destination.
The Charlton Hotel Group purchased Bedarra Island Resort in 2011 after Cyclone Yasi, updating the five-star boutique eco-resort with solar power, spring water and biocycle waste treatment, among other luxury upgrades.
Bedarra reopened in 2013 and currently advertises itself as an ‘all-inclusive, private, tropical haven’ from $1890 per night.
Daydream Island
One of the seven islands of the Molle Group, Daydream Island is a one kilometre-long island currently owned by China Capital Investment Group (CCIG) who purchased the island and defunct South Molle Island resort for around $30 million in 2015.
CCIG purchased Daydream Island and its resort from former owner and Nature’s Own vitamin company founder Vaughan Bullivant who had been the owner since 2000.
Following Cyclone Debbie in 2017, CCIG invested more than $100 million into refurbishing the resort’s 277 rooms, plus three new restaurants, five bars and a new foyer.
The refurbished Daydream Island Resort opened its doors in 2019, offering visitors snorkelling tours, jetski hire, Great Barrier Reef cruises and upgraded hotel rooms.
In 2022, visitors of Daydream Island Resort took to TikTok to speak out against the four star resort, after complaints of filthy pools, litter, overpriced food and mouldy rooms.
Heron Island
Originally a turtle cannery in the 1920s, Heron Island is a coral cay in the Great Barrier Reef, home to Heron Island Resort, owned by Aldesta Hotel Group who also own the neighbouring Wilson Island.
The resort sold to the Canada-based company in 2017 for an undisclosed amount following 16 months on the market by real estate company JJL Hotels and Hospitality.
Heron Island also houses The University of Queensland Research Station, the largest island-based research station in the Southern Hemisphere which guests can tour, in addition to the island’s World Heritage-listed marine national park.
Wilson Island
Eight times smaller than its neighbouring Heron Island, Wilson Island is a coral cay 80 kilometres off the coast of Gladstone owned by Canadian company Aldesta Hotel Group.
Formerly owned by American hospitality group Delaware North, Wilson Island was purchased by Aldesta on a rolling lease in 2017 and was reopened as an adult-only resort in 2019 after a $2.8 investment to return the island to its former glory following cyclone damage in 2014.
Only accessible by a 40-minute boat ride from Heron Island, Wilson Island accommodates 18 guests at any one time, and provides guests with eco-tents, gourmet meals and access to the island’s private beach.
Lady Elliot Island
A small coral island at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, Lady Elliot Island is Commonwealth-owned, but is home to a resort which has been family run and operated for 19 years.
Peter Gash, alongside his family and business partners, became a leaseholder of Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort in 2005 and has turned the island into an eco-escape with snorkelling, diving and conservation projects to maintain marine sea life.
Mr Gash was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2020 for his efforts towards eco-tourism as well as his work in aviation as the owner and chief pilot of sister company Seair Pacific which conducts day tours to the Southern Great Barrier Reef from the Gold Coast and Brisbane.
Originally founded by Don Adams in 1969, the resort was owned by John and Judy French from 1985 until the lease was tendered in 2005 to Mr Gash and his family who are still custodians to this day.
Woppa/Great Keppel Island
For more than 15 years, Great Keppel Island and its former resort has sat abandoned and derelict.
Property development company Tower Holdings took ownership of the island resort which included four land and one marine lots in 2006 with plans for a $600 million redevelopment.
Plans involved the introduction of a new hotel, hundreds of villas and apartments, a marina and 18-hole golf course in a revitalisation proposal that was approved in 2013, but never eventuated.
Rumours spurred about investors looking to purchase the 970ha lease after no work despite development approval, with mining magnate Gina Rinehart rumoured to purchase the leasehold, but pulling out in May, 2022.
In April, 2023, the Queensland Government revoked Tower Holdings of their lease after failing to pay more than $800k in island and marine leases.
The former site of the resort is now unallocated state land which is to be reallocated with goals to boost and support tourism development, First Nations opportunities, local culture and the natural environment.
A draft plan was released in July, 2023, including plans for a jetty, gateway plaza, visitor and reef centre, amenities and boardwalks.
A master plan is currently being drafted.
READ MORE: GREAT KEPPEL REDEVELOPMENT DRAFT MASTER PLAN UNVEILED
Fitzroy Island
Currently in the process of a million-dollar makeover, Fitzroy Island Resort is fully Australian-owned by Doug Gamble and his family who have operated the tropical holiday destination since Mr Gamble bought the resort for $8 million in 2010.
Located 30km from Cairns, the 4.4ha resort is located on the 339ha national park which is also home to the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre.
The official operator of the resort and the island’s facilities, the Gamble family have put the resort on the market several times over the past few years, including in 2018 for $30m, in 2023 for $35m and currently, without a price guide.
Fitzroy Island is currently undergoing works including a $500k remodelling of the resort bathrooms, new recycled plastic flooring for their walkways, a $200k custom lift and a $270k redevelopment of the pool and pool bar.
Camp Island
Situated three kilometres off the shore, Camp Island is the second northerly island in the Whitsundays and home to Camp Island Lodge Whitsundays Resort, a four villa luxury accommodation, exclusive to the island.
A private 17.5ha island with 2.4ha of leasehold property, Camp Island Lodge was purchased for $1.35 million in September 2017 by three Brisbane couples, which includes Rob Siganto, former CEO of Bride Point Communications and current chair of The Moreton Bay Foundation.
Hayman Island
The most northerly island of the Whitsundays, Hayman Island is home to a 166-room luxury resort, owned by Malaysian company Mulpha.
InterContinental Hayman Island Resort reopened in August of 2019 after a $135 million refurbishment following damages from Cyclone Debbie in 2017.
One of three resorts to open in the Whitsundays in 2019, Hayman Island opened its doors with a brand new recreation centre, an indoor golf simulator, a gym, resort spa, kids club, and a number of water activities including snorkelling, fishing, sailing, diving and jetskiing.
Acquired by Mulpha in 2004, the island was once owned by Reg Ansett in 1947 who created the luxury Royal Hayman Hotel resort and opened it to the public in 1950.
Lindeman Island
Once the home to the luxurious Club Med Resort, Lindeman Island remains dilapidated to this day, as plans for its redevelopment has changed hands over the years, causing continuous delays.
Chinese company White Horse Group purchased the former island resort in 2011 for $12.5m following severe damages from Cyclone Yasi which forced the resort to formally shut down.
William Han of White Horse Group lodged $583m redevelopment plans to the Queensland Government which were approved to revitalise the tropical island escape in 2010, with plans to introduce 325 suite villas, six-star accommodation, an eco-tourism education centre, a nightclub, restaurants, bars, retail and a staff village.
The multimillion-dollar plans never eventuated and in March, 2023, Singapore-based Wells Smart Group purchased the island for $10.46m after Queensland developer Shaun Juniper pulled out of the sale.
The latest plans for the dilapidated resort were revealed in February of this year, with plans to refurbish the 210-room five-star hotel and introduce a new restaurant, bar, pool, spa, gym, event space, solar farm and nine-hole golf course.
Poole Island
A 20-hectare island in the Whitsundays, Poole Island was snatched up for close to $1 million in April, 2023 after being purchased by South Australian real estate owner Mike Dobbin.
The tiny island has two homes, one built in the late 1800s, another in the 1980s and includes a 215-metre runway.
Worthington Island
Located just off the coast of Gladstone, Worthington Island made headlines in 2021 after selling for less than the median Australian house price at just under $400k.
Craig Beckey, a Noosa man is the owner of the 69-acre island after purchasing it for $385k, which is home to farmlands, an orchard, a house and a well.
Hook Island
Situated between Hayman and Whitsunday Island, the 9.3ha Hook Island Lodge site recently sold for an undisclosed amount in May 2022 to Sydney hotelier and CEO of Meridian Australia, Glenn Piper.
After being devastated by multiple cyclones, the Whitsundays tropical holiday destination has remained abandoned for a decade, after closing its doors in 2013.
Sold by Tom Gibson of CBRE Hotels, Hook Island Lodge went under offer in its first week of public expressions of interest, with the sale price believed to be more than $10m as reported by The Australian.
Mr Piper plans to build a new $20m barefoot luxury resort in the island which already boasts two private beaches, more than one kilometre of water frontage and views of The Great Barrier Reef.
Mr Piper also owns a number of sites in NSW, including the Harbord Hotel and Q Station in Sydney’s Northern Beaches and the Beach Hotel Merewether in Newcastle.
Double Island
Once visited by Hollywood actors including Jennifer Aniston and Keanu Reeves, Double Island, off the cost of Palm Cove near Cairns is under the ownership of Hong Kong-based property tycoon Benny Wu.
Mr Wu, under his company Fortune Island Holding Company, purchased the 17.8ha island resort for $5.68 million in 2012, but has since remained abandoned, much to the dismay of locals and government.
As a condition of the island’s lease, it specifies that the island must be used for tourism purposes, and in April 2023, the state government’s Department of Resources issued an ultimatum that action must be taken toward the opening of the island otherwise Mr Wu would face forfeiture action.
In October, 2023, formal legal proceedings against Mr Wu’s company began, with the forfeiture of the Double Island lease, still up in the air.
READ MORE: QLD GOVERNMENT FILES CASE OVER DOUBLE ISLAND LEASE
Originally published as From regular Joes to multi-millionaires: Who owns Qld’s private islands, resorts
Leaders expose Bleijie’s arrogance in hiding from debate stage
Steven Miles and David Crisafulli’s willingness to debate and face tough voter questions have again shone the spotlight on Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie’s unacceptable cop-out in refusing to face his opponent.
Hawks AFLW fly north to claim Cazalys fortress
Hawthorn’s AFLW side fly into Cairns looking to make their Northern Nest a fortress beginning with Thursday night’s blockbuster against Melbourne to kick off Indigenous Round.