Chris Morris has two pieces of advice for the new cohort of wealthy Australians buying tropical Queensland island resorts: keep them exclusive, and don’t expect to make money.

The Computershare co-founder, who bought Orpheus Island north of Townsville in 2011, says restricting the number of guests to no more than 28 has been one of the secrets of its success. “Initially, when we bought the Orpheus Island Lodge, we planned to add another 10 units but we realised if we had a high number of rooms, we would struggle to fill the resort,” Morris tells The Australian Financial Review Magazine.