Qld restaurant famous for George the giant groper goes bust

An iconic Far North Queensland restaurant whose most famous guest was a 250kg giant groper has gone bust as COVID-19 decimates the region’s tourism market.

An iconic Far North Queensland restaurant whose most famous guest was a 250kg giant groper has gone bust as COVID-19 decimates the region’s tourism market.

Liquidator Roger Grant, of Orange Tree Insolvency, this week was appointed to Port Douglas’ Willow Inlet, trading as On the Inlet Seafood Restaurant. The company owes creditors an estimated $566,000, including about $100,000 to the Australian Taxation Office.

Company directors Geoff Parmenter and Alison Diamond have told customers they gave it “their best shot” but in the current climate they could not keep the doors open.

Far North Queensland has been among the worst hit regions due to the pandemic shutdown as both international and domestic tourism was shut down.

On the Inlet was best known for the giant groper fish called George who was fed every afternoon by restaurant staff from the marina. A You Tube video of George being fed with a fish supper in 2009 has been viewed by more than 200,000 people.

ON the Inlet was a local landmark in Port Douglas

The restaurant can trace its roots back to the 1990s when the owners sold local seafood from an old caravan. From 1996 to 2017, it operated from premises on the tourist town’s waterfront but was closed for the redevelopment of the Crystalbrook Superyacht Marina. It re-opened in 2017 in nearby Wharf St.

After closing during the initial COVID-19 lockdown, it briefly opened again in July 2020 but struggled as tourism numbers waned.

Liquidator Mr Grant said On the Inlet like other restaurants in the region was heavily dependent on international tourism that had been hit by pandemic border closures.

“International visitors made up about a third of its business with the rest coming predominantly from visitors from NSW and Victoria,” said Mr Grant. “Once you pull a third of your turnover out of a business, you cannot be profitable.

“What you are seeing in places like Port Douglas are a lot of vacant shops. Even with borders opening up there is still reluctance for people to travel.”

Mr Grant said the restaurant also had trouble accessing staff, many of whom came from overseas. Mr Grant said there would be lasting changes in the tourism sector even after borders start opening. “A lot of people are buying holiday homes in regional areas and working from them,” he said. “Caravanning also is taking off.”