Palmer Coolum Resort mystery: Tradies locked out of $100m refurbishment

Tradies were locked out and police were called on Wednesday as mystery surrounds the future of a $100m refurbishment at a Clive Palmer-owned resort on the Sunshine Coast.

The main gates of the Palmer Coolum Resort remained closed about 11.30am on August 9.

Concerns have been raised with the $100m renovation project at Clive Palmer’s Sunshine Coast resort after workers were locked out on Wednesday morning.

Residents said they saw workers locked outside the Palmer Coolum Resort site at Yaroomba on Wednesday.

A spokesman for Mr Palmer said talk of terminations and a potential sale were “not true” and that it was a “storm in a tea-cup”.

“The resort will reopen later this year or early next year,” he said.

Mr Palmer announced the $100m refurbishment of the resort in 2021 after he closed the resort in 2015.

Workers were gathered outside of the Palmer Coolum Resort in Yaroomba on the morning of August 9.

Six hundred jobs were lost during the closure.

Mount Coolum resident of more than 30 years Skye Marsh said she saw a group of tradespeople locked out.

Skye Marsh says she saw "all the boys" waiting to get their tools back.

“I saw all the boys waiting out the front trying to get their tools back,” she said.

Ms Marsh said she and her mum had worked at resort before Clive Palmer took it over.

Coolum Police officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant Hardy Wirth said officers were called by security on behalf of resort management about 7am.

“It was a dispute between the management and the workers this morning,” he said.

The police officer said it was a peaceful incident and “was resolved” soon after police were called.

Indy Berryman noticed the workers standing at one of the entrances to the Palmer Coolum Resort from about 6am.

Fellow resident Indy Berryman said she saw lots of workers standing out the front from about 6am at one of the resort entrances.

The main gates remained shut about 11.30am.

Another resident, who did not want to be named, said it looked like business as usual on the Warrack St side of the resort Tuesday, August 8.

However, on Wednesday morning a single front-end loader picked up a load and then nothing further happened, she said.

The main gates of the Palmer Coolum Resort remained closed about 11.30am on August 9.

She also said she saw a removal van at the golf club caretaker’s Warrack St home early this morning.

Ms Marsh said “a lot” of her friends and family lost their jobs when Mr Palmer first took over the resort.

“This has been going on for two years, him trying to do the place back up again,” she said.