White on Whitehaven Long Lunch organiser blames backlash on ‘lousy weather’

Guests who paid as much as $2000 for a ticket to an exclusive lunch on Queensland’s famous Whitehaven Beach have shared their not-so-glamorous experiences in a bid to get refunds. SEE THE VIDEOS

The organiser of the luxurious White on Whitehaven Long Lunch has responded to guests’ demands for their money back after “atrocious” weather and a distressing medical incident took the shine off the event’s second day.

Fish D’Vine owner Kev Collins said he would not be issuing refunds to “disgruntled” attendees of the Sunday, May 30 event, as doing so would not be fair to the majority of the 750 ticket holders who had not complained.

Responding to claims that Sunday’s three hour event was plagued by issues including 2.5 hours of “torrential” rain and “extreme” wind which blew over marquees and “soaked” the gourmet meals, Mr Collins said he was “desperately sorry” some people had not enjoyed themselves and “wished [he] could control the weather”.

He confirmed a young woman had required medical attention during and after the event, but said he was “not qualified” to say what the issue was, except that she initially appeared “very ill” then “stable” as she walked to an ambulance on returning to the mainland.

Mr Collins said he had had “a few” requests for refunds over the past week, to which he had personally responded, but maintained there was nothing organisers could have done to prevent the inclement weather interfering with the day.

“We had beautiful weather on Saturday and an almost identical forecast for Sunday so we went ahead on that basis,” Mr Collins said.

“There’s absolutely no doubt the weather ruined it for some people, but that’s the risk with any outdoor event, and it’s a shared risk between the organiser and the participant,” he said.

This social media post about the untold story of the glamorous White on Whitehaven event attracted more than 80 comments sharing similar experiences. Picture: Facebook.

One attendee who travelled from Brisbane for the event, and paid $800 for a ticket for herself and a partner, said she was shocked to see “men peeing everywhere,” including near the dining area, because of the difficulty of accessing toilets on board a ferry on rough seas.

Other guests shared similar accounts on social media, also reporting the off-putting sight of people “spewing” on the boat transfers to and from the lunch.

Mr Collins said in the 20 or so years he had run the event, the toilet arrangements had always been the same and had never presented any issues in fine weather.

He said Whitsunday Regional Council gave the event $5000 to ensure “non-stop” barge rides to and from the ferry for anyone who needed to use the toilets, and staff had done their best to keep pouring drinks and serving food “with a smile on their face” in difficult conditions.

The state government had also chipped in for the event, to the tune of $40,000, but Mr Collins said “100 per cent” of that amount went into marketing overseen by Tourism Whitsunday, including arranging TV promotions and high profile guests, with none of it available for weather-proof facilities or extra toilets.
Tourism Whitsundays declined to answer questions, stating that they were not the organisers of the event and any queries should be directed to Mr Collins.