Queensland’s Whitsundays left in ruins as foreign owners abandon resorts

Haunting images show some of the formerly shining jewels of Australian tourism, left to rot after being abandoned by their foreign owners.

They were once the jewels in the crown of some of Australia’s top holiday destinations, glitzy and aspirational resorts that drew holiday-makers near and far.

Now, haunting images reveal the current state of disrepair of some of these former top resorts that have been left to rot by their foreign owners.

And locals are calling for those owners to use it or lose it.

Queensland’s once great Capricorn Resort near Yeppoon in its heyday.

The resort has fallen into disrepair under foreign ownership. Picture: Facebook

The former luxury property Laguna Quays near Airlie Beach has also fallen on hard times.

One of those resorts is the Japanese-owned Iwasaki Resort in Yeppoon, on Queensland’s Capricorn Coast.

It boasted hundreds of suites, bars and eateries, a world-class golf course and the southern hemisphere’s largest swimming pool when it opened in the late 1980s.

But after years of neglect, the Capricorn resort has fallen into ruin, with no firm plan to revive it.

The golf course at Capricorn Resort remained in operation while the rest of the site went to rot.

Steven Jenkins snapped this photo of the abandoned resort in Yeppoon. Picture: Facebook

It’s a similar story at the once-grand but now derelict Laguna Quays, near Airlie Beach.

The formerly glittering resort on the doorstep of the Great Barrier Reef, which featured a golf course designed by Greg Norman, went bankrupt three years after it opened with fanfare in 1992.

It was bought by a Hong Kong company eight years ago and has been left to rot.

Whitsunday state MP Amanda Camm said the Queensland government needed to step in and manage the situation.

The abandoned Laguna Quays in the north of the Mackay region, near Midge Point.

The Laguna Quays resort in happier times. Picture: Peter Holt/Daily Mercury

The filthy pool at Laguna Quays now.

“The State Government needs to address this, and they need to be looking at in particular, the foreign ownership models that exists,” Ms Camm told A Current Affair on Tuesday.

“That (Laguna Quays) asset has been sitting there for almost a decade, with no investment.

“To see development completely stalled, and in fact, goes silent and just pushed out for years and years in abeyance, you know, if they don’t want to use it, then they should lose it.”

Similar fates have befallen several formerly great resorts in top tourism regions. Picture: A Current Affair

Locals are calling for state intervention into the foreign ownership models. Picture: A Current Affair

Ms Camm, who visited the region’s resorts as a child, said the sight was “heartbreaking”.

The abandoned resorts aren’t just an eyesore — they’re having a direct impact on locals.

At Keswick Island off Mackay, owner China Bloom locked visitors out of the national park and barred access to a public beach. Locals were also evicted from the island.

Keswick Island. Picture: Mackay Tourism

Ms Camm is calling for a state parliamentary inquiry into the management of all Queensland islands.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the Queensland state government has lost control when it comes to island management,” she told A Current Affair.

“It’s not just this island but there’s other islands as well.”

A rundown lodge at Laguna Quays. Picture: Scott Radford-Chisholm

Turtle Point Golf Course at Laguna Quays when it was in pristine condition.

Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Daniel Gschwind told the program the sight of the resorts set a “bad reputation” for tourism investments.

“We have to remember that they’re very precious assets in sometimes very precious environments,” he said.

“So if they don’t deliver what they promise, then certainly, we should see how it can be resolved and how their community can get some benefit out of these.”