Future of proposed Momentus Hotels and Resorts Waterfront hotel under sacred site cloud

Darwin Waterfront’s $100m hotel development is in the balance, with the owner sweating on sacred site approvals by traditional owners. Read the exclusive report.

Darwin Waterfront’s $100m hotel development is in the balance, with the developer sweating on sacred site approvals by traditional owners.

Singaporean hotel chain CEL Australia announced in May it would build, own and operate a 236-room Darwin Convention Centre hotel.

The four-star hotel would be operated under CEL’s own brand, Momentus Hotels and Resorts, and if built would be the first Momentus hotel in Australia.

One of the renders of the proposed new hotel.

But little has been heard of the project since the announcement, and the June release of schematic drawings that showcased a 10-storey flat-roofed building adjacent to the Convention Centre.

Fears have emerged among Darwin business heads the project could be derailed by sacred site objections which have emerged in the months since the announcement was made.

CEL Australia executive director Robert Lee said the company was waiting for Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority certification approval before work on the project could begin.

He said the paperwork was lodged in August, with the company hoping for approvals before Christmas.

Mr Lee said the company remained as keen as ever to build the hotel and that the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority had arranged meetings with TOs in October and November.

Mr Lee said he was available to fly from Adelaide to Darwin at short notice if traditional owner stakeholders requested further discussions.

The tawny frogmouth could stop a $100m hotel project.

“We lodged the application in August and we’re waiting for approvals now,” Mr Lee said.

“We’re not concerned. We’ve done as normal and now we’re waiting for certificates to be approved.

“We were expecting it before Christmas and it didn’t happen, but we are still very keen to build the hotel, and we’re standing by.”

Mr Lee said AAPA approval would trigger the completion of design and construction drawings, prior to construction commencing later this year.

“We currently have the design drawings and once approved we will commence the design and construction drawings,” he said.

“If they say ‘no’ we would have to consider the reasons why TOs said no. We are new to Darwin and respect the Larrakia people and culture.

“If they do say ‘no’ and there are no solutions we will seriously have to consider the future of the project. We do have to respect the locals and we don’t want to upset anybody. We’re not here to make people upset, we’re here to do a project.”

A source close to negotiations said the sacred site was a small hill next to the Convention Centre carpark where the hotel would be built, and said among the TOs concerns was that hotel guests would be able to look through their windows down onto the site.

Nigel Browne, chief executive of the Larrakia Development Corporation

It was noted that clear aerial images of the site are accessible on the internet via Google Maps and Google Earth.

The hill was registered as a sacred site in 2006, which relates to the tawny frogmouth owl.

Larrakia Development Corporation was part of a joint-venture proposal to develop a waterfront hotel during a previous attempt to develop at the site.

Larrakia Development Corporation owns 50 per cent of the Adina Vibe hotel at the Waterfront.

LDC chairman Mark Motlop confirmed there was a sacred site at the spot.

He declined to address the organisation’s previous interest in building its own hotel at the same location.

He referred this masthead to LDC chief executive Nigel Brown, who did not respond to numerous requests for comment.

An AAPA spokesman said talks had not delivered a resolution.

“The Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority has been working to support the Waterfront hotel development while protecting an adjacent Aboriginal sacred site,” the spokesman said.

“Larrakia custodians have consulted in good faith regarding the design of the hotel but ultimately it is a matter for the developer.”

The sacred hill, pictured in early January 2025.

Territory government and business figures are worried the project will be cancelled because national and global corporations are generally reluctant to become involved in disputes around Indigenous culture and heritage.

A government spokesman involved in securing major projects in the Territory expressed deep concern at the continual erosion of certainty and approvals making it harder to get projects out of the ground.

A business figure pointed to the decision by Endeavour to scrap plans to build a Dan Murphy’s liquor outlet on airport land in Millner on the back of objections to the proposal by senior elders.

“No national or international corporation wants to be seen to be or actually be in a dispute with an Indigenous organisation over a cultural or heritage matter,” she said.

The Larrakia cultural centre is under construction.

“The only outcome for that organisation is bad media and the whiff that they don’t care about heritage and culture, which can be badly received overseas or in southern Australia.

“What’s never taken into account is the fact that Darwin is desperate for more development, to say nothing of the need for new hotel accommodation.”

Larrakia Development Corporation has a strong recent history of opposing developments, last year belatedly announcing it opposed the Lee Point residential development after having initially supported the project.

It has also raised concerns about the impact of industrial development at Middle Arm due to Aboriginal rock art.

Directly across the road from where the hotel would be built, Larrakia Development Corporation is currently building a $56m Larrakia Cultural Centre.