Inside new supermarket being built at Bamaga on Cape York

A small FNQ town will have a supermarket double the size of the current store by mid-next year. Take a look inside.

A bigger, newer IBIS supermarket will provide Bamaga residents and tourists with a wider array of food options, as construction on the project steams toward its 2023 opening.

The supermarket, due for a grand opening in mid-2023, will be double the size of the current centre at over 800 sq m.

The under-construction CEQ Bamaga store.

Community Enterprise Queensland CEO Michael Dykes said the new store will be a major addition for both Bamaga residents and visitors to the tight-knit community.

“Our aim is for the team and people of Bamaga to be proud of their new store, which will

provide a focused range, quality fruit and vegetables, and healthy food options,” he said.

Renderings of the under-construction CEQ Bamaga store.

Mr Dykes also highlighted architects had done a “fantastic job” with capturing the

essence of the Northern Peninsula Area with the building’s colour, shape, and structure.

Bamaga local Trish Bartlett said during tourist season there was typically a real “fight for food”, with more people to feed and only a small supermarket to do so.

“If tourists don’t come prepared and pack their own food, they leave nothing left for the

locals to buy … and that’s becoming a serious problem” she said.

Renderings of the under-construction CEQ Bamaga store.

“Having a bigger shopping centre will take the pressure off the locals and make healthy and

fresh eating more manageable.”

The Bamaga store follows a similar design concept to the new IBIS Supermarket on Horn

Island and Darnley Island, which opened 2020 and 2021 respectively.

Originally published as Inside new supermarket being built at Bamaga on Cape York