Clive Palmer vows to spend $100m redeveloping his Sunshine Coast Coolum Resort

The resort, once a jewel of the Sunshine Coast, will get replicas of the Wonders of the World and famous landmarks including a full-size Trevi Fountain.

The Clive Palmer-owned Palmer Coolum Resort has been closed since 2015. Inset is a photo of the in-ground pool near the villas pictured in November 2020.

Mining billionaire Clive Palmer has vowed to spend $100m redeveloping his Coolum Resort on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast after it fell into disrepair soon after he bought it a decade ago.

The Palmer Coolum Resort redevelopment will include replicas of the Wonders of the World and famous historic landmarks including a full-size Trevi Fountain.

Jeff the Tyrannosaurus at Clive Palmer’s Coolum resort. Picture: Megan Slade

Around 300 premium studio, two and three bedroom apartments will be refurbished in the luxury upgrade which will also feature seven restaurants and the total renovation of the Village Square at the heart of the resort which was once one of Australia’s premium luxury enterprises.

Mr Palmer said 100 tradespeople and construction staff were already on site at the resort near Noosa, with a further 100 expected to be employed on the project by midyear, ahead of an anticipated opening of stage one in the second half of 2022.

This was confirmed by local businessmen who said works had begun around three weeks ago, adding that the resort’s villas and suites were being renovated one at a time.

A centrepiece of the revitalised Palmer Coolum Resort will be the Robert Trent Jones Jnr-designed golf course, the former home of 11 Australian PGA Championships.

Rundown villas at the Palmer Coolum Resort, which was once the jewel of the Sunshine Coast. Picture: Lachie Millard.

“The resort will be returned to beyond its former glory, stimulating jobs and economic growth for the region,’’ Mr Palmer claimed.

Mr Palmer said the Sunshine Coast has suffered due to the massive downturn in tourism over the past 12 months and will face further economic hardships once the JobKeeper program finishes.

Clive Palmer’s Coolum resort has fallen into disrepair in recent years. Picture: Patrick Woods.

“This project will provide much needed economic stimulus during construction and into the future as a major visitor drawcard for the region,” said Mr Palmer, the former Federal Member for Fairfax.

He challenged Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk to step up her investment in Queensland’s beleaguered tourism industry.

“I am also calling on others who have been fortunate in business to do what they can to get Queensland moving again,’’ Mr Palmer said.

But in Cairns yesterday, Ms Palaszczuk was asked about Mr Palmer’s promises to redevelop his Coolum resort. “I’ll believe it when I see it,” she said.

The mining magnate bought the Palmer Coolum Resort, which was previously known as the Hyatt Regency Coolum for around $80m in 2011.

Since then Mr Palmer has been embroiled in legal wrangles with the various shareholder owners of some of the sprawling resort’s villas while the resort’s once thriving restaurants and boutique shops have long been shut.

Even Mr Palmer’s prized “Palmersaurus’” dinosaur park which had around 160 life size creastures has been left to the elements.

Local Noosa businessman Tom Offermann of Tom Offermann Real Estate said Coolum is a world class resort and it’s re-opening would be good for Noosa.

“This will inject a lot of business back into the local economy of Coolum which was devastated when it shut down,” Mr Offermann said.

“It’s a world class resort, this is goood for Noosa and this will inject a lot of business back into the local ecoomy of Coolum which was devastated when it shut down,” Mr Offermann said.

“It’s a very positive thing for the Sunshine Coast having such a premium resort being re-opened.”

“We are all very pleased to see it being reopened. So many people have such fond memories of their stays and of golfing functions at Coolum.

“There will be a lot of excited people scrambling to book their next holiday there,” Mr Offerman foreshadowed.