Livingstone Mayor Belot and Keppel MP Hutton to also visit Chinese owners of rundown Zilzie resort

A Queensland MP and mayor are Japan-bound for face-to-face talks with the Iwasaki boss over stalled plans for the once-grand Capricorn Resort with a stop also planned in China over the future of another Great Barrier Reef gem.

Could we soon see a return to the glory days at the Capricorn Resort pool?

Livingstone Mayor Adam Belot and Keppel MP Nigel Hutton are set to fly to Japan to meet the head of the Iwasaki Group in a bid to reignite stalled redevelopment plans for the dilapidated Capricorn Resort.

The massive 331 room tourism attraction has fallen into a state of decay since it was almost completely shut down nearly a decade ago with the loss of 300 jobs.

The delegation will also visit China to meet with the Yuexing Group, the owners of the Great Barrier Reef Resort at Zilze, which has also been left dormant and run down since it closed in 2014.

A photo of the pool at the rundown Capricorn Resort.

Cr Belot said they believed the meetings were vital for the fast-growing Capricorn Coast region which was desperate to see reinvestment in the former tourist attractions and also provide a boost to accommodation options.

He said they would be championing housing and tourism opportunities for the Iwasaki and Yuexing Group landholdings.

The first meeting in early March is with Mr Yoshitaro Iwasaki.

“We thought it was important to be proactive to go over there and take our plans to him that we believe are important for moving Iwasaki forward into the next century,” Cr Belot said.

“One of things, among a whole range of residential scenarios, is the future of the resort.”

Pool area and accommodation building three at Capricorn International Resort Yeppoon in 1998.

He said they believed reinvigorating the resort should be a joint priority for the council, the Queensland Government and the Iwasaki Group.

Cr Belot said the visit would focus on listening to Mr Iwasaki’s and the Yuexing Group’s priorities and questions while recognising the urgency of leveraging current economic and tourism growth demand to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes.

A report presented at this week’s council meeting provided historical background to the Capricorn Resort which dates back to 1972 with Iwasaki Sanygo Co buying 930 hectares of coastal land to the north of Yeppoon to develop an international resort, a massive pool, numerous bars and eateries, a Japanese garden and restaurant, a world-class golf course and a Wagyu beef property.

Yohachiro Iwasaki, the Japanese holiday resort developer at Yeppoon, in 1986.

The 331 room Capricorn Resort opened in 1986 to much political fanfare and was immediately popular attracting many thousands of locals and tourists.

It was one of the major tourist destinations on the Capricorn Coast, employing between 300 and 350 people at any one time.

By 2013 the resort was in need of an upgrade and Iwasaki submitted plans for a $600 million dollar project including a 300 room five-star resort, refurbishment of the existing 331 rooms, airstrip, residential community and village centre.

The resort was closed in 2016 with only the golf course and Japanese restaurant currently open for business.

In 2022 Iwasaki withdrew its application for the development of the Capricorn Integrated Resort from the Queensland Government.

Council said it had “consistently assured Iwasaki representatives that any variation to the development application would be handled with the highest priority by Council via a flexible development pathway” but there had been little sign of real progress.

The Capricorn Resort near Yeppoon is only running a restaurant and one golf course. Supplied: Phil Buckman

The Great Barrier Reef International Resort in Zilzie has also fallen into a sorry state of disrepair with the abandoned golf course being used for jumping practice by four-wheel drive enthusiasts.

The resort, which was built in May 2006 by developer Chris Dadson and refurbished in 2013, was supposed to include conference facilities, hillside condominiums, a water sports centre, two golf courses and residential lots.

But it closed in 2014 and in 2019 the Yuexing Group purchased the 260 hectare property with the intention of developing a world class integrated resort and residential development however there has been no visible progress and little communication since Covid 2020.

Both Mr Hutton and Cr Belot said they believed it was “time for action” to get both resorts up and running and they had received enthusiastic responses from both owners regarding the March meetings.

Capricorn Integrated Resort in decades gone by.

Cr Belot said they would be presenting Mr Iwasaki with “very sensible and practice development concepts” for residential growth in areas which were away from sensitive vegetation and dunal locations.

Livingstone Shire Council mayor, Adam Belot

“Help them understand what would work well for our community here as opposed to something that will get a lot of push back for good reasons,” he said.

He said another option to discuss was the possible sale of the resort and land.

“Is there another proponent that may look at buying it if Iwasaki don’t want to proceed with the resort anymore?” he asked

“Would they consider selling it to anyone who wants to run a resort there.”

One of the key areas they want to make progress on is improving access issue to both Farnborough Beach (which runs past Iwasaki’s land) and Muskers Beach which is adjacent to the Zilzie property.

The cost of the mayor’s trip with one council officer at a cost of about $3000 for accommodation and flights received unanimous support at this week’s council meeting.

Mr Hutton will pay his own way.

Nigel Hutton Keppel MP.

Originally published as Livingstone Mayor Belot and Keppel MP Hutton to also visit Chinese owners of rundown Zilzie resort