25 May 2021
Words
Tony Raggatt Townsville Daily Bulletin
Holiday park and backpackers at Mission Beach hit the market
More assets in the stricken Mayfair group are on the market with two major accommodation properties in Mission Beach being offered for sale by ResortBrokers on behalf of receivers.
ResortBrokers has launched two expressions of interest campaigns to sell the Bali Hai Beachfront Cabin Holiday Park and a former Mission Beach backpackers resort.
ResortBrokers has been engaged by McGrathNicol, the receivers and managers to a group of companies including Mainland Property Holdings Ptd Ltd.
Mainland group homes and land were put to the market late last year.
Bali Hai Beachfront Cabin Holiday Park is set on 11.22 hectares land with prime beach frontage and views to nearby Dunk Island.
Approximately 2 hectares of the property has been utilised to date with 33 existing powered sites and extensive cleared areas for unpowered accommodation, with various onsite amenities including a 40 seat restaurant.
A Development Approval has also been granted for up to 86 sites to be developed on the property. The property also includes extensive natural vegetation and habitat for the endangered and iconic Cassowary population that are endemic to the Cassowary Coast region, providing a unique guest experience.
The former backpackers resort is set on 3,642 square metres and features a 15 room dormitory that could accommodate up to 50 people, and a separate building comprising of five separate rooms. Other amenities include an in-ground swimming pool, a BBQ area set in secluded tropical gardens, an office/kiosk, a single bedroom manager’s flat, and an open-plan common area with shared kitchen facilities.
Both properties are considered to be prime development opportunities in Wongaling Beach, being one of the four villages spread along the idyllic 14km of beaches of the Cassowary Coast, with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park at the doorstep.
“Both assets are in ideal locations and are ready for redevelopment or expansion of the existing facilities and we’ve already received strong interest from a diverse range of different investors and developers,” ResortBrokers far north Queensland specialist Shane Croghan said.
“We’re also undergoing a really major shift with a domestic tourism boom, because of international border closures,” Mr Croghan said.
“Mission Beach is much more of a domestic tourism destination, especially for the Sydney and Melbourne market, and it has largely been unaffected by the absence of international visitors, unlike places like Port Douglas and Cairns.
“Bali Hai provides an incoming operator with the opportunity to develop the site or continue its current operations as a tourist park.
“There are several options including the chance to create a fully-fledged mixed-use tourist resort, expand the current facilities, or design an upmarket retirement village.”
In addition to Mission Beach’s abundance of natural beauty and diverse tourism options, the region has a strong agricultural industry with sugar farming, banana plantations and tropical fruit production based in the region.
“As Queensland and the Mission Beach region has high demand for seasonal agricultural workers, the former backpackers resort presents a unique opportunity for an investor to offer an accommodation option in a tropical location for seasonal workers who wish enjoy the benefits of living and working in the far north Queensland,” Mr Croghan said.
Both being properties are being offered on a vacant possession basis, and are closely located to key shopping facilities and local amenities that service the Cassowary Coast region.
A few kilometres off the coast of Mission Beach, are islands including the uninhabited Combe and Wheeler islands, and the tourist destinations Dunk and Bedarra Islands.
ResortBrokers Managing Director Trudy Crooks, who is handling the EOI campaign with Mr Croghan, said over the past three months there has been strong enquiry levels on Mission Beach. The EOI campaign closes on Friday May 14, 2021.
