QLD Development News
HOOK ISLAND OWNER FILES CYCLONE-PROOF RESORT PLAN
Author: Renee McKeown Urban Developer
Renders of the approved triple-tower development at Newstead.
Sydney hotelier Glenn Piper announced his Epochal Hotels planned to build on Hook Island a few years after acquiring the 25-year leasehold for the 9.3ha holding in the Great Barrier Reef archipelago. A consortium led by Epochal has now filed a Luxury Frontiers-designed scheme, comprising 39 cabins, two restaurants, pools, wellness spaces, adventure activities and an arrival pavilion, with the Whitsunday Regional Council. Piper said that the plan had always been to restore the island closed since 2013. Previous owners Bauenort received state funding in 2021 to demolish 10 buildings and take 225 tonnes of waste o ff the island. This has handed Epochal a blank slate, with Piper telling media “that was a real benefit”. “We are the only island that has that opportunity to start from scratch and use all of those technologies so we create resilient structures which are also very eco-friendly,” he said. “This project has been a labour of love; we’ve poured our hearts into blending thoughtful design with a profound respect for the island’s heritage and delicate ecosystem.” As disastrous weather again batters the region, a Whitsunday Island’s owners have revealed plans for a $40-million cyclone-proof resort it hopes to get under way by the middle of this year.
70 – February / March 2025
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