Offers made for Whitsundays resort 'comparable to Hamilton Island'

An artists' impression of an overwater gondola service at Stone Island. (Supplied: Richard Vanhoff) Five parties have put forward expressions of interest to purchase Stone Island in the Whitsundays. The 92-hectare lot next to a small community comes with a master plan for a new resort and is expected to cost up to $23 million. The seller is organising inspections of the island property. Link copiedShareShare articleA proposed resort and overwater gondola at a Whitsundays island is a step closer to becoming reality, after attracting expressions of interest from several possible buyers. Stone Island, just under 2 kilometres from the North Queensland town of Bowen, was placed back on the market last month with fresh details of its proposed development. Richard Vanhoff is managing the sale of the 92-hectare lot and said he had received opening offers from five interested buyers in the past two weeks. "They're happy to pay $23 million," he said. Locals use the waters near Stone Island for snorkelling and fishing. (Supplied: Richard Vanhoff) A master plan for a new resort on the land includes 18 oceanfront homes, nearly a dozen bungalows and an upgraded guests' lodge in "Dutch-Indies-style" architecture. Its landmark feature is a yet-to-be-approved cable car service connecting tourists from a lookout on Flagstaff Hill in Bowen to the island. Richard Vanhoff manages sales of private islands and resorts in Queensland. (Supplied: Richard Vanhoff) "If they adopt that, they get a fairly decent-sized resort comparable to Hamilton [Island], I suspect — without the airport," Mr Vanhoff said. Despite the plans, Mr Vanhoff said interested parties might have their "own ideas" about how the resort should look. Stone Island has been on the market since October last year and has struggled to find new investors to take over from owners who include former rugby league star Jarrod McCracken. Zara Butler says the proposed overwater gondola could take away from the beauty of the area. (Supplied: Zara Butler) Bowen resident Zara Butler said access to the area had been limited since she moved to the town 20 years ago. "I think there should be access for locals to be able to just go over and have a wander around on the island," she said. Stone Island's original wharf was built in the 1940s, connecting visitors to its first resort. A guests' lodge on Stone Island is set to be upgraded. (Supplied) A new wharf and floating pontoon were built at the island after it was damaged by Cyclone Debbie in 2017. Ms Butler said investment in the region was welcome but she had concerns a bigger development with cable cars might affect the charm of the town. "We love to have the tourists come and visit us," she said. "But then, we moved to Bowen for the laid-back lifestyle, being a small town." Bowen boasts a population of about 10,000 people and has been earmarked for council-led developments including a new jetty and a precinct for multi-storey accommodation. Bowen is one of the oldest towns in Queensland. (Supplied: Bowen Tourism) Whitsunday councillor John Finlay said a resort development would "complement the growth of Bowen", but he had doubts whether a cable car could be more efficient than a ferry service. "You'd have to really weigh up the business case for a gondola type of set-up, to see whether or not that's viable," Cr Finlay said. A proposed overwater gondola would connect to North Head Island (pictured) and Stone Island. (ABC Tropical North: Bryn Wakefield) The Whitsunday Regional Council approved the construction of 18 villas and a restaurant on the island in 2023, as part of the master plan. Mr Vanhoff said there was "no date" to the end-of-sale period, so he could gather as many expressions of interest as possible before inspections. Copy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)PromotionTop StoriesPay boost for millions as 'wild card' war puts pressure on economyLIVE

Offers made for Whitsundays resort 'comparable to Hamilton Island'

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