After Almost two decades in the making, Shute Harbour Marina Resort is forecasting a start of construction for the middle of next year, with plans to be fully operational by 2025.
Offering 395 private berths and 24 waterfront land and berth packages, the development is forecast to provide a ‘safe haven’ for boat owners.
In the past two years Queensland has experienced a doubling of boat registrations which is touted as potentially leading to a shortage of marina berths.
This is coupled with insurance companies requiring owners to seek permanent berths for their vessels, especially in cyclone prone areas like the Whitsundays.
These factors, combined with the natural beauty of the area, led to Adelaide developers choosing Shute Harbour to become a unique and modern marina, the first one built in the region for over 10 years.
Shute Harbour Managing Director, Sam Wade, said that over 450 jobs will be provided in the two-and-a-half-year construction phase and a further 250 in operation thereafter.
Taylors Property Specialists are working with developers to sell the lucrative berth and land packages, with Principal Rob Taylor saying they have received over 3000 enquiries and half are already sold.
To celebrate the successful project and connect with the community, Shute Harbour Marina Resort hosted a special event last week which included a talk by well-known researcher Peter Bell from Aurelius.
He presented his report findings and outlined the need for a marina of this calibre in the Whitsundays.
“Over half (57 per cent) of marinas in Queensland had a waiting list for boat storage spaces during their peak seasons,” said the report.
There are 10,678 wet berths in Queensland, with 61 per cent of these located in the state’s south-east.
North of Bundaberg there are 4,117 marina berths, and just 49 are for sale, leaving just 1.2 per cent of the supply available.
Attending the special event, held at the Volunteer Marine Rescue Centre in Cannonvale, were a mix of marine operators, professionals and local councillors.
After the presentation, a panel took questions with the central theme being the environment – where the dredge spoil would be taken and whether water quality would be affected.
Mr Wade reassured the community that water quality measures would be taken and that the dredge spoil would be removed from the area.
Shute Harbour Marina Resort is owned by a 100 per cent Australian consortium and has a small group of shareholders making decisions.
The development will cost $350 million and will be one of the biggest residential-resort projects for North Queensland in more than a decade.
Shute Harbour Marina Resort Developer Sam Wade, researcher Peter Bell and Rob Taylor from Taylors Property Specialists
Over 30 people attended the special event held in Cannonvale last week
