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A private island in the Whitsundays has been purchased by the founder of one of Australia’s largest privately owned property development firms.
Shaun Juniper of the Juniper Group completed the acquisition of Lindeman Island on the pristine Whitsunday archipelago.
The 637-hectare island, which doubles as a national park, is located 15 kilometres from Hamilton Island and accessible by a 20-minute boat trip from Hamilton Island Airport, a 40-minute boat ride from Airlie Beach or small charter and helicopters to the island’s airstrip.
All relevant parties, which include Mr Juniper’s wife Sam, are working through the relevant Queensland government approvals with a view of completion in the first quarter of 2023. Mr and Mrs Juniper promised to collaborate with the state government to ensure the continuation of Lindeman Island as a showpiece of the Sunshine State and its crown jewel, the Great Barrier Reef.
Boasting seven beaches, the island comprises 136 hectares of perpetual leasehold and four term leases on the southern end of the island, including the closed resort, golf course, and airstrip on a beachfront location with unfettered views of nearby coral reefs.
Mr Juniper is the latest investor to ride the wave of increased interest in Queensland’s islands in recent months, alongside Mike and Annie Cannon-Brookes, who snapped up Dunk Island for $24 million; Andrew Forrest’s private investment group Tattarang, which purchased Lizard Island; and Oscar Hotels’ purchase of Long Island among others.
“The Whitsundays have proven to be one of the most resilient markets through the pandemic and still rates as one of the world’s most loved tourism destinations,” he explained.
Part of the motivation behind the Sunshine State’s resistance to interest rates was the awarding of the 2032 Olympics to Brisbane, which has increased interest in Queensland property and induced several infrastructure projects across the state.
The deal for the sale of the former Club Med Resort site was facilitated by CBRE Hotels’ national director Wayne Bunz and associate director Hayley Manvell.
Mr Bunz labelled Mr Juniper as a “visionary in the industry responsible for some of Queensland’s best resorts, including Sea Temple Palm Cove and Port Douglas, and we are excited to see the transformation of this iconic tourism asset”.
Building on this, Ms Manvell detailed: “We are in the midst of exciting Queensland tourism growth with an underserved accommodation market catering to an incredible resurgence in domestic tourism, as well as the long-heralded return of international travellers.”
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