Linc Assets, page-16

Been a while. Seems the Locked Horn are still publishing their quality editorials on the state of politics in Queensland. Good on you both. A Pulitzer and a Walkley locked in their site?

In the meantime, do these two articles (one in Sept, one this week) sound familiar?

Dunk Island owner Adam Bond has new vision for spit resort
Alicia Nally, The Cairns Post
September 13, 2016 3:00am
The owners of the Dunk Island Resort hope “cool heads will prevail” and their plans for a $2 million redevelopment of the spit will receive council approval.
Cassowary Coast Regional Council called for expressions of interest for uses of the spit area of the Great Barrier Reef island off Mission Beach.
The Dunk Island Spit is currently on lease from the State Government and this is due to expire on November 13, 2017.
Dunk Island Resort owner Adam Bond said $4m had been spent rebuilding facilities in the past four years and he hoped a new section called Shipwrecks could soon be up and running.
Shipwrecks would include refurbishment of the existing spit kiosk into a cafe featuring local produce, construction of 20 luxury “glamping” villas and space for music concerts and festivals.
“It’ll be a lot better than anything that’s been there before,” he said.
“I want to start turning dirt in March next year. By September next year I’d like to have those units built. The area deserves Dunk Island and Dunk deserves people.”
The island was one of the hardest hit by Cyclone Yasi in 2011.
Councillor Wayne Kimberley (Div 3) said, while he thought Mr Bond’s plans were “a good idea”, the council had to follow due diligence processes with a public EOI.
“It’s all part of the process to give an equal opportunity for anyone who has any commercial ideas for what to do in the area,” he said.
“We want to make sure whoever does take up the lease is the best person for the job.
“It’s been a very long lease and it’s time to change.
“We want to give people an opportunity. Somebody might be willing to create an industry that has not been done before, there could be exciting opportunities we haven’t heard of.”
Mr Kimberley said he wanted to ensure any developments attracted the younger generation to the area.
Mr Bond said construction of a “spectacular” resort adjacent to the spit would be underway within “two to five years”.
“I want to ramp up the development of the spit, develop all that fringe infrastructure that feeds into justification for the resort,” Mr Bond said.
“Island resort tourism in Queensland in the last five to eight years has been appalling.
“It’s a bit of a chicken and egg scenario with developers up here and we have to prove that the products are good and demand also exceeds supply.”
Mr Bond said he hoped to attract nationally and internationally recognised bands to perform at Shipwrecks and reinstate the Billfish Classic fishing competition.
“We need more events, we need a reason for people to come here,” he said. “We can’t just say we’ve got the Reef and the rainforest, there are dozens of places in North Queensland that can offer that.” http://www.cairnspost.com.au/news/c...t/news-story/d4dcfbe725029d6ac6b75eb2ed7056ee

‘Resort’ is just as Yasi left it
JOHN ANDERSEN, Townsville Bulletin
February 26, 2017 6:45am
Subscriber only
SIX years after Cyclone Yasi, the buildings on Dunk Island still look like something out of a war zone.
The rainforest has grown back, but most of the man-made structures still bear the brutal scars of the Category 5 storm that tore across Dunk Island and crossed the coast at Mission Beach just 5km away.
Dunk Island tourism resort that's fallen into disrepair after Cyclone Yasi. Picture: Wesley Monts
The Dunk Island Resort was bought by Brisbane-based Linc Energy founder Peter Bond in 2011, just months after the cyclone hit on February 3 the same year.
Mr Bond’s business has since fallen on hard times and little work of any visible consequence has taken place.
In addition to owning the old Dunk Island Resort, Mr Bond and his son Adam have the lease to The Spit, a public camping area on National Park land at the southern end of the picturesque island. The lease on The Spit expires in November. Late last year Cassowary Coast Regional Council called for expressions of interest from people interested in taking over the lease.
Council divisional representative Wayne Kimberley said two submissions were received. The Bulletin understands, but could not confirm, that one of the parties interested in taking over the lease is the existing lessee, Adam Bond of Dunk Island Resorts.
Cr Kimberley said that under the present arrangement, the council leases the land from the State Government’s Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and in turn subleases it to the Bonds’ Dunk Island Resort.
He said the State Government was in the process of converting the land title at The Spit from National Park to “reserve” and making the council its trustee.
Cr Kimberley said The Spit was a crucial part of the Cassowary Coast’s tourism package and wanted to ensure that whatever was done there was done properly.
International tourists enjoying their visit to Dunk Island via the Water Taxi. Picture: Wesley Monts
In September last year Adam Bond told the Cairns Post he wanted to develop The Spit into an entertainment and tourism complex he would call Shipwrecks.
He said that it would include “glamping villas” and a live music venue which he hoped would attract national and international bands.
The Cairns Post’s readers who responded online were not impressed.
One posted: “How much of an area is there actually on The Spit? Hop on Google Earth and have a look for yourself? If it is such a great idea why not do it on private land?”
Another wrote: “Anyone believe this based on Bond’s record to date? He just wants to control The Spit. Why doesn’t he clean up the wreckage of the previous resort first? Still there after Yasi years ago. A real eyesore.”
A Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service spokesman confirmed that the Cassowary Coast Regional Council’s lease for the camping area inside the national park would expire in November.
“The QPWS wants to ensure the community will benefit from any future arrangements at this popular recreational area,” she said.
Adam Bond did not respond to requests for comment.
http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.a...t/news-story/3e97cd5e3b84c83ce375fe64cc1a2c90