On a tropical Queensland island, with the southern Great Barrier Reef at its edge, lies the remnants of a dilapidated resort that developers have tried and failed to revamp over the past 13 years.
But now, Australia's richest person Gina Rinehart is trying to bring Great Keppel Island back to life and it has the local tourism industry feeling hopeful for the first time in a long time, but others not so much.
With very deep pockets, could the mining magnate pull off what so many others have failed to do?
"When the name Gina Rinehart was mentioned, obviously we thought well, if anyone's going to be financially capable of a project of this scale then Gina Rinehart has the answer," local tourism operator Kelly Harris said.
Years of false starts
Decades ago, it was a must-see party destination, famous for its "get wrecked" slogan in the 1980s.
But when the resort on Great Keppel Island — also known as Woppa — closed in 2008, accommodation options became limited.
In 2012, Tower Holdings had a masterplan approved to turn it into a $600 million development complete with golf courses, shops, accommodation, casino and a marina.
But after numerous run-ins with the state government over casino licences and deadline lapses, that never eventuated.
Tower Holdings then demolished part of the decaying resort in 2018 and put it on the market, meaning it could be sold as a concrete slab to investors.
After numerous investment partners expressed interest, Sunshine Coast-based developers Altum Property Group signed a contract to take over the lease in 2019.
Then two years later, the state government found the company did not have the "financial capability to deliver the proposed development".
In October 2021, Ms Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting announced it had begun discussions to acquire the Great Keppel Island leases.
Why is this time different?
Mary Carroll, the chief executive of tourism advocacy body Capricorn Enterprise, said the difference between Hancock Prospecting and previous bidders came down to money.
"We could assume [Hancock Prospecting] have a better capacity for the financial and management capability required to construct the resort to its full potential," Ms Carroll said.
Her confidence is shared by local tourism operators, including Maxwell Allen Jnr, co-owner of Freedom Fast Cats.
"We need this input coming into our area. The southern Great Barrier Reef needs this as well, as we haven't had something as new as this developed on an island resort up and down the east coast of Queensland. It's fantastic," he said.
Mixed reactions
Great Keppel Island still draws tourists, including Fay Parker from Britain, who visited it in February and preferred the quiet serenity.
"Kind of what's quite nice about coming here is it feels quite untrodden and it's a bit rustic," she said.
"There's plenty of islands that you can go to that have huge resorts on them."
Tourist Jenny Ikin enjoyed a long hike on the Island this month and thought a resort had merits.
"Because it is a little rundown at the moment, so I think it would be a great idea," she said.
Fellow visitor Amal Abeyawardana agreed a resort would do well with domestic and international tourists, provided all environmental requirements were met.
'A real dilemma'
The Woppaburra people were formally recognised as native title holders of the Keppel, or Woppa, islands in December and elder Bob Muir said he'd already met the Hancock Prospecting team.
"It really is something where, if we're included at the beginning, it's going to help us understand what's going to happen to the area," Mr Muir said.
"The bottom line is no matter who comes in, I'm always worried and concerned.
"It's a real dilemma that we find ourselves in where there might be an economic benefit, but it's just going to tear our community about in some respects, because there's always going to be a for and against."
Where to from here?
When it first announced plans to redevelop the resort, Hancock Prospecting said it wanted to create a "world-class, year-round beach club" with an underwater bar, shopping and a marina modelled on the successful Puerto Banús in Spain.
But the lease transfer is in the early stages, and it is not known what part of the 2012 development approvals, if any, will go ahead.
Ms Carroll said tourism trends had changed a lot since then.
"Particularly in the past decade and particularly during COVID, domestic and international visitors seek wide open spaces, natural beauty, boutique experiences, and they want to go to destinations that they consider to be safe," Ms Carroll said.
In a statement, Hancock Prospecting said any transaction to allow viable redevelopment of the island was subject to Commonwealth, state and local government approvals.
Last month, the state government confirmed it had received an application from Tower Holdings to transfer its leases on the island, but any sale process could take months.
"So, we expect that well and truly by October this year, we will know where Hancock Prospecting has decided to proceed with the purchase from Tower Holdings," Ms Carroll said.
