Work moves ahead on $450 million Hinchinbrook Harbour

The team behind the $450 million redevelopment of Port Hinchinbrook resort has wrapped up an extensive three-day community consultation as the project prepares to meet two key milestones.Preliminary dredging works have begun at the rebranded Hinchinbrook Harbour while developer, The Passage Holdings, is preparing to reopen the marine village’s popular waterfront restaurant before Christmas.Members of the project’s executive team, including The Passage Holdings CEO David Haubert, and architect Barry Lee of DBI, conducted six consultation sessions with a majority of Hinchinbrook Harbour’s local and regional property owners earlier this week (December 3-5).Real estate agent for The Passage Holdings, Bruce Goddard, of Place Projects, said the meetings took residents through an extensive presentation of the project and were also a forum for feedback.Mr Goddard said the resort’s 280 property owners now had access to an owners’ portal where they could view an enormous amount of information about the project including design guidelines, Q&As and the masterplan.Through the portal, property owners from around Australia and the world will also be able to gain access to the weekend’s presentation via a video link.The executive team also met with Cassowary Coast Regional Council Mayor John Kremastos and members of the executive team including CEO James Gott, Division 1 Councilor Glenn Raleigh and Manager Planning Services Daniel Horton.A separate meeting was also held with the State Member for Hinchinbrook Andrew Cripps MP to outline and discuss the project.Mr Goddard said Hinchbrook Harbour CEO David Haubert was able to reassure Councilor Kremastos that the resort’s boat ramp would remain open to the public whilst works were undertaken to repair damage to the bridge sustained over the past decade.He said the popular Waterfront Restaurant and Bar in the marina village was poised to reopen on a BYO basis, following extensive refurbishment.“All the physical works are complete but we are still working through the liquor licensing process which should be finalised by March, allowing the bar to reopen,” he said.The restaurant can seat more than 200 people and will serve a diverse menu including seafood.Mr Goddard said the dredging of approximately one million cubic metres of silt from the marina would start in February and take approximately 18 months, weather dependent.“Bulldozers are preparing the dredging ponds that will house the silt that will be removed during the dredging process,” he said.Mr Goddard said the dredging work would improve access to and from the marina, which at present was possible at high tide only.“Everyone is desperately keen to see it happen,” he said.“There are residents across the resort keeping a bottle of champagne on ice waiting for the day that the dredging begins.”Dredging will also be carried out in the grand canal.Since taking possession of the property last year, The Passage Holdings has spent more than $4 million on restoring and upgrading the resort and preparing the masterplan.Under the masterplan, the resort will boast a $45 million international fishing village, new marina, family resort, water theme park, 300-site motorhome park, camp grounds, backpacker accommodation, and waterfront residential lots and apartments.The project represents a significant economic injection for the region and is expected to create more than 3000 full-time local jobs.The resort, located adjacent to Hinchinbrook Island and near Cardwell, was first developed by the late Keith Williams during the 1990s.It was badly damaged by Cyclone Yasi in 2011 and fell into the hands of liquidators following the collapse of Williams Corporation in 2013.