Iconic crocodile-shaped Kakadu hotel ready to be snapped up
One of the world’s most distinctive hotels, nestled in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, is open to new investors.
The Gagudju Crocodile Hotel or Kakadu Crocodile Hotel, known fondly as The Croc, is a 110-room property shaped like – you’ve guessed it – a crocodile.
Found in the township of Jabiru in the Northern Territory, “the only croc you want to end up inside” is an indigenous-owned hotel that has been operated for the past decade by the Accor group under the Mercure brand.
Now, Colliers International is bringing the leasehold interest to market on a near-term vacant possession.
“Only two-and-a-half hours’ drive from Darwin, the Crocodile Hotel is situated centrally in the township of Jabiru, with access to Ubirr, East and South Alligator rivers and Mamukala wetlands, all must-sees for visitors to Kakadu National Park,” says Colliers national hotels team agent Sam Abel.
“An incoming investor has the opportunity to partner with the Mirarr people, the traditional owners of the lands where the hotel is located, and to realise their vision for the town, to embrace the hotel’s rich history and elevate it in alignment with respect to their culture.”
The Crocodile Hotel has been recognised internationally, including in Lonely Planet’s 50 Places To Stay To Blow Your Mind, since it opened in 1988, thanks in no small part to its unique design.
Representing Ginga, the spirit ancestor of the Gagudju people, the hotel is 250 metres long and 30 metres wide, built around a large, landscaped swimming pool.
Access to the hotel is via the croc’s gaping jaws, and the building’s ventilation units, housed in its slatted yellow eyes, glow red at night. Around the building, circular parking spaces represent the crocodile’s eggs.
The two-storey property also contains “extensive leisure and business facilities, including conference space for up to 250 delegates”, Colliers says, adding that there’s plenty of potential to enhance and contribute to its continued success.
“With the growing demand for unique tourism experiences – Australia and Northern Territory in particular boasting some of the world’s most unique landscapes and oldest nation on earth – Kakadu National Park and the Crocodile Hotel stands out as an unrivalled opportunity,” co-agent Karen Wales says.
Kakadu National Park is the second-largest national park in Australia and covers an area of almost two million hectares.
