Lease a piece of paradise: live and work in the picturesque Whitsundays
Have you ever dreamed of calling a tropical resort home? A new leasing opportunity in the Whitsundays’ picturesque Cape Gloucester could be your ticket.
Tucked between the mountains and the ocean, overlooking Gloucester Island, Montes Reef Resort – or Montes, as the locals call it – is looking for “the right operator” to take control of its beachside restaurant and bar.
With onsite accommodation included, the lease presents a chance to live and work in what leasing agent Adrian Pascoe, of Ray White Commercial Townsville, describes as “paradise”.
Located a 50-minute drive north of Airlie Beach and just over an hour south of Bowen, the restaurant and bar cater to guests from the resort’s eight beachfront cabins, as well as locals and tourists arriving by land and sea.
“They get a lot of business coming in to the resort to utilise the beach and soak up the sun and the atmosphere,” says Pascoe, who has been visiting Montes since 1987.
“It is one of those very well-known resorts, while still staying rather exclusive, so to speak. The repeat customers are consistent year in, year out.”
As well as the licensed restaurant and bar and a furnished manager’s quarters, the lease includes a fully operational kitchen that can cater for up to 100 people, cool rooms and a storeroom. Additional onsite staff accommodation is available to be rented separately.
A large outdoor terrace offers views over the palm tree-dotted beach, aqua-blue water and “some of the best sunsets that I’ve ever seen”, says Pascoe.
“There’s very very limited opportunity to have a position like this,” he says. “It is just mind-blowing”.
Home to just 62 people at the last census, Cape Gloucester is a relatively undeveloped pocket of Queensland’s picturesque Whitsundays region. A popular base for exploring the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef, the region attracted a record 811,000 domestic visitors in the year to June 2022, contributing $1.3 billion to the local economy, according to a report by Tourism & Events Queensland.
Cape Gloucester and the nearby coastal hamlets of Hydeaway Bay and Dingo Beach, which have a combined population of 374 residents, are magnets for fishers, snorkelers and those looking for rest and relaxation.
Developed in the 1970s, Montes Reef Resort is owned by a local family who have been running the restaurant and bar, alongside the resort’s accommodation, up until now.
“Their focus is on the resort and they want to let someone else have the opportunity to run the bar and restaurant,” Pascoe says.
He says they are seeking a “qualified and professional operator” to take on the lease and predicts it could appeal to sea changers from cities like Sydney and Melbourne who are looking for a change of lifestyle.
Furniture, including tables, chairs and umbrellas, is included on the lease, with a detailed inventory available upon request. The lessee will also have the rights to sell merchandise for the resort and cater to guests’ general needs with items like bait, ice-creams and bread.
While he wouldn’t be drawn on a price guide, Pascoe says initial enquiry has been strong.
“We want to ensure that we get the right operator at the end of the day. We’re not going to rush into a decision,” he says.
Expressions of interest are currently open.
