Cockatoo Island Resort: Alan Bond’s Kimberley resort to transform into marine and aviation development

A remote Kimberley island converted into a plush resort by Alan Bond in his heyday is set for a new lease of life. Cockatoo Island Resort was promoted as one of Australia’s most exclusive tourism havens when it was opened by Mr Bond in 1989, offering its well-heeled visitors luxury accommodation in 20 bungalows and the use of a health club, tennis courts and a clifftop infinity pool with sunset views over the Buccaneer Archipelago. However, the venture, 130km north of Derby, quickly became a casualty of the collapse of Mr Bond’s business empire. Sold off by bankers in the early 1990s, it operated for only a few more years before closing. Now, the WA Government has approved the $300 million development of a marine and aviation logistics base on the narrow, 6km-long island by an Australian company backed by a prominent US defence infrastructure investor. Perth-registered Crestlink Pty Ltd has been pursuing its plan for nearly 10 years, with the Government granting it major project status in 2019. Its proposed development includes a sealed airstrip that will replace the island’s current dirt runway, a wharf and a subsea workshop. Crestlink believes the logistics base with its upgraded airport and deep-water port will provide unrivalled advantages for the resources and defence sectors, supporting offshore exploration and development in the region and better monitoring of the coastline by the Australian Defence Force and the Australian Border Force. The company’s backers include global investor Cerberus Capital Management, which has nearly $100 billion under management and was at one stage said to be interested in buying WA naval shipbuilder Austal. The Dambimangari people, who hold native title over the island, are also shareholders in Crestlink. Cerberus said last year the Cockatoo Island support base would “deliver a direct investment of $300 million to the Kimberley region, with $100 million spent in the first three years”. The Crestlink plan involves redevelopment of some of the port infrastructure built to support iron ore mining on Cockatoo Island by BHP over 40 years from the 1940s. During the BHP period, the island was home to dozens of families who lived in a bustling town spread over its hills. Some of the 40 staff houses built by BHP, along with the island’s pub, were refurbished and incorporated into the Bond tourism venture when mining wound up in 1986. BHP also tapped neighbouring Koolan Island for iron ore. Mining resumed there under Mt Gibson Iron in 2007 but was permanently suspended last month after a rockfall in the main pit.