Elevated Villas Planned for Port Douglas Six-Star Resort

A futuristic six-star resort would rise on the beachfront site of an all-but-demolished resort just north of Cairns under a proposal now before the region’s council. The Wonga Beach Resort comprises 66 villas each 4m off the ground and connected by hanging gardens and bridges on the site at 18 Oasis Drive, Wonga Beach, near Port Douglas. The elevated design would mitigate the risks of erosion, storm tides and “extreme events” such as cyclones, the proponents said. The resort on the almost-5ha site 15km north-west of Port Douglas was rebranded from Oz Oasis Resort to Redbacks and then the Daintree Palms Resort before being all but demolished more than 15 years ago. A number of previous plans for the site came to nothing. The region 70km north of Cairns has been the focus of several ambitious projects in recent years, including Gurner’s $250-million resort that would include aquarium rooms, as well as the scrapped $300-million Fairmont resort. There were also plans for a Crystalbrook superyacht marina upgrade including a 100-room hotel and 30-room ultra-luxury hotel and 20 homes put forward in 2019 but that site was put on the market in March 2024. ▲ A cross section of the Wonga Beach Resort proposal showing typical villas and the central building. The entity 18 Oasis Street Pty Ltd, led by Sydneysiders Dimitra Noumeir and Daniel Hafshejani, is behind the Wonga Beach Resort application that was filed with the Douglas Shire Council on December 19. Cotality property records indicate the Wonga Beach property sold to Port Pacific Estates Pty Ltd for $1.15 million in November 2023 and settled in mid-2025. This separate entity, led by Kylie, Michele and Robert Pursche, is connected to a new residential development at nearby Craiglie, which is just south of Port Douglas. The resort plans by Charles Wright Architects include a 2345sq m central building with conference facilities, a pool, spa, bar, restaurant and wellness areas. ▲ A rendering of the elevated villas near the beach near Port Douglas. The proposal also includes 9 three, 21 two and 36 one-bedroom villas as well as ground level undercroft parking and rooftop gardens to create a “climate positive tourism destination”. “The resort incorporates 66 architecturally designed villa clusters, each linked by an elevated, covered circular access route and pedestrian pathway system,” the architectural report said. “This integrated network ensures seamless movement throughout the resort while minimising the development footprint and maintaining the site’s natural landscape values.” The Kelly Reaston planning report said there was a critical shortage of premium accommodation within the shire as identified in the regional tourism plan. “[It] highlights an increasing demand for wellness-based, nature-immersive and culturally enriched visitor experiences,” the report said. “A six-star resort of the scale and architectural quality proposed directly addresses this identified gap and supports a more resilient and diversified tourism economy.” There is a big push for ecotourism by the Queensland Government that encourages low-impact projects in regional landscapes as detailed in the Destination 2045 tourism strategy. Comiskey Group was one of the first major developers to use the strategy, winning approval on its 150-site tourist park at Coochin Creek, near Caloundra. It adds to the developer ’ s growing tourism portfolio, which includes the Sandstone Point Holiday Resort .

Elevated Villas Planned for Port Douglas Six-Star Resort

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