Broome’s luxurious Eco Beach Resort hits the market

A luxurious environmentally friendly resort sitting on the coastline of Broome is hitting the market for the first time, providing a unique opportunity for developers. The multi-award-winning Eco Beach Resort, located approximately 130km south of Broome, is renowned for its pristine views of the Indian Ocean and sustainable tourism practices. Managing director and experiential entrepreneur Karl Plunkett developed the tourism hotspot in 1996 with the goal of offering new experiences to travellers. “Close to 30 years ago, I used to fish across the bay there, because it’s incredibly unspoiled waters for fishing and beautiful beaches,” he said. “I used to go at the weekend and pull in for lunch on the beach and head back later in the afternoon, but it was always such a shame to leave such a beautiful place and head back to Perth. “When I came up with the idea that I would try and find a piece of land to actually build an eco resort in the middle of nowhere, my target was to build this remote eco place that was slightly touched by nature off grid.” The resort has since been inducted into the Tourism Hall of Fame and won multiple awards, including British Airway’s Tourism for Tomorrow and winning gold in National Tourism Awards. Mr Plunkett said while there were challenges bringing Eco Beach Resort on the map, he said he’s a big believer in “giving it a crack”. “Starting in the middle of nowhere where you’ve got no power, no water, no roads... I was quite naive,” he said. “I was just 30 years old and trying to work out what to do with a bore and a pump, but when the first water came over the hill, it was the highlight of the day. “The Kimberley is full of beautiful people and there were lots of people that helped the journey along because everyone loved the idea, it was a great adventure.” Despite the initial resort being destroyed by category five Cyclone Rosita in 2000, Mr Plunkett rebuilt the establishment to the seven-hectare site it is today. Eco Beach Resort offers a variety of eco villas, beach houses and 57 eco tents using structurally strong cylonic proof tents wrapped in canvas with stunning oceanfront views. Guests can catch a short flight from Broome Airport by chartered flight or plane to Eco Beach Resort with its 1.5km airstrip that was built approximately five years ago. Harry Bahr, Kieran Ellis and Tom Butler from Nash Advisory have been appointed to secure a buyer for the resort, with price expectations above $25 million. Mr Plunkett said developing the Eco Beach Resort has been “an incredible journey” but is ready to sell to focus on his business WABi. “Tourism is changing so much - there’s all these different levels of tourism and the buzzword when I started was ‘eco tourism’ but now it’s ‘experiential tourism’,” he said. “So it needs to potentially go up to the next level. “The future of Eco Beach is quite exciting.”