by Warren Entsch, Federal Member for Leichhardt

Opportunities occasionally come along that create a real ‘light-bulb’ moment and a recent last-minute offer to take the place of the Shadow Tourism Minister at Hamilton Island’s Qualia resort was certainly one.

Although it was easy to be impressed by the service, the food, the stunning facilities and setting, it was the remarkable parallels between Hamilton Island and Port Douglas that really struck home.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, it took developers Christopher Skase and Keith Williams – both men with vision – to identify the potential of the destinations, and to take a punt on them.

The result? Two iconic resorts – the Sheraton Mirage in Port Douglas and Hamilton Island – built at huge expense, but which served as a catalyst to attract tourism and promote further development.

During their heyday in the ‘80s and ‘90s they hosted celebrities and international figures, drawn to the destinations’ ability to balance luxury facilities with a laid-back village atmosphere.

But despite their previous successes, the tourism downturn hit both hard - a series of new owners brought different ideas but no real vision, while we watched the room standards drop and infrastructure decline over the next decade.

Then in 2003 along came wealthy agriculturalist and winemaker Bob Oatley, of sailing’s ‘Wild Oats’ fame, who bought Hamilton Island at a bargain price with an exceptional investment and development program in mind.

Bob firmly believed that despite the burgeoning budget travel market, there was a niche for a high end luxury resort, and came up with the concept of the six-star Qualia.

Its name comes from a Latin word used in philosophy to describe the quality of an experience, and, with 60 private villas nestled among 60 acres of hilly tropical vegetation, it was sublime.

Since the opening of Qualia, Hamilton Island has seen the start of a new period of prosperity as the trickle-down effects benefit local business and tourism operators, and the atmosphere was absolutely booming.

In Port Douglas, the Sheraton Mirage was also picked up at a bargain price last year by Melbourne theatre magnate David Marriner.

You only need to look at David’s past, how he and his lovely wife Elaine saw the potential in the faded grandeur of Melbourne’s theatre industry, to see that he too is a man of vision.

In 1986, David took a huge gamble in purchasing the 130-year-old Princess Theatre, undertaking a three-year refurbishment program to restore the site to its former glory.

The Princess reopened to great fanfare in 1989 with Les Miserables, immediately followed by The Phantom of the Opera which went on to set box office records as Australia’s longest running show.

But it was the campaign in 1990 to rescue the derelict, and controversial, Regent Theatre that truly cemented David’s reputation as a shining light in the theatre scene.

Its roof falling in, the Regent had been abandoned for 26 years and was on the cusp of demolition when David approached Melbourne City Council with a rescue proposal.

The redevelopment took three years of meticulous craftsmanship and $46 million, but in 1996 it reopened with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard and since then has hosted productions including We Will Rock You, The Lion King, WICKED and Love Never Dies.

Never one to rest on his laurels, that same year David bought the Forum Theatre, converting it into one of Melbourne’s premier live music and cabaret venues, and completed the Marriner Group by purchasing the Comedy Theatre.

It has been the Marriner family’s vision and commitment to the Melbourne theatre scene that has seen the city re-established as the theatre capital of Australia, and which David is now trying to bring to Port Douglas in the form of an arts and exposition centre at the Sheraton Mirage, embracing the town’s artistic nature.

Want more ways to stay in touch? Follow us on our Facebook page.

Although Bob Oatley had to start from scratch in building the six-star Qualia, David is fortunate to have the existing Sheraton, and its reputation, as a starting point.

While David recognises the similarities between the two destinations, he told me this week that Hamilton Island still doesn’t have the “sophistication, charm and romance” of Port Douglas.

What he will bring to the table is the opportunity not only to refurbish, but also to create a new industry with the exposition centre and an amphitheatre, providing us with a snapshot of the Melbourne theatre culture and giving visitors another reason to travel to Port Douglas.

I firmly believe this combination will do for Port Douglas what Qualia has done for Hamilton Island, and that’s why we have to get behind it and support it.

David is not looking for any money to carry out the resort refurbishment but clearly needs help in creating the infrastructure that will benefit the broader community, while at the same time making a major financial contribution towards it.

The lack of vision and commitment to regional Australia was clearly highlighted by the previous State Government in that Anna Bligh refused to talk to him, let alone meet, in regard to his plan, despite her senior advisors being “fully embracing of the initiative.”

At the Federal level, meetings with Regional Development Minister Simon Crean and his advisors were constructive but it was made clear that the backing first needed to be there at a State level.

Now though, with the change of government, an opportunity exists that can’t be ignored - Port Douglas has been marking time for a long time, and this is the catalyst for change.

If we can get council to commit to the lagoon and give a tick to the waterfront upgrade then here is our trifecta – the recovery will start.

I’ll be working very closely with the newly elected State Members, Federal Opposition Leader and the Premier to convert rhetoric into action, no more feasibility studies.

This Hamilton Island example shows just how critical a five or six-star facility is to our whole region and highlights the flow-on effect to businesses right across the spectrum.

The Sheraton Mirage offers the same exciting prospects and it’s time that we not only reignited the conversation on how Port Douglas can return to the prosperity it deserves, but how quickly we can convert that conversation into action.