Former Shute Harbour Motel destroyed by
Cyclone Debbie has sold for $2.65 million
JACK NEEDHAM|MAY 26, 2020
The site of the Shute Harbour Motel, which was destroyed when Cyclone Debbie ripped through the Whitsunday region in 2017, has been sold to a NSW buyer who plans to transform it into a residential development.
The freehold site, located around 10 kilometres south-east of Airlie Beach, was sold by an expression of interest campaign run by Ray White’s Andrew Burke and Mark Beale for $2.65 million.
The Shute Harbour Motel operated for many decades before the cyclone hit in March 2017.
Parts of the motel remain on the site and demolition work will be required by the new owner.
The lower block is currently leased to a marine repairs business.
Longtime owner and local businessman David McInerney was looking to retire, Mr Burke said.
A report from AAP at the time of the cyclone indicated that his father had started the business around 50 years prior, while the Whitsunday Times reported that the property had been rebuilt in 1970 following Cyclone Ada.
