Indigenous Partnership buys Pilbara Hotel
Copper miner Venturex Resources has sold the Whim Creek Hotel in the Pilbara region of Western Australia to two local Indigenous corporations – the Ngarluma Aboriginal Corporation and Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Foundation.
Ngarluma Yindjibarndi Foundation CEO Evan Maloney said now that the sale is official, work to restore the hotel to its former glory will start this week.
The hotel had operated since the 1800s and will now offer employment and training opportunities to local Aboriginal people. Mr Maloney said the upstairs is being refurbished as a function room. We will be gradually restoring the 140-odd rooms. There has been a lot of neglect over the last few years so there will be accommodation.
He said they have been waiting to get the liquor license transferred from Venturex to the new Whim Creek Holdings Limited, which has now come through.
“We would like to think it will re-open at the end of September, so we have three months,” said Mr Maloney.
Me Maloney said there will be builders going to the site this week.
“There is a big commercial kitchen there so we have got the opportunity to run training courses in hospitality, cooking, also cultural tourism,” Mr Maloney said.
“We will base a cultural tourism Aboriginal company there, and take people out on tours to Balla Balla and inland.
“So a lot of opportunities for Aboriginal training and employment, particularly as we get the rooms up and going because we will need a laundry, room service, maintenance etc.
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