Council rebrands nudist resort to capture camping market
The former Samurai nudist beach resort near Anna Bay has been officially relaunched last week as Port Stephens Treescape camping and accommodation.
Port Stephens Council has again re-branded its loss-making resort at One Mile, hoping to capture the budget camping market with a nature-tourism focus.
Port Stephens Council tried to lease the beleaguered Samurai Beach Resort last year without success. The council bought the lease for Samurai in 2003 for $2 million, since then it has reportedly cost council around $10 million and the complex has deteriorated considerably.
Council’s corporate services manager Carmel Foster said affordable campsites are now in high demand as other resorts go up-market. “We felt that that marketing didn’t suit the actual location we’ve now leveraged off the natural environment,” she said. “We have koalas and a lot of vegetation on the site, so we’re leveraging off the natural environment to create an affordable camping site.
“What we’ve done is we’re selling the cabins off the site and reinvesting the money we’re making out of those cabins, so we’re not using any further capital on the site,” she said.
