As the COVID pandemic devastates the accommodation industry throughout Australia, one property has defied the trend to deliver its best trading year yet.
And after raking in a staggering profit of $461,742 last year, the Beagle Motor Inn at Katherine in the Northern Territory is up for sale.
Katherine is famously known in the tourist brochures as the town where the “outback meets the tropics,” and it is the gateway to the world famous Katherine Gorge, a region full of canyons, misty waterfalls, thermal springs and ancient cultural heritage.
But Kelli Crouch from ResortBrokers said tourism was just the cream on top for the booming accommodation business in Katherine.
“The business has done very well during COVID,” Ms Crouch said. “It has delivered the best trading year ever for the current owners. Because Katherine is such a big regional centre, there are a lot of government agencies coming in and out of the area, and they all need somewhere to stay.
“The bulk of the guests at the Beagle Motor Inn are actually workers, and the tourism business is just a welcome extra.”
Priced at $3 million, the Beagle Motor Inn represents an outstanding freehold and business opportunity located in this must-stop destination.
It offers a well-presented 39-room motel situated on a double corner allotment. The property has been continually refurbished and maintained and is now ready for new owners to capitalise on the boom in top-end tourism.
Facilities include a restaurant that seats 50 people inside and 24 outside and which has an excellent reputation with locals.
There is a swimming pool, BBQ area, secure off-street parking and self-service laundry facilities.
Following ongoing refurbishments, this property is now perfectly positioned for an owner-operator couple looking for a lifestyle change or is equally suited for investors to run under management.
Katherine is situated on the mighty Katherine River, 320 kilometres southeast of Darwin. It is the fourth largest settlement in the Northern Territory with a permanent population of around 7,000.
It is also the closest major town to RAAF Base Tindal, located 17km southeast, and it provides education, health, local government services and employment opportunities for the families of defence personnel stationed there.
Katherine is also the central hub of the great Savannah Way, which stretches from Cairns in North Queensland to Broome in the Kimberley of WA.
It was established as an outpost for the Australian Overland Telegraph line on the north-south transport route between Darwin and Adelaide and has grown with the development of transport and local industries, particularly gold mining.
It is also the accommodation hub servicing the world-famous attractions of nearby Nitmiluk National Park, particularly Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge and its many ancient rock paintings.
Holidaymakers can cruise, canoe or fly along the Katherine Gorge by helicopter while some take a more challenging route by hiking the Jatbula Trail.
Others can dip their toes in Australian literary history at Elsey National Park, an hour’s drive south of Katherine and best known as the setting for the Australian novel We of the Never Never.
Visitors soak in the warm turquoise water of nearby Mataranka Thermal Pool, surrounded by pandanus, paperbarks and palm forest. Nearby are the Bitter Springs, another spring-fed thermal pool set among palms and tropical woodlands.
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Grantlee Kieza OAM has won three Queensland Media Awards, two Australian Sports Commission Awards and has been a finalist for the Walkley and News Awards and for the Harry Gordon Award for Australian sports journalist of the year. In 2019 he received the Medal of the Order of Australia for his writing. You can find more of his work in our AccomNews & Resort News print magazines.
He has written 22 acclaimed books, including bestsellers Hudson Fysh, The Kelly Hunters, Lawson, Banks, Macquarie, Banjo, Mrs Kelly, Monash, Sons of the Southern Cross and Bert Hinkler.
