You Can Buy This Entire Whitsundays Island

A privately owned island in the Great Barrier Reef is up for sale. Anyone got a spare $30 million?

The island in question is Keswick Island, a 517-hectare isle found just off the coast of Mackay in Queensland. Its current owner, Edward Dawson-Damer, is a close family friend to the royal family after years spent working under Queen Elizabeth. Rumour has it Dawson-Damer has decided to sell the island to move onto other ventures (we’re assuming that means he’s off to be the new James Bond with a name as epic as Edward Dawson-Damer).

Here’s what you’ll be spending your hard earned (imaginary) millions on.

Four hundred of Keswick’s 517 hectares is national park, with the entire island surrounded by reef. Currently, the island is home to a camping and glamping retreat, a beach house, a cottage and a kiosk. There’s already a sealed airstrip, 150 subdivided lots, a marina and preliminary infrastructure like power generation units, water and fuel storage, and landscaping equipment. Ace.

If you’re lucky enough to purchase this slice of paradise you’ll gain access to a 117-hectare development lease from the Queensland government that you can use to set up new lodgings. The island, it’s said, could accommodate 1000 houses for about 3000 people – which, when you think logistically, is only $10,000 per person. You have 3000 friends, right? Good. Let’s do this.

OK, let’s be real; owning a private island might not be in the budget, so here’s two private islands that you can rent instead.

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(All images: Keswick Island/Facebook)