Are fixer uppers really good investments? Covid-19 could spark interest in rural property renovations, from a US$7 million former resort in Australia to an abandoned historical mansion in Scotland
- Once listed as one of the most remote hotels, Bloomfield Lodge offers pools, a library with Captain Cook books and a new private jetty in a rainforest setting
- The Princess Theatre in Canada, the oldest cinema in Edmonton, is on sale after its Covid-19 closure, while Edelweiss Village features alpine-style chalets
Who’s up for a fixer-upper?
The pandemic has spawned a reset of priorities for many, and stepping out of your urban comfort zone into a challenging rural property renovation could be a life changer.
Having scoured the world for interesting opportunities, here’s a handful of properties with potential aplenty to whet the interest of jaded city folk.
Bloomfield Lodge, on North Queensland, Australia’s Cape Tribulation, where the Daintree Rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef, was included on Forbes’ 2010 list of the world’s most remote hotels. Two hours from Cairns, but inaccessible by road, it requires a helicopter or boat transfer, or a 15-minute overland trek from the Mount Louis Station private airport.
When it was operational, the resort, accommodating just 34 guests in 18 environmentally sensitive timber cabins, promised experiences of crocodile spotting, bird watching, rainforest walks and sea and estuary fishing.
The lodge was originally a fishing camp when current owner Sir Mike Gooley, founder of Trailfinders, a UK-based travel agency, bought it in the late 1990s. According to property agent Lynn Malone, of Sotheby’s International Realty, Gooley spent US$14.2 million (A$20 million) on its restoration at the time, mainly for use by family and friends.
“He loved the seclusion,” Malone says. “Set within almost three hectares, everything is hidden. Stairs lead through the rainforest to the individual guest cabins, some with their own plunge pool. In the beautiful open-air lodge, everyone sits together for dinner.”
The vendor’s main concern is for someone to take over his legacy and ‘bring it back to life’
There’s also a main pool, and a library stocked with memorabilia tracing Captain Cook’s journey to Australia. The explorer even pulled up a boat at Weary Bay on the site where the lodge is located.
Many friendships were forged in that unique environment, but six years ago, Gooley decided to “give it a rest” and put the lodge into hibernation with caretaker staff on site. Now that he is divesting himself of certain Australian assets, the property is for sale at an asking price of US$7.1 million ($A10 million).