Wrotham Park Lodge, located on Wrotham Park Station (near Chillagoe, far north Queensland), has always shut in November (late in the dry season) and re-opened around the start of April (after each wet season). However this year it is shutting up on 16th October, apparently for good. Mid October happens to be 60 days since Consolidated Pastoral Company signed the contract to purchase Wrotham Park Station from Great Southern Plantations, so presumably Wrotham Park Lodge’s closure may be related to the fact that CPC does not want to be involved in the resort business. Although Wrotham Park Lodge was originally a joint venture owned by RM Williams and the Australian Agricultural Company, and managed by Voyages Resorts – when Great Southern bought Wrotham Park Station from the AACo a few years ago, it is not clear whether this purchase involved any ownership of the Wrotham Park Lodge. It is not clear either whether Voyages simply manage Wrotham Park Lodge or whether they bought into it, partly or wholly. In any case, over the last 3 years Wrotham Park Lodge has not been owned by the owners of Wrotham Park Station. Voyages recently sold a handful of top-drawer resorts to an American buyer, Delaware North, and other buyers have been found for the remainder of resorts owned by Voyages.
Wrotham Park Lodge opened on September 2004 so has only been operating for 5 dry seasons. It was a unique resort – the only one of its kind. El Questro is the most comparable resort, however the cattle operation on ELQ has been only a sideline for a number of years (as it’s not good quality cattle raising country – very difficult to make a living). There is no other 5-star resort in Australia that is situated in the midst of such a large and genuine going concern as Wrotham Park Station. While I couldn’t afford to stay there in a fit, it is a great pity Wrotham Park Lodge is closing, as it offered visitors a unique insight into remote cattle station life.