Greenough River Resort facing demolition with councillors set to decide on the building’s future next week

It’s Geraldton’s forgotten dangerous eyesore, but next week local councillors will vote on the possible demolition of the Greenough River Resort. The City of Greater Geraldton councillors debated the future of the abandoned and decaying resort at Tuesday night’s agenda meeting as it faces the wrecking ball. Originally built in 1981, the Greenough River Resort in Cape Burney has been vacant since the mid-2000s. Lee-Anne Galati, who looks after the resort as well as managing the nearby Double Beach Caravan Park, attended the agenda forum and spoke on behalf of the owners, Bayform Holdings. “For many years it’s been left unattended not through any choice of the owners or myself, we had a caretaker that lived there quite happily, he was a security guard, he maintained it at all times, nothing was broken,” she said. “Then there were burglaries that started to happen, people prowling around, he started to get scared, so we moved him out and put him into accommodation at the park.” The council heard how the resort has been ransacked over the years, with everything from doors and window frames to copper stolen. Tucked away behind dense wattle bush on the mouth of the Greenough River, glass and debris line the floors of this once popular wedding destination. The graffiti-covered walls and bare roofs reveal a building that has been left to rot and stripped of any value it once had. Ms Galati said the owners were happy to co-operate with the council but would prefer to install a fence around the building to keep it secure. The council last contacted the owners back in 2017, when they requested a fence be installed. In recent years, the City has been more publicly focused on trying to resolve the saga surrounding the dilapidated Batavia Motor Inne in the city centre, which has become a magnet for squatters. City CEO Ross McKim said the City’s preference would be to have the resort building demolished and the rubble removed. However, Ms Galati noted their concerns about the cost of demolishing and disposing of the rubbish, particularly whether the City would fit the bill. Cr Steve Cooper described the building as an “eyesore” and said action needed to be taken after more than a decade. Ms Galati said many investors had come out to see the resort over the years, however, nothing ever materialised. “I would love for it to be demolished, it’s unfortunate that it’s got to that state but there’s nothing more that can be done to save the resort,” she said. Councillors are set to vote on the motion to launch legal action to force demolition at next week’s council meeting. The owners of the Greenough River Resort have been contacted for comment.