Greenough River Resort reduced to rubble as owners submit development application for the demolished site

Another eyesore in the Mid West — a former resort abandoned and left to decay into ruin since the mid-2000s — has been demolished with a development application for the site lodged with the council. The Greenough River Resort in Cape Burney was constructed in 1981, and was a popular venue for weddings before its closure. However, once it was abandoned the site became a target for vandals. The City of Greater Geraldton council in 2022 heard the building had been ransacked, with doors stolen, windows smashed, copper stolen and graffiti covering the walls and floors. That same year, the council pursued legal action to have the building demolished with the owners fulfilling the action last month. Cr Steve Cooper at the time called the building an “eyesore”, saying action needed to be taken. More than two years since the council meeting where it was discussed, works began to demolish the site. Bricks, concrete and rubbish are all that remain, with the future of the site not yet clear. According to the city, a development application has been lodged, but no details of what the application entails has been revealed. The owners of the Greenough River Resort declined to comment. Its demolition comes after the Batavia Motor Inne site was cleared of rubble last month. The site had similarly come under scrutiny by the city, with multiple avenues explored by the council to demolish the building and clear the debris. One building remains on the site, wing six, where the owners, 54 Fitzgerald Pty Ltd, were approved for a development application in June. The rest of the complex was demolished in stages late last year. The application for wing six proposes to refurbish the remaining building and turn it into a short-stay accommodation facility to help ease the housing shortage. It was approved by the council under the condition the rubble remaining at the site was removed. The council has taken 54 Fitzgerald to court for failing to obey the demolition order and not ensuring all buildings onsite were bulldozed.