Abandoned Queensland resort’s incredible decline

It was once a luxurious holiday destination for families, with one of the world’s largest pools and a reputation as one of the jewels in the crown of Queensland’s tourism industry.

But stunning pictures show the rapid decline of the Capricorn International Resort, just three years after it closed its doors.

The resort, which opened in the 1980s as Iwasaki Resort before being rebranded as the Capricorn International, brought thousands

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But as news.com.au shows in an article depicting drone footage of the site, those guests are long gone, as is the water in the lagoon, which was once the southern hemisphere’s largest outdoor pool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmoiaDES-7A

The waterfall that was the pool’s centrepiece ran dry years ago and the pool is crumbling in parts, while many areas of the tropical landscape are now overgrown.

The resort’s accommodation has clearly fallen into disrepair, after operator Mercure walked away from the property in 2016.

News.com.au says the Iwasaki family still owns the site, and had once proposed a $600 million redevelopment that could potentially have included a new 300-room five-star hotel, the refurbishment of the existing 331 suites, a residential community of 8000 dwellings with a village centre, private airstrip and conservation zone.

The resort’s lagoon, which was the largest outdoor pool in the southern hemisphere.

The lagoon as it appears now. Source: Youtube.

But those vows have so far gone unfulfilled, with the resort’s still-operational website listing vague and lengthy timelines for when any development may occur.

“This development will include tourism, residential and retail land uses, and is expected to occur over the next 10 years,” the website says.​

“The first stage of securing development approval is the submission of a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to the Queensland Government in late 2018.”

The resort’s abandoned accommodation.

The once magnificent water feature in the Capricorn Resort’s pool.