How the Port Stephens Rate Payers Lost Their Shirt!
This is another TRRA Special Investigative Article. It is a bit of an epic, 14 pages and a lot of links to newspapers etc.(It is not XXX rated!), but I can guarantee you that it is a good read and I am pretty sure it will make you angry as well! Please leave your comments on this website, write a letter to the paper, share it around your friends, ring your local Councillor and write a letter to the Port Stephens Council General Manager and ask them how this happened and when they are going to do something about it…….
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See 1. The Naked Truth!
See 2. More Naked Truths – Updated 05 August 2014
See 3. Samurai Beach Resort – The Last Naked Truth? Updated 31 January 2015
I always thought this resort would fail without beach access and a restaurant or at least room service on site. What they should have done in my opinion was build a ski resort style chair lift for beach access which would have several benefits. One, provide access to the beach for guests, visitors and anyone who wanted to pay for a ride. Two it would have been an attraction in itself. Three would have had very little environmental impact and would infact provide a beautiful view over the wetlands and sand dunes encouraging Eco tourism in the area.
They pretended there was no beach nearby and didn’t even acknowledge that Samurai Beach “the beach” even existed.
They could have allowed camping and caravaning and provided reasonably priced cabin accomodation, but instead they went up market on price but offered nothing in return.
With no food available on site, and not even a hot breakfast, they were preparing a recipe for disaster which could only last so long.
It came as no surprise to me that it failed. I have no experience in running a tourist resort but I am sure I would have done a better job!
Warren Leadbeatter
Anna Bay
We have closely followed the debacle by PSC over the Samurai Beach Resort.
We attended the first day of opening by the Punch team though never stayed there at that time as we lived several hundred metres from the site. We were guests at the Council opening of the “new” resort. At the time we continually urged councillors and staff that to make a profit, the resort must acknowledge the existence of the “free” beach just over the dunes and pitch their advertising to the nudists of the world. As well, the accommodation classification would have to start with admitting tenters and caravan travellers – leading up to the cabins. We said “start small and grow!” THEN provide a vehicular service to convey holiday makers to the beach and return daily. BUT NO! Councillors were afraid of admitting support for a nudists’ venue. Given the ideal natural setting WITH a permanent koala population, overseas nudists would be over the moon!
There is still the chance for following this path to a slow recovery of the financial mess. It just needs consultation with local nudists to explain the simple needs for accommodation – starting small and growing with increased patronage from both nudists AND those general holidaymakers.
First may extend thanks to Dick for the huge amount of work compiling the information and writing it all up. Fantastic effort and great skills..
Maybe we have to accept that “It is not the role of Governments or Local Bodies to select and then risk taxpayers money in new business. Their role is to set rules and infrastructure that will foster investment from the private sector. The risk of going broke and the skills to successfully manage a business is the usually proven territory of the private sector, not administrators.”
That being said, it is now time to put the past aside and think for the future. Let us put all our effort into pulling together and finding our best possible way forward.