Tourism on Mornington Island is set to get a much-needed injection of accommodation supply, after Mornington Shire Council was awarded $2million in funding to support the Island’s motel expansion.

With motel accommodation on the Island regularly sitting at 100% capacity, the recently announced funding through the Queensland Government’s 2022 Local Government Grants and Subsidies Program (2022- 24 LGGSP) will allow the major capital works project to get underway, with the expansion of the Mornington Island Motel and visitor accommodation now a reality.

Mayor Kyle Yanner is optimistic that this is just the beginning of the Island’s improved service delivery and tourism offerings.

As a Council we have been heavily focused on delivering projects that will continue to strengthen our capacity to drive our economy and create opportunities to improve our self-sustainability.

Our 5 Year Implementation Plan clearly outlines the vision Council has for the Island, the growing of tourism and general accommodation is a critical part of this vision. With news of this funding we can now confidently continue to develop our Tourism Development opportunities and pave new directions for our people’s future.

The motel upgrade will include the supply and installation of four new modular units, new commercial laundry facility, and full landscaping, consolidating existing infrastructure at the motel which includes a restaurant, kiosk, gym, visitor laundry and amenities.

Mornington Island offers untapped tourism potential, and the Mornington Island Master Plan has clearly identified cultural, natural/environmental and fishing tourism as key tourism markets which are currently impeded by, amongst other things, our ability to attract sustainable, ongoing investment and funding. The securing of this grant to support the motel expansion is a small step in the right direction to continue these endeavours.

We know that right now service delivery to our community is restricted by the availability of suitable accommodation for visiting services and contractors. This puts greater pressure on the health and wellbeing of our residents, which is already in crisis, and provides little room to see a positive future.

The expansion of the motel allows us to look to the future and explore with vigour the exceptional tourism offerings our Island holds. The ability to share our stories, our culture and our country with visitors is an exciting prospect because we know that with that comes opportunities for employment and training, improved health of our residents, and greater economic resilience for the generations to come”, says Mayor Yanner.

In the short-term, this major project will provide employment opportunities for local skilled and unskilled labour during the construction phase, as well as on-site motel operations careers once the expansion is completed.

A full procurement and tender process will commence shortly for the project, with the expansion expected to be completed prior to June 2024.

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Email: media@mornington.qld.gov.au