A once-popular resort has become an overgrown eyesore after years of neglect left it to ruin once it was closed down.
The Capricorn International Resort, owned by Iwasaki Sangyo Co, in the coastal town of Yeppoon, in Queensland, closed suddenly in 2016 and was left untouched.
Eerie footage shows the extremely dilapidated state of the once-glamorous Australian resort hotspot.
Shocking footage captured of a once-popular Queensland resort has revealed how the site has become an overgrown eyesore after it was suddenly abandoned in 2016
The tropical resort used to boast holiday apartments, a golf course, and the biggest outdoor swimming pool in the southern hemisphere complete with a waterfall.
Now pools are green and overgrown with moss and leaf litter, while adjoining waterslides have dried up completely, the lush grounds reduced to dirty concrete.
The rock fountain, which used to spurt water at holidaying families, is covered in rust and is slowly decaying as each year goes by.
Nostalgic holidaymakers took to the comments to share their experiences of the resort in happier times, one woman saying she got married at the site.
‘I stayed there and it was so good! Such a shame to see it like this now’, one user commented.
The Capricorn International Resort, owned by Iwasaki Sangyo Co, in the coastal town of Yeppoon, used to be one of Australia’s most glamorous vacation spots
The tropical resort used to boast holiday apartments, a golf course and the largest outdoor swimming pool in the southern hemisphere, complete with a waterfall
‘Don’t know how many times I’ve been down that slide in my life. Miss it so much! My son loved it too, we used to stay there every year for his birthday’, another wrote.
‘This place only closed down in August 2016. Crazy the amount of disrepair that’s occurred in that time’, a third wrote.
The site, which first opened in the 1980s, was abandoned in 2016 when hotel giant Mercure shut the resort down.
In its prime, the resort boasted numerous bars and eateries, a Japanese garden and restaurant and was surrounded by 9,000 hectares of bush.
It put the town of Yeppoon on the map and brought in both domestic and international tourists, including many wealthy Japanese businessmen.
Now the green pools are overgrown with moss and leaf litter, while adjoining waterslides and a rock waterfall have dried up completely
Drone footage has revealed how the once lush swimming pools are empty, with the beautiful water being replaced with dirt and debris
The tropical getaway played a pivotal role in the tourism infrastructure of the region and its closure has been a major blow to the industry.
While most of the facilities have fallen into disrepair, the Japanese restaurant Tsuruya and the Capricorn Golf Course are functioning, the Courier Mail reported.
The owner, Yohachiro Iwasaki, proposed a $600m redevelopment plan in 2017 but since the announcement, there has been little progress to restore the resort.
The redevelopment plans are for a five-star world class integrated eco-tourism resort with 300 rooms, a 1-2 star caravan and recreation vehicle park.
The resort will boast a wellness centre, complete with parks, a recreation centre, an airstrip, and a village complex complete with retail stores and restaurants.
Eerie footage uploaded by TikTok user ‘abandonedaustralia’ has revealed the extremely dilapidated state of the once glamorous resort
Owner of the run-down resort Yohachiro Iwasaki, proposed a $600m redevelopment plan in 2017 complete with a wellness centre, parks, a recreation centre, an airstrip, and a village
Wagyu cattle graze on the overrun property, with plans to keep the herd on an onsite farm that would provide accomodation, sheep farming, and activities.
The plans will also include the mammoth task of refurbishing 331 existing rooms.
The Queensland Government declared the Capricorn Integrated Resort project a joint venture in 2013, meaning the plans would face up to an approval process.
Mr Iwasaki is yet to submit an Environmental Impact Statement, six years after he was instructed to do so by the Department of State Development.
The EIS must account for the resorts potential impacts on the environment, as well as provide the sites precise location to protected areas such as the Byfield National Park, Corio Bay, Keppel Bay, and Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park.
In its prime, the resort boasted numerous bars and eateries, a Japanese garden and restaurant and was surrounded by 9000 hectares of bush
The tropical resort played a pivotal role in the tourism infrastructure of the region and its closure has been a major blow to the industry
Only after this document has been approved by the Queensland Government, can the public view the plans and make comments.
Members of the Iwasaki family met with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in 2017, when it was reported at the time the EIS would be completed later in the year.
In 2018, the website for the project stated consulting firm Urbis had been engaged to complete the document, again by the end of the year.
As of June 2021, the EIS has still not been completed, however in May an updated project schedule was provided to the State Development office.
It has been estimated the project will support 19,000 jobs over 20 years.