The "Jewel of the Kimberley", Lake Argyle Resort, has been purchased by the G’day Group – owners of another Kimberly icon, El Questro.

The G’day Group purchased the property from the Sharpe family who, over nearly 46 years, have built the property up as a centerpiece of tourism in the Kimberley.

The expansive Lake Argyle is set within a breathtaking ancient landscape, rich in color and abundant in wildlife. The lake is 20 times the size of Sydney Harbor and attracts tourists from around the globe.

G’day Group have plans to continue investing in the property through increasing the amount of accommodation available, sealing roads and creating a new reception area, building upon the vision of the current owner, Charlie Sharpe.

The resort offers a range of activities including boat cruises, bush dinners, fishing and aquatic hire.

The Group are Australia’s largest regional accommodation provider, and in 2021 brought El Questro back into Australian hands. The Group also owns Discovery Rottnest Island, Kings Canyon Resort and a number of other resorts and golf courses along with their holiday and caravan park portfolio.

CEO Grant Wilckens says he is honored to be taking over custodianship of Lake Argyle from the Sharpe family, which will complement the company’s other WA properties.

“The Sharpe family have done an incredible job in creating what is a very special experience at Lake Argyle. From luxury villas and a stunning infinity pool and helipad to affordable campsites, it’s a holiday experience that will leave an impression on even the most travelled of visitors,” said Grant.

“Along with El Questro, we have fantastic properties in Broome and Kununurra. Our Broome property is currently undergoing a $10 million upgrade.”

“We’re passionate about promoting the Gibb River Rd and Savannah Way touring route and opening up this special part of Australia to more people, for longer,” said Grant.

Charlie Sharpe, current owner of Lake Argyle said, “it’s been an incredible journey with Lake Argyle home to three generations of our family. It’s a truly amazing place where as humans, we are almost insignificant in this ancient, rugged and almighty Kimberley landscape. Ten years living overseas in some of the world’s most popular tourist locations made me realise how special Lake Argle is. If this lake was anywhere else in the world, it would be home to at least a million people.”

“With incredible growth of the business over the last 15 years, we came to a point where the resort was quickly out growing our capacity as a small family operator, so we took our plans to Nash Advisory to help with a suitable transition that would not only work for us, but also the future of Kimberley Tourism. The fact that G’day Group are 100% Australian owned and operated was important to us.”

“With such confidence in tourism investment across the Kimberley in recent years, this sparsely populated patch of stunning and unique wilderness is without doubt soon to become a hotspot in domestic and international tourism,” said Charlie.

Lake Argyle is expected to settle in mid-March 2022.

Media enquiries: Brittany Harmer, Corporate Communications Manager | 0415 655 191, brittany.harmer@discoveryparks.com.au.

About G’day Group

Founded in 2004 with three caravan parks in WA, G’day Group is now Australia’s leader in regional accommodation experiences with more than 340 properties across the country.

G’day Group operates more than 90 holiday parks and resorts under the Discovery Parks and Resorts brand, with properties in iconic regional destinations, including Kings Canyon, Rottnest Island and the world famous El Questro. The Group is also home to G’day Parks, a network of 240+ independently owned, licensed parks and the G’day Rewards loyalty program, which has 260,000 paid members.

Beyond holiday parks and resorts, the Group owns Wikicamps, Australia’s largest regional travel community and the #1 paid app in the App Store with more than 300k monthly active users, as well as Bookeasy, a specialist provider of booking management systems and technology solutions to leading destination management authorities in Australia and New Zealand (operating as BookIt).

G’day Group has property assets valued at $2 billion and is on track to become a $2.5 billion business by 2026. The company is majority owned by Australian Retirement Trust and founder and CEO Grant Wilckens is a Board Director of the South Australian Tourism Commission and former Chair of the Caravan Industry Association of Australia.