Large bull shark lurking in Swan River; Kimberley luxury resort hit by Cyclone Fina uninsured
The luxury Kimberley retreat which took a direct hit from ex-Tropical Cyclone Fina on Monday night is not insured, its owner has revealed.
Speaking with Radio 6PR this morning, Berkeley River Lodge co-owner Rachel Bromage said she had had to weigh up having a viable business or having insurance.
Parts of Berkeley River Lodge were destroyed by Cyclone Fina.
“The insurance, the premiums just became unsustainable, and you have to balance the risk with viability, so yes it does make it all that harder, and the realisation is certainly there,” she said.
Bromage said two caretakers stayed in an underground sea container during the storm, which passed the coast as a category three, bringing with it winds of up to 200 kilometres an hour.
“They pretty much had to bunker down for almost 13 hours,” she said.
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“They said the sounds were terrifying as you can imagine, and they came out and of course, you’re expecting it’s not going to be pretty, but there was a lot of shock and disbelief.”
Out of the lodge’s 20 villas, three are beyond repair, but Bromage is optimistic at least 15 of them will be ready for the next tourist season in May 2026.
“What did hold up really well was the lodge, the lodge is great, a little bit of roof damage and some lost panelling, but other than that, the lodge is in really good condition, and that’s the same with the decking areas and the pool,” she said.
The retreat had just undergone three years worth of renovations before the cyclone hit.
