Whisper Bay Resort

Whisper Bay Airlie Resort

Setting a new benchmark for resort landscape design

Challenge

Located next to a basalt ridge, the Whisper Bay site presented significant design challenges – we needed to create a man-made landscape with bedrock beneath. This meant all growing media and plant materials needed to be imported to the site.

Insight

Over 100 villas were integrated into the tropical landscape setting off the Whitsunday Islands, on the Coral Sea waterfront (North Queensland).

Solution

Our design capitalised on the site’s tropical waterfront setting – rainwater harvesting from the building rooftops is now the primary source for the resort’s landscape management and water elements. New pedestrian and cycle connections link to the waterfront-facing Bicentennial Boardwalk so guests can easily walk into town.

60K
Metres Squared
100+
Villas

Collaborators

Hutchinson Builders

Design inspiration

The resort’s waterfront location provided inspiration for its water based design, successfully incorporating rainwater harvesting from the building rooftops to become the primary water source for landscape management and water elements. Two cascade pools cater for the recreational amenity of the patrons. Each villa also has its own plunge pool which reinforces the “retreat” character of the development and allows for year round swimming.