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A remote highway roadhouse 700 kilometres north-east of Alice Springs and 450 kilometres west of Mount Isa has sold for $14 million.
Key points:
- Tourism Central Australia says the sale is a good sign after a "diabolically difficult" couple of years
- The sale follows the G'Day Group's $60m expansion of its portfolio in the NT and WA
- The buyers have not spoken publicly about the purchase, but are being described as "astute" businesspeople
Tourism Central Australia chief executive Danial Rochford welcomed the news of the Barkly Homestead sale to a prominent pastoral family.
"They're cattle breeders from Queensland — the Bassingthwaighte family," he said.
"From what I understand, they're very astute business owners and they've got some very strategic investments including investment here in the Northern Territory already."
Mr Rochford said the price was "probably commensurate of the value".
"I wouldn't want to make a call whether it's high or low, but the market has set that figure and obviously the new owners have seen an opportunity to make money," he said.
Hopes 'snowflake' will 'snowball'
Mr Rochford said the roadhouse was crucial to the self-drive markets in the Northern Territory and Queensland.
"This is great news for the tourism industry here in Central Australia and the Barkly," he said.
"The Barkly Homestead is an iconic part of our tourism experiences … and is often the first place many of our visitors coming from Queensland will experience in the NT."
He said that any investment in tourism would help an industry that had "faced its darkest days".
"We want that snowflake of investment to turn into a snowball right across the region," Mr Rochford said.
Mr Rochford said the industry was feeling more positive.
"[This sale] comes off the back of recent sales to the G'day Group across the region, and other acquisitions," he said.
The Bassingthwaighte family has declined to comment.