Turtle Cove Beach Resort Offered For Sale After More Than 30 Years As LGBTQIA+ Community Icon

Turtle Cove Beach Resort, Australia’s iconic LGBTQIA+ resort in Queensland, has been offered for sale after more than three decades of operation and 17 years under the ownership of Jacinta and Kelvin Banks.

The resort’s managers, Nathan and Julien, announced the sale in a letter to the Turtle Cove community, saying they wanted to share the opportunity with the people who “know, love and understand Turtle Cove best” before it was taken to the broader market.

“After more than 30 years as Australia’s iconic LGBTQIA+ resort and 17 years of dedicated ownership by Jacinta and Kelvin, Turtle Cove Beach Resort is being offered for sale,” the letter stated.

The owners and managers said they hope the resort’s next chapter remains with people who will maintain its legacy as a community space.

“More than a resort, Turtle Cove is a home, a sanctuary and a symbol of belonging. Our heartfelt wish is that its next chapter remains in the hands of those who will cherish and protect its legacy for generations to come,” the letter said.

Nathan and Julien said they had spent the past eight years living at Turtle Cove and welcoming guests from across the community.

“Together with Jacinta and Kelvin, we have welcomed thousands of guests who arrived as strangers and left as family. We’ve shared laughter by the pool, sunsets on the beach, countless celebrations, and even weathered cyclones, COVID, and every challenge in between,” they said.

“Through it all, one thing has never changed – our commitment to protecting this very special place for our community.”

A safe space

Talking to Star Observer, co-owner Kelvin Banks explained that it was his son, Jake, who pointed out Turtle Cove to him back in 2008, saying they should check out the gay resort on the beach, located between the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.

“And I said all right, but I’m not gonna come in because they’ll think I’m a pedophile if I go in with two young boys.”

He explains that the resort, which had been operating since 1993, then went on sale a month later – and after recently selling his industrial tyre business, Kelvin and Jacinta decided to put in a bid, assuming they couldn’t afford Turtle Cove. However, he was surprised when the next day the agent called him up and said “guess what? You’re the owner of a p**fter resort.”

“And I said, ‘Jesus’.”

The resort has experienced a lot of changes since 1993, including progressing to a world where gay people were less stigmatised, and therefore no longer required safe spaces like Turtle Cove as much. Banks also explains that Turtle Cove noticed a drop in numbers after the invention of Grindr. There’s also been trials, such as cyclones.

He also says that while he has many stories of the parties held over the years, none of them are “suitable” for the general public.

But none of these changes impact how important the resort is to the gay community.

“Because it has always been a very safe space, and as Bert Gerbrands, founding general manager of Turtle Cove Beach Resort would say, ‘doesn’t matter what you like, or what you look like, do what you’d like, as long as you don’t hurt anybody –  unless they want to be.”

Kelvin explains that their time with Turtle Cove has been a lifestyle – but now that he and Jacinta are “getting on” it’s time to sell. “It’s just such a unique place and such a great. It’s different than any other hotel. It’s so social.”

Do you want to buy Turtle Cove?

Nathan and Julien said the resort’s future ownership would be important in preserving its role as an LGBTQIA+ community venue.

“Our hope is that Turtle Cove remains within our LGBTQIA+ family or with people who genuinely appreciate its importance to our community,” they said.

“Like so many cherished LGBTQIA+ venues around the world, Turtle Cove deserves a future that honours its history and purpose,” the letter said.

“Too many community spaces have been swallowed by corporate ownership or have lost the spirit that made them special. We don’t want Turtle Cove to become another such story.”

They said they welcomed interest from a range of potential buyers who shared the values associated with the resort.

“Whether that’s an individual, a group of friends, a community consortium, or investors who share our values, we’d love to hear from you.”

The managers thanked the community for its role in shaping the resort’s history.

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being part of the Turtle Cove story. Thank you for every smile, every friendship, every celebration, and every memory you’ve helped create,” they said.

“Together, we hope to ensure Turtle Cove remains what it has always been a place where everyone is welcome, everyone belongs, and our community continues to thrive for generations to come.”