Palmer Coolum Resort sacks staff and closes accommodation facilities for renovations

About 40 staff at Clive Palmer's resort on Queensland's Sunshine Coast have been sacked as parts of the Palmer Coolum Resort has been closed for renovations.

Resort management issued a statement saying the accommodation and conference facilities were closed for extensive renovations, with only the golf course and one restaurant remaining open. Former staff member Benny Pike said he was among about 40 staff given redundancy notices at a meeting on Monday (16th March)

Pike told the ABC that while staff at the former Hyatt Coolum Resort "were disappointed, they said 'oh well' ... they knew it was coming - they just knew it was coming.

"The direction of the facility has changed so many times that nobody can sit back and relax because they don't know what's going to happen."

The announcement comes a week after Jeff, the resort's 10-metre tall animatronic T-Rex, was destroyed by fire caused, according to Palmer, by an electrical fault.

The region's peak tourism group, Sunshine Coast Destinations, said it was excited by the prospect of a major refurbishment of the resort, with Chief Executive Simon Ambrose calling it long overdue.

Ambrose stated "I think it's a really good indication that Clive Palmer is taking the Palmer Coolum Resort seriously and wants to invest in it and turn it back into a five-star world class resort that it needs to be.

"What we need to continue to do is to reinvest in our assets on the Sunshine Coast.

Ambrose said in the past, the Palmer Coolum Resort had operated at a high standard, adding "currently visitation is low - we do need more investment and if there's going to be more investment into the resort, it's going to be operating at a really, really high level.

"It'll continue to attract lots and lots of leisure visitors and attract lots of business visitors."

Prior to Palmer's purchase of the Resort in 2011 it employed more than 650 people.

Palmer opened his dinosaur park attraction, including 160 animated replica dinosaurs, some animatronic, along with a vintage car museum, in late 2013.

Writing in The Australian this week, Hedley Thomas suggests that under investment and poor management has seen "a once-iconic destination … descend into a laughing stock … well suited to dinosaurs."

Images: (top) Jeff the T-Rex after his fiery extinction courtesy of Debbie Higgs and (below) Palmer Coolum Resort courtesy of Palmer Coolum Resort.

22nd December 2013 - CLIVE PALMER OPENS DINOSAUR ATTRACTION ON THE SUNSHINE COAST