All at sea: private island in Whitsundays deserted by prospective buyer

theguardian.com:

A week out from settling the sale of a private island in the Whitsundays’ pristine waters, the buyer has disappeared.

It is not the plot of a murder mystery novel, but a real quandary faced by the directors of Private Islands Online Australia, Richard and Norelle Vanhoff, who have had to put Poole Island back on the market.

The buyer, a WA-based businessman, had signed a contract and paid a $5,000 deposit for the 20ha island with an asking price of less than an average home in Australia’s biggest cities.

However, when the property was ready for settlement, the solicitor acting for the purchaser couldn’t find his client. Neither could Vanhoff. His phone had been turned off and emails went unanswered.

“The owner selling the island was doubting our ability to track this gentleman down,” Vanhoff said, “and so I gave him the details, and he came to the same conclusion.”

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Vanhoff said the experience was “rather odd” – he had never had a client completely cut off communication since he and his wife began the business in 2004.

“Normally, if somebody is not going to proceed, they’ll let you know pretty early not to waste your time.”

With an asking price of less than $1m, “where else can you buy a waterfront property for $1m, and be at 50 acres, surrounded by coral and deepwater fishing and not too far from Airlie beach or Hamilton Island?” Vanhoff said.

The price allows the buyer the right to own the lease granted by the Queensland government for a period of 20 years, with $20,000 paid annually in rent.

The island is surrounded by the deep blue water the area is renowned for, but unlike other islands in the Whitsundays there is not