The silver developer plans to add more rooms to the park, amid an accommodation shortage in the town.
Boab Metals has purchased Ivanhoe Village Caravan Park for $5.2 million, with plans to add more rooms to the facility.
The silver mine developer purchased the 214 Coolibah Drive property from Kununurra Resorts Pty Ltd earlier this year, property records show.
The village is in the centre of Kununurra and about 50 kilometres from Boab Metals' Sorby Hills silver-lead mine, which is currently under construction.
Boab Metals managing director Simon Noon said he saw the caravan park as an important asset to the town.
“We purchased the Ivanhoe Village Caravan Park because it had been on the market for some time and we didn’t want to see Kununurra lose such an important tourism asset,” he said.
The caravan park includes 24 chalets, four studio units, 20 ensuite suites and two staff residences.
In 2022, Boab Metals purchased a 178-room workers’ village from the former Cosmo Mine in the Northern Territory, and transferred its rooms to Sorby Hills.
Boab Metals requires about 158 rooms for its Sorby Hills accommodation camp once the mine is in production.
Mr Noon said the company’s plan was to add more units to Ivanhoe Village Caravan Park.
“Our plan is to relocate those surplus units to the Ivanhoe Village Caravan Park ahead of the 2027 tourist season, creating additional accommodation capacity for Kununurra,” he said.
“In the meantime, there’s a short peak construction period of around three months leading into the wet season where we’ll utilise available rooms at the park for contractors and project visitors.
“This aligns with the quieter tourism period, making it an efficient use of the existing facilities.”
He added that he saw the move as a win for the town.
“It preserves an important tourism asset, provides a practical solution during construction, and ultimately leaves Kununurra with more accommodation capacity than it has today,” he said.
Kimberley tourism operator Colin Fitzgerald is the sole shareholder of the selling entity Kununurra Resorts Pty Ltd, Australian Securities and Investments Commission documents show.
Boab Metals expects Sorby Hills to enter production in the second half of next year.
