ONE of Tamborine Mountain’s leading tourism operators have taken a bold stride towards the future by renaming their iconic establishment.
Cedar Creek Lodges and Thunderbird Park will now be known as Tamborine Mountain Glades.
Owners Judy and Bob Minnikin were part of a consortium that took over Thunderbird Park in 1999 not realising just how far the venue was in debt.
“Thirty years ago I was persuaded to join the group and with an appalling lack of due diligence, we became part owners,” said Bob, with a touch of humour.
“It was quickly evident that this was a rather tired property, mortgaged to the hilt, and losing money. The best thing I ever did was to persuade Judi to come here and turn things around,” he said.
“My consortium partners could not run away fast enough, and leave it all to us. So on the one hand we paid nothing for Thunderbird Park and on the other, a hell of a lot.”
“It then got worse because the problems were greater than even I had imagined. The ATO was owed more than $500,000 and they were in no mood to negotiate.
“While Judi is a visionary and can sell anything, even she baulked at selling weddings and conferences 12 months into the future, with ‘Under Administration’ on the letterhead. So we dug in, worked bloody hard and got it done.”
Judi said they were difficult times, but times that forged them closer and indelibly inked in both of them what they wanted to create on the mountain, that being an extraordinary tourism operation that would be forever a work in progress.
“Today we stand here sharing that vision, and launching the next chapter – Tamborine Mountain Glades,” said Judi.
“The transition is another line in the sand for us. Our range of accommodation, wedding and conference facilities, restaurant and art gallery has grown to a standard that the old brand did not reflect,” she said.
“The new brand does, and under this banner we excitedly look forward to new accommodation coming online, having just launched the 20-room luxe suites called The Vistas, and will be welcoming the Japanese inspired SOL Elemental Spa this Summer on the peninsular on Lake Waterlily.
Their advice to all operators in tourism – “keep going, never ever give up, remember it’s all about the guest, and love what you do.”
