Where It All Began …
The story of Freedom Shores began when the owners fell in love with a beautiful hidden valley on the outskirts of Airlie Beach, Whitsundays, QLD. They bought the property and built the venue around their family’s love for all things nautical. They saved old boats destined for destruction and recommissioned them as nautical interest points throughout the grounds.
A Unique Vision
First up was the development of Northerlies Beach Bar & Grill, our on-site restaurant offering absolute waterfront dining. One of its biggest architectural attractions is the restaurant bar, which was rebuilt from a retired prawn trawler from Bundaberg, QLD. You’ll also find refurbished jetty poles from Shute Harbour, scatterings of rope, anchors, and old steering wheels built into the backdrop.
Then came the construction of Freedom Shores Resort, just across the lawn. The pièce de résistance is the “Shangri La” deck – a recreational vessel used by General MacArthur during the Battle of the Coral Sea in World War 2. It now stands proudly as a unique wooden deck, overlooking the Whitsunday Islands.
Fun Facts
The coconut trees you’ll see on the property were originally from the set of Pirates of the Caribbean, when it was filmed on Whitehaven Beach. Once filming was done and dusted, the trees needed to be removed, so we opted to re-plant them here, to live forever on the Freedom Shores grounds.
Freedom Shores was originally named after The Doors song, ‘Waiting for the Sun’ – Standing there on freedom’s shore – lyric. One of our boat bungalows are named after this too!
