Celebrity tropical hide away hits the market

We’d love to tell you where this property is but it’s a secret.

Truly. An integral part of the magic and success of the sublime Port Douglas retreat known as Bali Hai is privacy.

No paparazzi, no one can ‘drop in’; this is an exclusive retreat, designed by a couple who understand the extraordinary value of offering guests the chance to simply disappear.

We can say it is 20 minutes from Port Douglas, and five minutes to Mossman in far North Queensland but being deep in the tropical woodlands, you still wouldn’t be able to find it without a few tips.

There are 32 hectares of land to roam; waterways and swimming holes to discover, not to mention the glamorous wet edge pool steps from the thatched roof, main pavilion.

The open style, Baliinese inspired pavilions, of which there are four, sit in a four hectare level lawn, that almost grows as you sit, in absolute stillness, and watch it.

So who has sat here, and watched the lawn grow, or the bougainvillea bloom?

“Oh, I do wish I could tell you,” says owner Hans van der Wolf with a chuckle. “But there are non disclosure agreements - you know how it is. But I can say Rebecca Gibney was married here and Dannii Minogue stayed here too.”

This paradise may seem to have just appeared, but it is the result of the passion of the owners, whose lives have for decades been spent in a variety of hospitality roles – from 35,000 ft in the sky as a First-Class Steward for Qantas, to owning restaurants in Sydney to creating a suite of executive and function properties in the prettiest places in Queensland, under the Executive Retreats banner.

At every turn has been the need of spectacular service.

“When I was Chief Steward with Qantas, I was selected to look after Queen Elizabeth and her entourage on her trip out from England,” recalls Mr van der Wolf.

“The jumbo jet travelled fully laden from Australia over to England, then it was completely converted so that there were beds and cupboards, the whole first class was just for the Queen and the Duke. They were very nice, very nice people.There were six of us to look after 28 passengers. Can you imagine that? Amazing.”

Wendy van der Wolf also came from the world of international airlines, and together she and Mr van der wold settled in the secret paradise of Port Douglas.

They soon realised how popular renting out their private sanctuary was, and sick of having to move out all the time for their celebrity clientele, they decided to move out permanently and extend their property range to cope with the demand. The rest, as they say, is history.

So confident are the van de Wolfs of the ongoing clientele for Bali Hai, they have offered to lease back the property from buyers, for $100,000 per annum.

Ray White Port Douglas agent Mark Flinn is an admirer of the couple.

“They have been pioneers in the industry of private home rentals in this area - and have become leaders in the business.”

Mr Flinn is completely on board with the secrecy surrounding the property - even to the point of how he describes the property online.

“We’ve called it zero Syndicate Rd ” said Mr Flinn. “It offers luxury and privacy in a really intimate setting. We really don’t want it to be found.”

Unless of course you’re a buyer.

The property is being offered for sale with a guide price of $3.2 million.