It hit the sparse Kimberley coastline at the Berkeley River mouth, where the upmarket Berkeley River Lodge is situated.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Tropical cyclone Fina pictured on the BOM satellite on Tuesday morning after crossing the coast. (Supplied: BOM)<\/p>\n
While the cyclone did not impact the East Kimberley towns of Kununurra or Wyndham, the remote tourism resort suffered significant damage.<\/p>\n
Resort receives ‘direct hit’<\/p>\n
Promising “barefoot luxury” on its website, the Berkeley River Lodge is an adults-only resort located in one of the most remote parts of the state.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Berkley River Lodge opened in 2012 and had almost completed a three-year renovation. Archive image (Facebook: Berkeley River Lodge)<\/p>\n
Inaccessible by road, guests and crew can only access the retreat by plane and boat.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The extremely remote Berkeley River Lodge, viewed from the air, identified by its air strip. (Supplied: Google Earth)<\/p>\n
Owner Chris Banson said the resort received a “direct hit” from the cyclone.<\/p>\n
“Three of the 18 villas are destroyed, and the staff accommodation has extensive damage,” he said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Berkeley River Lodge in WA’s remote far north suffered extensive damage in a near direct hit from the cyclone. (Supplied)<\/p>\n
“Water and power services are no longer operating.<\/p>\n
“Most importantly, our two on-site caretakers are safe.”<\/p>\n
Mr Banson said no visitors had been impacted as the tourism season closed in September.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The two on-site caretakers at the lodge are safe. (Supplied)<\/p>\n
He said, despite the damage, he hoped the lodge would reopen in May next year.<\/p>\n
“We are still assessing the full extent of the damage and the impact that this will have on the 2026 season,” he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The lodge was undertaking a major renovation project. (Supplied)<\/p>\n
Wild night for caretakers<\/p>\n
Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) acting Kimberley superintendent Todd Pender said the caretakers had taken refuge in an underground 40-foot shipping container at 2pm on Monday.<\/p>\n
He said they made contact with emergency crews in Kununurra early on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
DFES says the resort, owned by hotel chain Saltwater Properties, has suffered extensive damage in TC Fina. (Facebook: Berkeley River Lodge)<\/p>\n
“They report they’re OK,” Mr Pender said.<\/p>\n
“They are reporting, however, there’s reasonably significant damage to the structures out there \u2026 they’re talking about total loss of infrastructure at different levels.<\/p>\n
“The main thing is that people are safe.”<\/p>\n
Mr Pender said the caretakers had access to food and water, but were without power, and it could take some time for authorities to evacuate them.<\/p>\n
“The power station on site has been destroyed,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Their battery banks will run out at some point.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Todd Pender says there has been significant damage at the lodge. (ABC Kimberley: Dunja Karagic\u00a0)<\/p>\n
He said emergency services were waiting for strong winds to ease before it was deemed safe enough to fly to the site.<\/p>\n
“Once the winds have died enough, working with the aviation company, we’ll get across there and check their welfare,” Mr Pender said.<\/p>\n
“There’s every likelihood we are going to bring them out, and we’ll find them some accommodation over in Kununurra.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Category 2 TC Fina sat over the Kimberley’s north east coast on Tuesday morning. (Supplied: Bureau of Meteorology)<\/p>\n
Mr Pender said a team of State Emergency Services volunteers would also travel to the area.<\/p>\n
Tropical Cyclone Fina is the second cyclone to hit Berkeley River Lodge in the past eight years.<\/p>\n
The resort suffered minor damage after Tropical Cyclone Blanche made landfall about five to 10 kilometres away as a category two system in March 2017.<\/p>\n
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