‘Big Barra’ could be perfect home business opportunity

The Big Barra may be the biggest fish in town for those angling for a home with its own money-spinning businesses, and now buyers have a chance to cast their own bid for it.

There’s the Big Pineapple and the Big Banana, but it may surprise you to know you can live at the Big Barra on the edge of the Daintree rainforest.

Located at Daintree village, the Big Barra pays its own way, and has been variously — since 1939 — “a boarding house, a dance hall, picture theatre, a grocer, a museum and a church”.

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“Daintree village was established on the butter — where the cream was rowed six miles to the factory three times a week — and cedar timber industry, which kept the local sawmill busy, with both factories running on the same steam boiler,” was how agents Jenna Chamberlain and Rosie Wang of Ray White Port Douglas listed it.

As you might expect from a tourism property named the Big Barra, this one has embraced Australian fare from Barra, Roo and Croc burgers in the restaurant to a Timber Gallery and Museum celebrating the history of the area.

The property has a restaurant, gallery and workshop.

“Anybody arriving in Daintree Village, can’t miss seeing the Big Barra and the restaurant as soon as they turn the corner as it dominates the street. Tourists to Daintree Village are a mixed bunch from bird watchers, to ‘four-by-four-ers’ to backpackers and family day-trippers,” was how the agents described interest in the area.

Croc Tours leave from the end of the street regularly, they said, and photographic wildlife and bird tours leave early morning, while off-roaders pick up final supplies and a feed before going off on their next adventure. Among the charms was Tranquillity Falls “only a 10 minute drive from the Big Barra”.

The restaurant seat over 80 people, with one reviewer describing the unairconditioned seating area as having “what are probably Australia’s most high-quality casual picnic benches”.

“Renowned for the big barramundi sculpture adorning the front of the garden centre, the Big Barramundi Garden offers alfresco dining in the warm tropical surrounds of Daintree Village. Offering a taste of Australia, serving dishes including crocodile, kangaroo and barramundi, as well as the delicious and the well known locally homemade ice-cream in exotic flavours, black zapote, wattleseed and Jaboticaba, to name a few.”

All sorts of tourist activities are in the area.

The property also has a workshop that was home to the Daintree Markets with a dozen market stalls, used previously as the wood-turning area.

There’s also a gallery and shop in one large expansive space with retail space previously rented out at $500 a week.

All that and a home too with a large living zone, three bedrooms, a very big bathroom and bags of space for renovation.

The property has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and parking for seven vehicles.

Located on a 789sqm block, the property is open for inspection at 9am on Saturday October 19, before it goes under the hammer at 10am on site.

This article from The Courier Mail originally appeared as “Biggest one you’ll ever catch set for auction”.