Berkeley River Lodge Faces Total Infrastructure Loss After Cyclone Fina’s Direct Hit

Remote Luxury Resort Ravaged by Cyclone Fina

On the wild, isolated coastline of Western Australia, the Berkeley River Lodge has always promised ‘barefoot luxury’—a retreat so remote you could only get there by plane or boat. But nature, as it often does, had other plans. Ex-Tropical Cyclone Fina, a powerful category three system, made landfall late Monday night, delivering a direct hit that left the exclusive resort reeling.

When the winds died down, the devastation was evident. Owner Chris Banson described the scene with a weary candor: three of the lodge’s 18 oceanfront villas were simply destroyed, and the central lodge and staff accommodations bore extensive damage. Water and power? Gone. Surrounding vegetation—once lush—was stripped by the storm’s fury, with debris scattered across the coastline. Photos taken after the cyclone show villas toppled, battered trees, and a landscape that looks as if it had been swept clean by a colossal hand.

Survival Underground: Caretakers Escape Unharmed

As the cyclone approached, two on-site caretakers made a desperate dash for safety, sheltering in an underground 40-foot shipping container. The gamble paid off—they emerged unscathed, contacting emergency crews in Kununurra early Tuesday morning. According to Todd Pender, acting superintendent of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES), the caretakers were among only four people in the cyclone warning area when Fina crossed the coast. Their safety, he emphasized, was the main concern.

With power out and battery reserves running low, evacuation is now the priority. “Once the winds have died enough, working with the aviation company, we’ll get across there and check their welfare,” Pender told ABC News. Until then, the caretakers remain in their bunker, supplied with food and water but cut off from the rest of the world.

Infrastructure Lost, But No Guests Harmed

One small mercy: the resort was closed for the season. No guests were present when the cyclone struck, sparing the possibility of a much graver outcome. The timing, while fortuitous, does little to soften the blow for the lodge itself. “Most importantly, our two on-site caretakers are safe,” owner Chris Banson reiterated, but the path to recovery is daunting. The power station has been destroyed, and water services are offline. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed, with hopes—however tentative—that Berkeley River Lodge might reopen by May 2026.

“We’re still assessing the full extent of the damage and the impact that this will have on the 2026 season,” Banson added, reflecting the uncertainty that now clouds the lodge’s future.

Regional Impact: Cyclone Fina’s Trail

Cyclone Fina didn’t only batter Berkeley River Lodge. The storm swept across the Northern Territory over the weekend, knocking out power to about 17,000 homes and properties, according to Canberra Times. In the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin, trees were felled, and Tiwi College suffered significant structural damage, forcing staff evacuations and an indefinite closure. By Tuesday, PowerWater had restored power to most affected areas, with work ongoing for the remaining few thousand still in the dark.

Back in Western Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology downgraded Fina to a tropical low by Tuesday afternoon. Yet, the threat lingered—heavy rain, flash flooding, and wind gusts up to 85 km/h were forecasted for the region. Rainfall totals between 50 and 200 millimeters were possible as the system tracked inland, and a severe weather warning remained in place for areas between Kalumburu and Wyndham.

Emergency Response and Recovery

DFES teams are standing by, waiting for conditions to clear enough to evacuate the caretakers and begin a thorough damage assessment. State Emergency Services volunteers are preparing to travel to the area, while the immediate priority remains human safety. The Northern Territory government has announced a $250 disaster recovery hardship payment for those impacted by the cyclone, a small but necessary step for those facing the aftermath.

For Berkeley River Lodge, the road to recovery will be long. Owner Chris Banson expressed hope that the lodge could reopen next year, but acknowledged that the damage might affect the entire 2026 season. The resort, already no stranger to cyclones—it suffered minor damage from Cyclone Blanche in 2017—now faces a challenge of rebuilding not just infrastructure, but the spirit of luxury and escape it once offered.

The loss at Berkeley River Lodge is more than bricks and mortar. It’s a reminder that even the most remote paradises are vulnerable, and that the line between untouched wilderness and unforgiving nature is perilously thin.

Looking ahead, the fate of Berkeley River Lodge will depend not just on the physical rebuilding, but on the resilience of its community and the ability to adapt to an environment where extremes are the norm. As the Kimberley region absorbs yet another blow, the story of survival—both human and structural—will be written in the months to come.