Tropical Cyclone Fina rips through newly refurbished luxury Kimberley lodge

Australia’s most remote luxury lodge and one of Western Australia’s premium tourism experiences has been directly hit by Severe Tropical Cyclone Fina.

The destructive core of Fina, which laid waste to parts of the Northern Territory as it crossed over at the weekend and early on Monday, hit the Berkeley River at a category 3 system about 9pm, WA time.

Berkeley River Lodge in Western Australia has had parts of its retreat destroyed by Tropical Cyclone Fina.

Gales and damaging wind gusts got to 100 kilometres an hour along the coast and inland areas between the King George River Mouth and the Cambridge Gulf.

The Berkeley River Lodge, an exclusive retreat on the northern Kimberley coast and a popular spot for cruise ships to stop, was directly hit.

Saltwater Properties owner Chris Banson confirmed on Tuesday the two caretakers currently responsible for the property were unharmed.

“Berkeley River Lodge received a direct hit from Tropical Cyclone Fina overnight, which crossed the Kimberley coast as a strong category 3 system,” he said.

Trees have been uprooted all along the coastal retreat.

“Our season closed in September and there were no visitors impacted by this event.”

It is currently the wet season in the Kimberley, meaning many tourism businesses have shut for the summer months.

However, the lodge was due to reopen or its 2026 season with fresh new refurbishments to welcome new visitors. It is home to 18 chalets that stretch up the northern Kimberley coast.

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While Banson said the lodge still planned to open next year, Fina had ripped up parts of the new tourism offering.

“The property has sustained significant damage,” he said.

“The central lodge area lost some exterior panelling and has some roof damage. Water and power services are no longer operating.

“Some of the villas have damage to their roof or exterior cladding that surrounds the open–air bathrooms.

“Three of the eighteen villas are completely destroyed and the staff accommodation has extensive damage. Surrounding vegetation has also been impacted.”

The retreat was set to open with new work that had been completed over three years.

Photos seen by this masthead show loose wooden panelling, uprooted trees and metal ripped from rafters.

“We are still assessing the full extent of the damage and the impact that this will have on the 2026 season,” Banson said.

“Our plan at this stage is to still open in May for our planned full refurbishment.”

Fina has now weakened to a category 1 system as it moves inland. Emergency services are still warning about the possibility of flash flooding, as the rain moves toward southern communities in the Kimberley.

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