Luxury accommodation in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, QLD
Makepeace Island Has Swapped Power Suits for Pyjamas
There was a time when Makepeace Island specialised in very discreet conversations involving phrases like “off the record” and “we’ll have legal look at that.” It was the sort of place where important people arrived looking important and left looking even more important, but slightly sunburnt.
Now? Now it’s hosting Nanna, three overtired children, a dad who swore he wouldn’t check emails and absolutely is, and a family debate about who gets the boathouse.
Following a multi-million-dollar reinvention in late 2024, this 25-acre heart-shaped island on the Noosa River has had what can only be described as a personality glow-up. Still luxurious. Still exclusive. But less “merger strategy” and more “who taught the toddler to cannonball?”
Noosa luxury is for people to chill
General Manager Kate Gilbert says families are drifting away from trophy destinations and marathon sightseeing.
Translation: people are exhausted.
Apparently almost 90 per cent of Gen X and millennial parents now prioritise “quality time” when travelling. The shift is simple. Time has overtaken flash. Ease has overtaken bragging rights. Nobody wants to fly 14 hours to stand in a queue next to someone else’s influencer daughter.
At Makepeace, you get the entire island. Up to 22 guests. No strangers. No awkward buffet hovering.
Luxury villas in Noosa
There are three standalone villas with riverfront decks and bathrooms large enough to feel faintly Roman. A secluded boathouse for grandparents who adore the family but also enjoy breathing in silence. And a four-room pavilion ideal for teenagers who require both proximity and plausible independence.
Just ten minutes by private boat from Noosa Heads, the island feels far enough away to forget what day it is, but close enough that you don’t need survival skills.
Activities in Noosa on Makepeace
The 500,000-litre lagoon pool anchors island life. There’s riverside fishing for the contemplative. Tennis tournaments for the quietly competitive. A twilight dining barge with party lights that makes everyone look slightly cinematic.
Children are corralled into guided adventures by a seasoned on-island coordinator who understands that kids oscillate between angelic and feral in 3.2 seconds.
Adults can join family cooking classes. Mixology sessions. The gyoza-making is reportedly legendary.
There are two open-air pavilions for gathering. One comes with a full bar, oversized screen and billiard table, which is essentially a peace treaty in architectural form.
And then there’s the staffing ratio: one team member for every two guests.
Zeb Gilber of Wasabi to cook for guests
Dining is led by chef Zeb Gilbert, formerly of Wasabi. Menus are customised entirely to each group. Fragrant curries with house-pickled vegetables. Poolside barbecues that feel relaxed but suspiciously perfect. Wines curated with a local sommelier, or you can bring your own cellar treasures.
“The entire experience is geared toward full-family tailoring,” says Gilbert.
Just one booking. Sorted.
A Slightly Wild Backstory
Originally known as Pig Island, the property was once home to Hannah “Shotgun” Makepeace, who famously fired her weapon skyward to summon neighbours for supplies. A woman ahead of her time, really.
In 2003, Richard Branson purchased the island and later opened it as a private retreat. After its 2024 reinvention, the island now blends refreshed Balinese-style pavilions with elevated dining and an expanded all-ages program that doesn’t feel like it was assembled in a boardroom.
So What Does It Cost to Make Peace?
All-inclusive stays begin at AUD $20,000 per night for the first eight guests.
Which is significant. But so is the alternative: another year of saying “we must catch up properly” to your own parents. So indulge in the luxury of watching three generations argue over who makes the best gyoza. Of your phone being suspiciously irrelevant. And everyone staying long enough to actually finish a story. And possibly, if you’re very lucky, going to bed without once checking the news.
