Craig Clark’s Two Decades of Hospitality Broking Across Australia’s East Coast
Craig Clark’s Two Decades of Hospitality Broking Across Australia’s East Coast
When Craig Clark swapped a Riverina farm for a run-down caravan park on the New South Wales mid-north coast in 1998, he didn’t expect it to set the course for a 25-year career in hospitality and business broking.
The park sat on the beachfront at Boomerang Beach, and what began as a modest renovation turned into a full resort development of 75 beach houses. “We built a community,” Craig explained. “We sold the houses, structured a management rights business over it and sold those rights to Mantra.”
It was a big leap from farming, but it sparked a long-term passion for tourism businesses that has shaped Craig’s professional life ever since.
From Aerial Photography to Accommodation
Before the resort, Craig and his wife spent years travelling Australia doing aerial photography. As a commercial pilot, he enjoyed the freedom of flying and the chance to see the country from above.
Along the way, they often stayed in caravan parks, getting to know the operators and the business model. “We’d never owned a caravan,” he laughed, “but we liked the idea of parks. They were a good, simple business.” When the chance came to buy one, they took it and learned the industry from the inside out.
Joining the Broking World
After selling the resort, Craig Clark was invited to join a brokerage firm nearly 20 years ago. His operational background made him a natural fit. “I’d done a lot of sales work through our own projects, so it was a smooth transition,” he recalled.
Over time, he met fellow broker Kevin Connolly and the pair decided to form their own venture. They linked with CRE Brokers in Victoria, creating a separate but aligned northern operation.
“Down there it stands for Connolly Roberts Estate Agents, and up here it’s Craig Real Estate,” he explained. “It’s been a great relationship and it still works beautifully.”
A Compact, Connected Team
Today, Craig and his colleagues at CRE Brokers handle everything north of Sydney through to Queensland and the Northern Territory.
It’s a lean, mobile group with brokers spread strategically: Tom Noonan in Cairns, Ronnie Slebos in Agnes Water, Mark Walsh in Brisbane, Darren Leaney in Coffs Harbour, and Craig himself on the Sunshine Coast. “It’s not too large,” he shared. “It’s manageable, and we all cover a lot of ground. I still do a lot of flying.”
Recent health challenges for his wife have kept him closer to home, but the travel never really stops. “It takes us all over the place,” he remarked. “There’s always something happening.”
Strong Demand in Hospitality
Despite a softening in business performance since the boom of the 2023–24 financial year, Craig sees the hospitality market remaining vibrant. “There’s a huge demand outstripping supply,” he noted. “That’s our biggest issue: not having enough stock.”
Buyers are eager to enter the sector, especially caravan parks, motels, hotels and management rights businesses. “People are holding on to their businesses because they’re good,” he said. “And there are a lot of new entrants coming in.”
He’s seen the caravan park sector, in particular, evolve from being ripe for redevelopment into one of the most tightly held asset classes in regional property. “Twenty years ago, a lot of parks were being turned into housing,” he explained. “These days they’re very sought after, and buyers will purchase them on very low capitalisation rates.”
Few new parks are being built due to high costs and long lead times. “You could name the new parks in Queensland over the last ten years on one hand,” he remarked. “It’s a very expensive exercise.”
Deals and Relationships
CRE’s focus covers both freehold and leasehold transactions, often blending the two.
Craig recalled a rewarding deal at Stanthorpe where a leased caravan park was restructured and sold as a combined freehold and leasehold to a newcomer named Amanda. “She’d never been in the park game before,” he related. “I told her it was the right business for her and she more than doubled the income in 18 months.”
For Craig, those outcomes are what make the job worthwhile. “There’s nothing worse than selling someone something that doesn’t work for them,” he stated. “We make sure the job doesn’t end when the sale is complete. We’re there afterward, a bit of a free consultant for as long as we need to be.”
He still keeps in touch with many former clients. One park at Iluka near Yamba has changed hands twice through him first sold 15 years ago, and recently re-leased to create a passive income stream for the original owners. “It’s rewarding to see people succeed,” he commented. “A lot of them do very well.”
Industry Insights and Shifting Cycles
Craig has seen the full cycle of market sentiment. “After the GFC, no one wanted freehold going concerns everyone was chasing leaseholds and cash flow,” he recalled. “Now both are sought after.”
Demand across the board has lifted, with hospitality businesses in Queensland proving resilient even through COVID disruptions. While numbers have normalised since the pandemic-era surge, interest remains strong from buyers across Australia.
The shift, he believes, reflects renewed confidence in lifestyle-driven investments. “Caravan parks and motels are hard work, but they’re tangible,” he explained. “People like the security of a business tied to land.”
Building the Next Generation
Looking ahead, Craig highlighted CRE Brokers is keen to bring new talent onto the team, especially in the Gold Coast and western New South Wales. “We’ve had a few great people retire recently,” he noted. “We could really use suitable brokers in those areas.”
Experience in hospitality is a major asset, he added. “Most of us came from that background, not from real estate,” he continued. “It helps you understand what you’re selling and who you’re helping.”
But he cautions new brokers planning a start as a business broker in the hospitality sector, “It’s hard to start from scratch,” he explained. “You need the backing of an established firm. It’s an expensive industry to get set up in and to get known.”
A Rewarding Balance
The team dynamic, Craig said, is one of CRE’s greatest strengths. “The guys are delightful. Everyone’s on the same page,” he remarked. “We make sure we have a lot of fun.” One colleague is currently on a surfing trip in Indonesia with his son, while others are covering ground across the eastern states.
For Craig, the blend of travel, teamwork and client relationships keeps the work fresh. “It’s a very rewarding business model, not just financially,” he stated. “There’s real satisfaction in seeing people buy a good business and make it thrive.”
Nearly two decades into broking (and decades more in hospitality), Craig Clark remains as enthusiastic as ever. “Here we are, nearly 20 years on, and I still enjoy it,” he declared with a smile. “That probably says it all.”
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