Motel owner Dianna Mullins is about to step off her 20-year emotional roller-coaster ride that produced countless happy memories and delivered surprising guests – including one chicken.
The mother-of-three and savvy businesswoman is selling the Moffat Beach Motel that has been a fixture of the popular surfside suburb for decades and jokes that she could fill a book with some of the characters who have passed through its 12 guest rooms.
One particular gentleman certainly broke out of the shackles of the stereotype and proved to her you should never judge a book by its cover.
“In our first year, I had a pretty frightening guy wanting to stay but he gave me his parole slip as ID, stating that he had just gotten out (of jail),” she remembered.
“I was quite unsure. So, he begged to check in, saying, ‘Look, Luv, I know this all looks bad but I swear I’m not dangerous. I just want to get reacquainted with my wife before I get home to the family, you know?’
“So, with promises of not being any trouble, I let him have a room.
“Anyway, he and his wife had impeccable manners and the room was spotless on departure: everything was folded neatly so you could hardly tell they’d been in there.
“On the flipside, one of the most handsome and well-dressed guests arrived in his prestige car, only to have the most ridiculous fight with his partner later that evening.
“He actually threw a bar stool over the balcony at her while she was walking out on him.”
And seemingly straight out of an episode of the British cult comedy Fawlty Towers, quirky guests kept coming, including one woman recently with a “care chicken” in her handbag and a couple who introduced Dianna to their toddler, who was conceived in Room 2.
Dianna embraces the fact she has welcomed many regular guests over the years, most of whom she now considers friends. She feels honoured to have been a part of their lives and watched families grow up.
“One special guest, Stan, a retired bus driver, has come down from Toowoomba every single year since we’ve owned (the motel) – sometimes twice a year,” she said.
“It’s been a privilege to see him care for his ageing wife as her health has deteriorated over the years.
“Last year, he said he loved me and I cried. This year, they are both too unwell to make the drive to come to stay so I am going up to visit them for the first time.”
Local journalists supporting local people. Help keep independent and fair Sunshine Coast news coming by subscribing to our free daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email. See SUBSCRIBE at the top of this article.
The convenient location on the corner of Buccleugh and Roderick Sts means the motel has hosted people from all walks of life – from family holidaymakers, surfers and music lovers attending the nearby Caloundra Music Festival, to couples, honeymooners and businesspeople from far and wide.
In what Dianna calls her “most fortuitous Hotel California situation”, one Canadian guest makes for a particularly good story as, in the words of The Eagles’ song, he can “check out any time (he) likes, but (he) can never leave”. As her new partner, she tells people he came to stay “for coffee, tea or me”.
As a true “people person”, Dianna enjoys a chat with guests and hearing their life stories and travel recommendations, as well as reasons for their visit. And she never ceases to be amazed by “unassuming guests who turn out to be incredibly talented or specialists in an obscure field”.
“Guest interaction is definitely my favourite part of the business and I value the inclusion often allowed to me,” she said.
“Plus, if you ask questions, you can learn some valuable lessons or just get random info based on their experience. I don’t need the TV.
“Oh and there is often six degrees of separation, which I always find fascinating.”
Despite the exterior changing from retro to a much more modern coastal look, the motel is instantly recognisable to Caloundra locals and visitors alike.
“A local builder created it as the Wandalua Motel but straight away sold it to a local doctor and his wife who ran it,” Dianna said of the motel’s history.
“Their only daughter grew up living here and went to Caloundra High, I believe. A couple of locals have told me they remember swimming in the pool after school with her.
“We bought it in November of 2004 and went to Daydream Island for a family holiday while it settled.
Love nostalgia? So do we. Help keep more great Coast memories alive by subscribing to our free daily news feed. Go to Subscribe at the top of this story and add your name and email. It’s that simple.
“I remember the managers’ unit was pretty ugly with bright yellow Laminex and old brown carpet.
“We had just built a beautiful, very modern, two-storey home in Norman Park, finished the year before, so it was a big change to come and live on site in what was a daggy two-bedroom apartment.
“When we came back from the holiday, we stayed in Room 10 all together while the carpet was pulled up and the (managers’) unit was slightly renovated.
“Isabella (then aged 2) asked me: ‘Mummy is this our new home?’ and Riley (then aged 4) answered that he hoped so because he thought it was cool that we were all in the same room.”
The original motel moniker has its own quirky tale. Dianna believes “Wandalua” was a combination of Christian names in the builder’s family.
But “Wandalua” wasn’t exactly marketing-friendly. It didn’t say where it was and no one remembered it because it’s not really a word,” Dianna, once a personal stylist for Myer Maroochydore, said.
“People didn’t remember the name. Once we turned it to Moffat Beach Motel, the occupancy increased straight away.”
CBRE Hotels’ Hayley Manvell is marketing the rare listing property through an expressions of interest campaign which closes on December 1.
Ms Manvell said the motel was an attractive investment and offers were expected around the $3m mark.
As well as the 12 guest rooms, the motel has a swimming pool, guest laundry and undercover parking as well as a fully renovated, two-bedroom manager’s residence.
The prime 1215sq m corner freehold site is only 500m to the beach and main retail and restaurant strip.
Dianna admitted that running the business solo had been challenging, and she hoped a savvy new owner could take it to the next level.
Like stories about Sunshine Coast people doing great things? Help us deliver more by registering for our free daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email. See SUBSCRIBE at the top of this article.
“The motel has a lot of potential as three lots and a home with a cool surfy vibe but I’m not attached like that: if the new owners want to go in another direction, that’s fine,” she said.
“But it’s a great opportunity to get a leasehold and freehold. They’re very rare on the Coast.”
Ms Manvell was confident southern investors would be attracted to the Moffat Beach Motel, as was the recent case of Maroochydore’s Loea Boutique Hotel, which set a price per room record for regional Australia, outside of Byron Bay – reportedly fetching a total of $4m.
- Related article: Sydney buyers snap up Insta-famous Coast hotel
“The Sunshine Coast is currently one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia and there are very limited freehold accommodation assets in the region, with any available investment opportunities highly sought after,” Ms Manvell said.
“We are seeing record numbers of interstate investors, particularly from Sydney and Melbourne, moving their capital north into Queensland, chasing value and growth potential.”
Dianna is ready to start a new chapter in that book she just may write one day.
“It is exciting, especially as Tiggi is my third to successfully finish high school,” she said.
“I have always been a big fan of taking the kids straight to the beach for a sea swim after school, especially in summer for the first part of the year and the last part.
“The saltwater changes your body chemistry so it’s a great way to wash off the school day, plus remind ourselves that we are so lucky to live in a town where the beach is literally on the way home.
“Mind you, we have had many years of dance classes to fit in there as well.
“I look forward to having more time with my wonderful parents.
“It was my clever Mum who encouraged me to buy the motel in the beginning and my supportive Dad who said we could always live with them if our risky purchase all those years ago didn’t pay enough.”
