Aussie wins resort island home in a raffle

A New South Wales man has won a tropical island resort in Micronesia in a raffle, after buying just three tickets priced at $US49 each.

Owners Doug and Sally Beitz sold 75,485 tickets to people from 150 countries in the raffle for their resort on the island of Kosrae.

The Beitz family announced the holder of ticket number 44980 as the winner of the July 26 draw, but identified the winner only as Joshua.

Sales for the raffle broke the 50,000 ticket reserve set by the Australian couple, who say they have received $US4.1million in exchange for their property.

Josh says he’s “overwhelmed” by the his win: “I would like to thank Doug and Sally and the whole Beitz family for providing this amazing opportunity and am looking forward to cutting the red tape, making a trip to the resort to see what paradise looks like and to experience all that the resort has to offer,” he says.

“I look forward to working with Doug, his family and the amazing staff to learn about the ins and outs of the business and to continue its success long into the future.”

The scenery is pretty impressive. Picture: Kosrae Nautilus Resort

The tropical island property is made up of several buildings and includes the operational resort which the Beitz family built in 1994.

All up there are 16 air-conditioned hotel rooms, a one-bedroom family residence, a two-bedroom family residence, a four-bedroom manager’s residence, the scuba diving business, eight cars including five rental vehicles, the resort restaurant, and $US10,000 in the business bank account.

The resort has bookings up until August 2017.

Kosrae, a small island in Micronesia, is home to around 6,600 residents and has its own airport.

The Beitz family. Picture: Kosrae Nautilus Resort

Doug says he and Sally decided to raffle the property off, as they wanted to hand on theresort to like-minded adventurers rather than developers.

“The idea to transfer the resort and (scuba) dive business this way, rather than through a traditional sale, is because we want this piece of untouched paradise placed in the hands of someone who truly falls in love with it, someone who has dreamed of island life and who will continue to respect the island’s precious ecosystem, not simply the person with the deepest pockets,” he says.

Doug and Sally are moving from Kosrae to Australia to “become professional grandparents” and spend more time with their family.

Resource: realestate.com.au