Kiwis make their move with Wirrina Cove buy Wirrina Cove Source: Supplied AN international hotel and serviced-apartments company, the VR Group, is understood to have made its first acquisition in Australia, negotiating to buy a 90-room resort, 18-hole golf course and conference centre at Wirrina Cove on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula, which has been on the market all year under the instruction of receivers. The ambitious 485ha Wirrina Cove development, featuring 5km of coastline, has been broken up and sold to a variety of parties through Ray White Hotels under instructions from David Whyte of BDO and Wirrina Corporation. The resort complex, located near Kangaroo Island, was placed in receivership late last year following several attempts to offload it. All up, about $10 million worth of real estate has sold at Wirrina Cove, including the caravan park, 200 marina berths offered on sub-leases until 2048 and 75 vacant residential land lots, to a variety of investors and owner occupiers. Ray White Hotels managing director Andrew Jolliffe is understood to have negotiated the sale of the resort, golf course and conference centre to VR Group. Mr Jolliffe declined to comment yesterday. The VR Group bills itself as one of New Zealand's fastest growing accommodation companies operating affordable hotels and serviced apartments in Auckland, Hamilton City and Queenstown. VR Group caters to families, group travellers and business travellers. It also operates hotels in Denver, Colorado. An auction in Sydney earlier this year for Wirrina Cove's resort, championship PGA golf course and conference centre did not attract a bid. Wirrina's Cove's residential land lots and marina berths have been more popular with buyers from Adelaide as well as interstate investors. Despite the sale, Wirrina's conference centre has hosted events for South Australian government agencies this year.