CRESTLINK KOOLAN PTY LTD
Overview
Crestlink Group is a Western Australian ports and infrastructure company. We own and operate deep-water port and airfield assets in Yampi Sound on the Kimberley coast — enabling infrastructure in a region where almost none exists.
Crestlink holds Cockatoo Island, a fully permitted deep-water offshore supply base with Crown Lease, environmental approvals and a registered Indigenous Land Use Agreement. In November 2026 we complete the acquisition of Koolan Island, adding a CASA-certified 2.1km sealed runway (YKLC), a 377-metre deep-water berth and a 300-person village with power, water, fuel and workshop infrastructure. Together they form the Yampi Sound Logistics Hub. Crestlink is Australian-owned, Perth-headquartered, institutionally backed since 2024 by Cerberus Capital, a circa $100B US fund. and operates in partnership and co-ownership of tenure with the Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation, Traditional Owners of Yampi Sound.
That supports several roles:
Forward operating base. A dispersal and contingency operating location within RAAF Curtin’s air domain, with a runway assessed as well suited to fast jet operations, plus hardstand, workshops and permanent accommodation in place.
Refuelling and sustainment. Existing bulk fuel and marine fuel infrastructure supporting air mobility refuelling and vessel bunkering, expandable to Defence requirements. The deep-water berth and sheltered anchorage also support vessel maintenance, sustainment and potential slipway development.
Surveillance. A permanently staffed forward operating surveillance base hosting persistent and autonomous air and maritime surveillance, sustained year-round from the island rather than deployed and recovered.
Training and exercises. Remote, secure, privately controlled islands with the accommodation, messing, power and logistics to host exercises and joint training at scale, including combined air and maritime serials, without competing for capacity at established bases.
Capabilities
Crestlink’s capability is the ownership and operation of sovereign port and airfield infrastructure on Australia’s north-west approaches. At Yampi Sound we hold a CASA-certified 2,100m sealed runway (YKLC) able to accept heavy aircraft, a 15m-deep water port and barge landing, sheltered all-weather anchorage, bulk Jet A-1 and diesel storage, workshops, hangar and apron space, satellite and LTE communications, and 430 rooms of accommodation with catering, medical and fire response. Cockatoo Island is a fully permitted deep-water supply base with Crown Lease, environmental approvals and a registered ILUA; the Koolan estate completes in November 2026.
For Defence this supports a forward operating and dispersal location; refuelling and vessel sustainment; a permanently staffed base for persistent air and maritime surveillance; and remote, access-controlled sites for training, test and evaluation. Koolan’s littoral archipelago setting, extreme tidal range, uncongested airspace and large enclosed flooded pit make it a rare multi-domain range for uncrewed air, surface and sub-surface systems, EW and counter-UAS work — profiles that cannot be run near populated areas. Because tenure, approvals and Traditional Owner agreements are secured, capability is deliverable in months, not the decade greenfield northern infrastructure requires.
Discriminators
Assets no one else holds
The only privately owned site between Broome and Darwin combining a CASA-certified 2,100m sealed runway (YKLC), a 15m-deep water port and barge landing, and 430 rooms of accommodation — on a single, access-controlled island. Cockatoo Island: a fully permitted deep-water offshore supply base with Crown Lease, environmental approvals and a registered ILUA already in place. On the Kimberley coast that approvals position typically takes a decade and cannot realistically be replicated. Koolan’s littoral archipelago setting, extreme tidal range, RF-quiet uncongested airspace and large enclosed flooded pit make it a rare multi-domain environment for uncrewed air, surface and sub-surface systems, EW and counter-UAS work — profiles that cannot be flown near populated areas.
Speed and sovereignty
Australian-owned and Perth-headquartered, privately held. Because tenure, approvals and Traditional Owner consent are secured, capability can be delivered in months. Institutionally backed since 2024 by Cerberus Capital (Australia Cerberus Strategic Investments), giving Crestlink the balance sheet to fund infrastructure ahead of demand.
Accreditation
Koolan Island aerodrome (YKLC) is CASA-certified, and Crestlink operates it to that standard. Crestlink is a new entrant to the sector and is commencing a formal accreditation process across the business, covering quality, safety, environmental and Defence industry security standards.
Partners
Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation, Traditional Owners of Yampi Sound: direct financial participation, non-dilutive equity, board representation, joint management of airport facilities, ranger programme support and binding local employment and contracting commitments. Durable Traditional Owner consent is a precondition for sustained activity in this region.
Discussions underway with Australian marine and defence contractors on northern vessel sustainment and build using the Koolan berth.