The problem became noticeable by resort apartment owners and guests, who alerted management.

A source at the resort who wished to remain unnamed said: “Maybe it’s because there’s more holiday letting at this time, with no access to pools and the beaches are not swimmable, as you can imagine.”

“The owners as well as the guests were paying an amount of money to rent an apartment for a night or two, and they go to the pool and there’s not even a single lounge available.”

Appointing security personnel to keep a close eye on the comings and goings at the pool area has made a major difference.

“Since we started with security, it has improved dramatically, and the number of people escorted off site was crazy,” the source said, adding that those visitors were given warnings about trespassing on private property.

The resort has information that at least some of the unwelcome visitors escorted off the property in the past week or more were told by other Port Douglas holidaymakers that it was ‘okay’ to use the Sea Temple pool, even if they weren’t guests at the resort.

Others were Douglas residents or backpackers – of which there have been an increasing number arriving in town over the Easter holiday break.

“Some were at a holiday letting in another place and they were told about the resort pool and they came to explore it, so there’s a mix of everything.”

It’s believed that in the Port Douglas area, it’s not only Sea Temple that has had to deal with the illegitimate pool user problem.

“I know that some other resorts have had the same issue. Some allow it (outside guests’ pool use), some don’t.”

Sea Temple will also shortly be installing fresh new signage clearly informing members of the public that the resort’s lagoon pool is for use of guests and their guests only.