I thought I knew Australian islands, but Louth Island surprised me

Once used for little more than grazing sheep and mining guano, Louth Island has been put on the travel map by an ambitious new luxury eco-resort.

“Welcome to Rumi on Louth,” says the email confirming my stay at Australia's newest island resort.

“A world of wild indulgence awaits as you begin to unearth a special place where tranquillity, luxury, and raw adventure intertwine.”

I thought I knew most, if not all, of Australia’s island resorts and lodges, from the Queensland ones promising palm trees and tropical bliss – Lizard, Hamilton, Heron, Hayman etc – to the sirens of the south like Tasmania’s Satellite Island and Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island. But Louth Island? I had to map it. It sits in the Spencer Gulf off Port Lincoln and the pristine Eyre Peninsula, famous for swimming with sea lions at Baird Bay and the prized oysters of Coffin Bay.

For more than a century the 135ha Louth was used for little more than grazing sheep and mining guano. Then the telecoms tycoon Che Metcalfe bought the island in 2021 with a dream to build a luxury eco-resort. I’ve dropped in to see what he and his team have achieved in the first stage of the development and, while there’s still much to be done, they’ve certainly nailed the arrival.

From Port Lincoln airport I’m transferred to the Louth Bay jetty and loaded aboard a contraption called a Sealegs, a monster truck that becomes a powerful speedboat in the water.

Telecoms tycoon Che Metcalfe bought the island in 2021 with a dream to build a luxury eco-resort. Picture: Supplied.

It’s the strangest sensation, one moment trundling along the shore and the next, it’s wheels up and twin 400hp motors down as we thunder across the bay.

Within 15 minutes we arrive at a crescent beach backed by low dunes streaked in creams, pinks and oranges and crusted with coastal plants. The Sealegs drives straight up the sand at Homestead Bay to arrive at the main lodge where staff welcome me with a Mimosa spiked with wild rosemary. A very civilised start.

The main building is a two-storey blackbutt affair with walls of glass that capture sea and sunset views. There’s a restaurant, bistro and bar downstairs that open onto an inviting deck planted with grass trees and boab.

Upstairs are four hotel-style rooms and a larger apartment with views west over Louth Bay and east over the island and Spencer Gulf. Picture: Supplied.

Upstairs are four hotel-style rooms and a larger apartment with views west over Louth Bay and east over the island and Spencer Gulf. There are nine more bedrooms just south of here in the former shearing shed, which has been renovated into a self-contained retreat with ocean-facing deck. During my stay late last year the asking price for the perfectly comfortable but hardly extraordinary rooms in the main lodge was up to $2000 a night. I note the rate has since dropped substantially to $600 for the four king rooms and $900 for the apartment. That includes breakfast, a buggy tour of the island and Sealegs transfers, but still… That’s a lot of clams. Especially for a beach pad with no outdoor space or opening windows.

But this is only stage one of Rumi. At the time of writing Metcalfe had just received planning consent to build 26 villas and an onsen-inspired day spa. Artist renders of the villas depict fantastic-looking burrows nestled into the landscape with garden roofs, firepits and plunge pools. They’ll be dotted across the island in clusters, with the first set to take shape at Pelican Point on the island’s southern tip with views to Rabbit Island and Lincoln National Park. “We hope to start construction later this year,” resort manager Natasha Majkic says.

Artist renders of the villas depict fantastic-looking burrows nestled into the landscape with garden roofs, firepits and plunge pools. Picture: Supplied.

For now, curious visitors can explore the island on day packages that include amphibious transfers, golf-buggy tours and a two-course lunch in the smart wicker and terrazzo surrounds of Samphire restaurant.

Chef Jono Sweet’s cooking is a standout attraction at Rumi. At mealtimes he wows me with wagyu tartare from Mayura Station spiked with a bright hit of lemon myrtle oil, tender Yumbah greenlip abalone from just across the bay at Boston Point, chilli crab scrambled eggs for breakfast and panko-crumbed King George whiting at lunch, among many other delicious moments. The drinks list also leans into local, with cocktails featuring coastal daisy, rosemary and samphire foraged from the island.

House guests can fill their days by fishing from kayaks, spotting wildlife (Cape Barren geese, eagles, little penguins), having beach barbecues beside the turquoise seas of Carl Cove, Louth’s loveliest beach, and snuggling into swags on Homestead Bay to stargaze. Or hop aboard Rumi’s six-berth catamaran Odyssey to cruise the bay with drinks and nibbles and friendly dolphins (even whales in winter).

Chef Jono Sweet’s cooking is a standout attraction at Rumi. Picture: Supplied.

Down the track there are plans, too, for a gastronomic restaurant called Shio, which will be perched above Carl Cove and serve tasting menus created by the talented Sweet. When it opens, I’ll be on one of the first Sealegs over there.

Green zone

Rumi’s impressive green credentials include a solar-and-battery set-up supplying virtually 100 per cent of its energy and a Danish desal plant for fresh water. Staff have also cleared around 10,000 box thorns and sowed native seeds all across the island.

Kendall Hill stayed as a guest of Rumi on Louth.

Originally published as I thought I knew Australian islands, but Louth Island surprised me