Inside Queensland’s exclusive $20K-a-night island escape
With a resident chef, cocktails on call and the Great Barrier Reef on its doorstep, this private hideaway is the ultimate beach house.
Pelorus Private Island is an exclusive-use luxury home in the heart of the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef. It’s accessible via a 30 to 90-minute private helicopter charter from Townsville or Cairns, or by superyacht. The residence stands as a naturally isolated retreat, encompassing five opulent suites, set within 400ha of untouched habitat.
Here’s what it’s like to stay there.
Hinchinbrook Island hunkers mysteriously on the horizon, a barely discernible grey blob shrouded in low cloud. The only clearly defined landmark I can see is the long jetty reaching out from the mainland township of Lucinda where sugarcane is loaded on to cargo ships. Rain dribbles from the awning of our motor cruiser as it ploughs through the gloom. The monsoon season has arrived in Queensland’s Townsville region, and it’s wet and warm and atmospheric, in more ways than one.
As Hinchinbrook gets closer, it appears positively prehistoric. Craggy mountains loom out of the mist and water cascades down granite cliffs. If a pterodactyl were suddenly to burst out of the forest canopy, it would seem the most natural thing in this apparently Jurassic world. My companions and I have motored over here from Pelorus Island, one of several in the Palm archipelago. We’re planning to trek up to Zoe Falls, where tourists regularly photograph themselves lolling in a natural pool at the top.
Skipper Curtis Werrett nudges the boat on to a deserted beach fringed by mangroves, and we set off, guide Riley Large leading the way along a sodden trail where clusters of white mushrooms glow amid the leaf litter. The islands in this region are a curious combination of dense rainforest and dry woodlands but the transition between the two is harder to spot on a day like this. Normally we’d be able to skip over the creek and make the rocky scramble up to the falls, but we arrive at the crossing to find a white-water torrent. Riley bravely strings a rope across the water, and we watch with bated breath as one member of our party makes the hair-raising journey over. Riley has his sensible hat on, though. With the rain continuing to fall, threatening an even more treacherous crossing on our return, he makes the call. Zoe Falls will have to wait for another, drier day.
We return to the boat, where Curtis cracks open a bottle of consolation champagne and we nibble on fresh fruit. Wet and muddy adventures, even aborted ones, are perfectly palatable when dry towels and bubbles are part of the package. As guests of the exclusive new luxury residence on Pelorus Island, we’ve been pampered from the moment our helicopter zoomed 30 minutes over the ocean from Townsville and made its theatrical landing – in brilliant sunshine – on the lawn in front of the infinity pool.
The residence
Occupying a secluded corner of this otherwise untouched 400ha isle, Pelorus Private Island is the latest sparkling addition to the Northern Escape Collection, a portfolio of high-end properties and assets owned by the Morris Group, founded by Computershare founder Chris Morris. The collection includes Orpheus Island Lodge, just across the channel from Pelorus, Mt Mulligan Lodge, a plush cattle station in the outback west of Cairns, Beechmont Estate in the Scenic Rim, and three superyachts that sail out of Port Douglas and Cannes in the Mediterranean. It’s quite an inventory, and one that reflects the Victorian business mogul’s passion for Queensland.
Design ethos
There are, indeed, elements of the Sunshine State infused in the $12m home’s design by David Dubois of Melbourne architecture and interior design firm Dubois. The shiplap cladding inside and out recalls the weatherboard walls of a classic Queenslander. Floor-to-ceiling expanses of louvres (which will be familiar to guests who have stayed at Mt Mulligan) ensure free-flowing ventilation in the five spacious suites. Acres of glass sliding doors, framed by timber the colour of caramel, provide easy access to the tropical surrounds.
In the main pavilion, adjacent to the pool, the decor is white, airy and Zen, exuding coastal glamour without feeling cluttered or ostentatious. Floors, decking and cabinetry are in smooth spotted gum, and the space is flanked by the giant trunks of turpentine trees reaching up into cavernous cathedral ceilings. Furniture has been custom-designed by Dubois. Deep sofas in creamy linen are the spot for conversation, cocktails and games – I’m coveting the clever rotating Scrabble board – while a marble-topped dining table for 12, surrounded by white director chairs, calls for long lunches and dinners. More casual meals can be taken next door in the kitchen, where guests can perch on stools at a huge U-shaped timber bench and watch the action at the cooktop, replete with teppanyaki plate. The all-important bar is here too, backed by faustina quartzite, a beautiful stone veined with blue.
The staff
Our hosts are South African couple Grant Logan and Kate Hawkins, who have spent the past eight years catering to every whim of the superyacht set in the Med, including on MV Northern Escape. They’re ably supported by Curtis, a marine scientist who is ready to lend a helping hand with the fleet of water toys, including SUP paddleboards, kayaks and jet skis. There are seabobs, zippy underwater scooters that shoot us across the pristine fringing reef mere steps from the house. They’re a lot of fun but I prefer the Schiller water bikes, floating double-hulled cycles that give the rider an elevated view of the marine wonders below – like a pedal-powered version of a glass-bottomed boat.
We see more of those underwater wonders when Curtis and Riley take us on a snorkelling excursion one sunny afternoon to the western corner of the island. It’s a stretch of shore that social media devotees might recognise as the place where Hollywood action man Chris Hemsworth posed with wife Elsa Pataky while staying at Orpheus Island. Personally, I’m far more interested in what lies beneath the surface of the water. Broad coral bommies, hundreds of years old, create neighbourhood hubs for swarms of fish, big and small. We drift along in the current, duck diving to get a closer look at spiky staghorn coral with bright blue tips and huge, round plate coral. Back on board the cruiser, we sip cups of chilled white wine while motoring back to the house in the mellow afternoon sunlight.
Dining
The residence’s kitchen is Grant’s domain, and every meal he creates elicits murmurs of approval from our group. Healthy options are in abundance. Lunch might comprise a rainbow of salads accompanied by salsa-topped tuna and perfectly pink rib eye grilled on the Big Green Egg barbecue. Dinner could deliver light-as-air salt and pepper squid piled upon a generous smear of garlic aioli or pan-fried kingfish with (a slightly naughty) lemon butter and sauteed greens. There’s plenty of opportunity for excess too. The open bar means flutes of Veuve Clicquot and Chandon Brut are readily available along with a selection of red and white wines from South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria plus CBCo craft beers from the Morris Group brewery. Take a dip in the pool or sprawl on a sunbed and it’s likely Kate will conjure a dirty martini or pina colada. And let’s not forget Grant’s wickedly rich double-baked chocolate tart.
The accommodation
With indulgences like these, it’s no wonder I need a lie-down. My suite is one of four that are virtually identical; a fifth can be set up to accommodate three children. My hideaway is kitted out with a king bed swathed in silky Italian linens; there are armchairs and a desk (as if work could possibly drag you away from other diversions). On the wall is a large black and white photo from the 1950s of a gent with Indigenous man Kingie, who worked in the gardens at Orpheus when its then basic guesthouse was a magnet for tourists. The bathroom’s flagstone floor is in palladian limestone, which is lovely underfoot and has a subtle metallic sheen. It leads to a rain shower with louvres opening on to water views. Twin vanities sit atop benches of more spotted gum, and toiletries are by LaGaia Unedited. I gently sway in an egg chair on my private deck, gazing over bobbing orange blossoms towards Orpheus Island.
The suites are true sanctuaries, adjoining the main residence but with the promise of peace and quiet when desired. This is a house carefully designed for grown-up fun, family or friendship get-togethers and utter privacy. Guests can be as sociable as they desire, but there are no TVs in the sleeping quarters, so you can relish the chance to switch off, daydream and relax. The environment is quietly being looked after too. Fresh water is produced by a desalination plant on site, grey water is used in the gardens and a 60kW solar array provides electricity. When category 2 Kirrily rolls in a few days after my visit, the cyclone-rated fixtures do their job; the gardens just need a little attention. I wonder how Percy, the cute resident juvenile python, fared.
Activities
Our last morning dawns grey and damp with glassy seas, the calm before the storm. Curtis has us up before breakfast for a spot of reef fishing with expert guide Andy Compagne, who is popping across by boat from Orpheus. He arrives armed with rods, radar and in-depth knowledge of a hot spot just around the corner from the house. Within minutes he has the boat precisely positioned to drift, and is promising bites from the moment our sinkers touch the bottom 40m below. We drop our lines overboard and watch them race away with a whirr. Andy is true to his word. In a few seconds we are all feeling the light tug-tug of small fry trying to steal our bait, and then wham – game on. There are whoops of excitement as the first fish is reeled in; a pretty orange-pink nannygai (a kind of snapper) that Curtis gives five stars on the eating scale. It’s undersize though, so is quickly returned to the water. Not to worry; it turns out there really are plenty of fish in the sea. Over the next 90 minutes we haul in 16, two of which are keepers.
On our return to the house we learn more rain is on the way, reducing to a sliver the window for our chopper transfer back to Townsville. There’s time for a quick wash, packing of bags and breakfast. A heavy sense of melancholy descends as we climb aboard the helicopter and the rotors spring to life. It’s a wrench to leave a place of such beauty and abundance, but as we fly towards Townsville the islands have more surprises in store. From the window I spy a hammerhead shark, its distinctive axe-shaped head slicing through the water far below. Then there’s the slick arc of a solo dolphin, followed by the black diamond of a ray. And just before we cross the muddy estuarine waters to the mainland, a dark sinuous shape can be seen tracing the shore. The saltwater crocodile is proof that although civilisation is close at hand, this region’s wild side is never far away.
What it costs
Pelorus Private Island is available for exclusive use for $20,000 a night, including all meals, provided drinks and excursions. Bespoke drinks and menus extra. Sleeps 11 maximum.
How to get to Pelorus Island
Qantas and Jetstar and operate direct flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to Townsville. Virgin Australia flies via Brisbane from various capital cities.
Helicopter transfers from Townsville with Nautilus Aviation cost $1270 each way for two people; $2800 each way for up to six people.
Penny Hunter was a guest of Pelorus Private Island and Tourism and Events Queensland.
