Review: How the new Southern Ocean Lodge shapes up
The Kangaroo Island landmark is back with some standout additions, including hi-tech measures to protect it from bushfires.
On a clifftop above Kangaroo Island’s wild southwest coast, the plaintive, dinner-please chirping of a clutch of osprey chicks can be heard above the low growl of the Southern Ocean. The sound carries on the wind from a large nest settled precariously on a rocky outcrop; in cerulean waters below, clear as crystal all the way to the sea floor, salmon twirl in tight “bait balls” as a stingray wings by.
There are only about 50 pairs of ospreys in South Australia, making this nest as remarkable as the spectacular Southern Ocean Lodge next door. And like this twiggy penthouse, Baillie Lodges’ flagship sits lightly in the landscape, a luxury eyrie from which to observe the sea as it surges up from Antarctica.
Accommodation
The long-time resident ospreys give their name to founders Hayley and James Baillie’s favourite suite at the rebuilt Southern Ocean Lodge, re-opened this month almost four years after being razed by the devastating Black Summer bushfires. Twenty-three of SOL’s 25 new suites curve along the clifftop, accessed by a sloping, sunny corridor that follows the lie of the land. The Osprey Suite sits at the very end, with a deck and plunge pool offering postcard views of Hanson Bay and a little promontory set with a table and seats.
That pricey Italian table was the last thing to burn. “Three days after the fires it exploded,” says James, the long timber boardwalk running from the main lodge acting as a slow-burning wick. The very first thing they did was reinstate the table, he says, a sort of fingers-up gesture to the fire.
While the footprint of the lodge remains largely unchanged, there are new additions, and major tweaks and improvements. SOL’s island-born architect Max Pritchard has cleverly reoriented and redesigned the suites. Where once rooms pointed at the ocean almost like a telescope, they are now gently curved, easing around that wonderfully dynamic view, offering wider vistas but a cosier, more intimate feeling. It’s a mood enhanced by rich Tasmanian blackwood panelling and an EcoSmart fireplace set into a local limestone wall the colour of clotted cream.
Each of the 19 Flinders suites is named for an island shipwreck, I’m in Loch Sloy, which was a Scottish sailing barque wrecked in nearby Maupertuis Bay in the 19th century, the handful of survivors washed on to rocks with a case of whisky and stash of tinned herrings. Things did not go well.
‘This part of the island is frequently buffeted by stormy winds, but today we might be in the sunny Mediterranean, the sea as blue as Paul Newman’s eyes’
Room amenities
I’m rather more comfortable and much better provisioned. My minibar is stocked with island wine and goodies; the huge bathroom has a tub by the window; a sunken lounge with wraparound sofa in the lodge’s signature Julie Paterson kangaroo print faces the fire. There’s even a welcome plate of lamingtons. There are incredible views from every nook of the suite. At night I leave the glass doors open to listen to the sea while I gaze at the stars from my supremely comfortable bed. Built to the Baillies’ specifications, it has a wool blend mattress by old-school Adelaide manufacturer AH Beard. In the morning I take my coffee on to the deck to sit in an upscale “squatters chair” and watch fast-flying kestrels play tag.
The atmosphere
I’m incredibly fortunate to be among SOL’s first guests. In the famous Great Room more are arriving. Most are loyal clients of the original lodge, relishing that special feeling many remember of “relaxed luxury”; like staying with friends in a posh beach house rather than a hotel. Lovely Nimash, who worked at the original lodge, is proffering a tray of Champagne. Chef Tom Saliba is also back, preparing marron and line-caught King George whiting. Everyone is savouring the cinematic sea views that make the Great Room seem so much like an ocean liner.
The feeling of familiarity is uncanny; the Great Room, which has risen phoenix-like, is identical to its predecessor. Master designer Khai Liew has remade the elegant, curved sofas, light pendants and large bar table, and the moody sea-blue cushions and banquettes are back (Hayley saved swatches). The great suspended fireplace is returned from France following refurbishment. The incredibly beautiful limestone wall, quarried onsite and the backbone of the lodge, has been rebuilt by island stonemason Scott Wilson (a bit of a Renaissance man who also farms marron for the lodge). And let’s not forget Sunshine the kangaroo, an outsized sculpture fashioned from the rusty parts of a combine harvester by local artist Indiana James, and almost the only survivor of the fire. Sunshine greets guests in the upper lounge while also guarding the lodge’s northern bushy outlook.
The landscape
It’s an outlook that bears the scars of fires – which reduced neighbouring 326sq km Flinders Chase National Park to ashes – but also astonishing regeneration. Exploring the park with young lodge guides Caitlin and Joe, we travel through endless horizons of deep green, with yakka or grass trees exploding like verdurous fireworks. New leafy growth scrabbles two thirds of the way up skeletal tree trunks flanking the rollercoaster road (one of the most Instagrammed in Australia) approaching Remarkable Rocks. The fire burnt to the base of these granite boulders, cracking the surface of surrounding stone. You’d never know it now. Arranged surreally on a headland like Henry Moore or Barbara Hepworth sculptures, the boulders are lapped by blue on one side and every shade of green the other.
This part of the island is frequently buffeted by stormy winds, but today we might be in the sunny Mediterranean, the sea as blue as Paul Newman’s eyes. Even the dramatic Admiral’s Arch, which I’ve always thought of as a slightly spooky pirate’s cove, is more beach club with plump seals lolling about on sunny rocks, or drifting in emerald pools, waving lazy flippers as though on royal tour.
Activities
At Weir’s Cove, where provisions and visitors to the nearby Cape du Couedic lighthouse were once winched up the sheer cliff in baskets, guide Asha has magically appeared near the old store house ruins with tea, coffee and scones with lilly pilly jam. Perhaps she arrived by basket.
Along with the bush, wildlife is recovering. There are plenty of large, friendly kangaroos (and a pair of wedged-tailed eagles) lounging about at our Southern Sundowners hors d’oeuvres and drinks set up near an old cottage a short drive from the lodge. SOL also offers tours to the nearby Seal Bay Conservation Park, where a visit to the captivating Australian sea lion colony is a highlight of any island visit. We spy koalas at the Lavender Farm, and snakes and goannas on our approach to the lodge, a much more open prospect post-fire. Bush has been cleared away from the buildings to create a buffer, planted with 50,000 endemic plants, including native juniper (also found in a signature gin made for the lodge by Kangaroo Island Spirits).
What’s new
The bush views from the new day spa, situated half-way down the long suite walk, are mesmerising, even haunting; bare white branches rise like arms in the air. The relocated spa has been substantially expanded and includes a gym and limestone pool deck with hot and cold plunge pools and sauna. Other additions include a stylish new deck off the Great Room, with sparkling wet-edge pool offering elemental views of the sea and coast. And high on a cliff, not far from the ospreys’ nest, is the new ultra-luxurious Ocean Pavilion with the best views on the property, perfect for whale watching in winter. The suite features four ensuite guestrooms and two plunge pools to be booked as a single pavilion or two two-bedroom suites.
Lodge managers John Hird and Alison Heath, who sheltered in a bunker during the fires, have been onsite throughout the rebuild. John’s pride and joy is the new wine room (or rooms) where guests can select their own bottle for dinner or enjoy a tasting with keen oenophile John.
In the lead-up to Christmas, work continues apace on completing the premium suites. Grouting and plumbing may be unfinished, but the art has already been hung. “Art before the horse,” laughs James.
This is Hayley’s department; she’s had the lodge’s many original artists make new works, including assemblages fashioned from fire debris. Indefatigable in her pursuit of restoring original features, Hayley’s even managed to track down enough copies of the quirky 1970s publication Dinkum Dunnies to outfit every loo.
One of my favourite features is the dramatic clifftop track that passes by the ospreys’ nest. It’s been hand hewn by SOL’s team of guides and offers long views back towards the lodge, so cleverly camouflaged it’s just a blurry line on the vast horizon.
Perhaps most compelling is the genuine excitement staff and guests feel in welcoming back a lodge that put Kangaroo Island on the global map. A lodge both reassuringly familiar but also better than ever.
The cost
All-inclusive rates at Southern Ocean Lodge from $3400 a couple a night. Includes meals, beverages (open bar and cellar), gratis minibar, touring and airport transfers.
Getting there
Kangaroo Island is 15km from the South Australian coast and is 155km long and 55km wide. The lodge is at Hanson Bay on the island’s southwest coast.
By air
Flights from Adelaide take 30 minutes and land at Kingscote airport, a 50-minute drive from the lodge. Transfers provided,
By ferry
The Sealink ferry takes 45 minutes from Cape Jervis on the mainland to Penneshaw on the island’s the northeast. The ferry terminal is 90 minute by road from the lodge.
Christine McCabe was a guest of Southern Ocean Lodge.