Australia’s Southern Ocean Lodge Is Reborn

The Osprey Pavilion Lounge Lounge at Southern Ocean Lodge. Southern Ocean Lodge, the dramatic retreat that set the bar for small luxury properties in Australia, reopened today on the wild and windswept Kangaroo Island off the country’s southern coast. The Lodge opened in 2008 on a dramatic bluff, facing the relentless Southern Ocean surf below.

Fabled among luxury travelers, bushfires decimated it in 2019 and 2020. After three years of rebuilding, the lodge has been reborn. South Ocean Lodge is the brainchild of legendary Australian hoteliers and designers James and Hayley Baillie, founder of Baillie Lodges.

The husband-and-wife team also created such landmark Australian resorts as Silky Oaks Lodge in the Daintree Rainforest, Longitude 131 at Uluru, and Capella on Lord Howe, all members of Luxury Lodges of Australia. Not surprisingly, there has been enormous anticipation and buzz about the reopening of Southern Ocean Lodge in Australia and beyond. “We committed to rebuilding our flagship property moments after we stepped onto the still—smoldering site back in January 2020,” said Hayley Baillie.

“There was never a doubt from our side. We feel very fortunate to have had to very enthusiastic support of our guests and our friends from around the world. The Lodge was a place to step away from the busyness of everyday life, to spend time with loved ones.

Southern Ocean Lodge always was a very special place that offered guests a real experience of the wildly beautiful Kangaroo Island. ” The lodge’s original architect, Max Pritchard, designed the rebuilt property, along with his partner Andrew Gunner. Southern Ocean Lodge.

“As a local South Australian, Max brought so much of his knowledge of the landscape to the original design,” Baillie said. “Now we have had a chance to make some clever design changes while retaining the elements our guests loved best in the first iteration of the luxury lodge. It’s a very rare opportunity to have.

The new lodge retains the same footprint as the original, but we have taken this chance to add some considered extras, including a pool on the Great Room Terrace and the Southern Spa now features a gymnasium, three treatment rooms, a sauna and hot and cold plunge pools that look out across the coastal heath. The addition of the ultra-premium Ocean Pavilion offers guests an even more exclusive experience of the clifftop site. ” Soaking tub at Southern Ocean Lodge.

The new Southern Ocean Lodge has almost the same footprint as the first, with 25 luxurious guest suites along the coastline. All dining, drinks, and signature experiences are included in the rate, as they were in the original. The new Ocean Pavilion has been designed to offer a single owner’s residence that can be used as two separate suites to create the ultimate hideaway for families and friends traveling together.

The 6,888-square-foot Ocean Pavilion follows the “owner’s residence” style pavilions that are signature features of the Baillie Lodges portfolio. They are set apart from the other buildings, with a remote feel, offering privacy and uninterrupted views of the Southern Ocean. Southern Ocean Lodge.

The hallmarks that distinguish all Baillie Lodges are present here. The menus feature local food, premium ingredients, and local beverages. Each property has a smartly curated display of local artworks and designs, including First Nations artworks.

Each lodge’s architecture is designed to offer guests a personal encounter with the landscape, so you have the sense that the outside is welcomed in. Sustainability is at the core of the design of the new Southern Ocean Lodge. The latest incarnation will be 25% more energy-efficient than the original, thanks to cutting-edge technologies employed to boost water capture and a solar battery hybrid energy system.

A buffer of fire-retardant native succulents and Kangaroo Island’s native juniper have been planted. Southern Ocean Lodge. Then there’s the setting.

All Baillie Lodges have a unique sense of place. While Australia is filled with amazing places, Kangaroo Island is extraordinary, noted Baillie. “There are incredible, wild landscapes, the great icy-blue Southern Ocean that changes constantly, and the range of Australian native wildlife that wander freely in their natural environment,” she said.

“The island has coined the term, a ‘zoo without fences’ and has been called Australia’s Galapagos. You can encounter kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, echidnas, fur seals, and sea lions within a short stay. You leave Southern Ocean Lodge having seen a huge variety of wildlife thriving just as nature intended.

” Visit . .