About Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island (or ‘KI’ as the locals call it) is a microcosm of different landscapes and environments -stunning beaches, forests, desert dunes and farmland. It's the place to go, to see amazing native wildlife. So it's no wonder that it's one of Australia’s National Landscapes.
When Flinders Chase National Park, on the western side of the island, was founded in 1919, it was just the third nature reserve of its kind on the Australian continent. It helps to preserve animals away from the mainland in a Noah’s Ark-style sanctuary. The 1,730-square-mile patch of land teems with native and introduced wildlife. The island has faced some problems: endangered koalas brought to the island in the 1920s have since run rampant, decimating one species of eucalyptus and threatening three more. But as a whole, Kangaroo Island serves as a case study of the seclusion that makes island environments uniquely appealing.
Southern Ocean Lodge combines glorious isolation with contemporary luxury, the lodge is proof that luxury can leave a light footprint.
When a panel of 522 experts ranked the world’s islands by comparing their commitment to sustainable tourism and preserving the environment, Kangaroo Island came out on top. National Geographic Traveler magazine has applauded its natural attractions and sensitivity to the environment.
Luxury with a Light Footprint
Located at Hanson Bay on the Island's south west coast, Southern Ocean Lodge adjoins both the Flinders Chase and Kelly Hill National parks and is at the heart of the island’s major attractions such as Seal Bay, Kelly Hill Caves, Admirals Arch and Remarkable Rocks. Created by the partnership of James and Hayley Bailie, the lodge is founded on rare credentials perfectly suited to deliver an exceptional product that is both in line with premium market expectations and in keeping with strict environmental principals.
The lodge is proof that luxury can leave a light footprint. By building on just 1% of their 100-hectare property and signing an agreement with the South Australia State Government to keep the remaining land free of development, owners Hayley and James Baillie have made it difficult for visitors to discern any footprint at all. It is destined to be the flagship of the Bailie Lodges portfolio which included Capella Lodge on the World heritage listed Lord Howe Island. Baillie Lodges has also created the Southern Ocean Lodge “Environment Fund” in partnership with the South Australian Government. It is expected that the fund will raise between $20,000 and $50,000 annually, with voluntary guest contributions making up part of the funds. A Board of Directors will administer the fund and invest money in a range of local environment projects on Kangaroo Island.
Created by the partnership of James and Hayley Bailie, the lodge is both in line with premium market expectations and in keeping with strict environmental principals.
It’s not hard to imagine why Southern Ocean Lodge is the winner of the supreme accolade in the highly esteemed Tatler Travel Awards 2009 - the “Hotel of the Year” Award.
Maintaining the local Ecology
Local South Australian, Max Pritchard, is the celebrated architectural mastermind behind the Lodge. He has used organic materials to encourage a real sense of place - recycled timbers, white limestone floors and the chalk-white local limestone wall snakes through the Lodge, linking and highlighting its features in the most remarkable manner.
The unusual design of the lodge, which curves and plunges with the cliff-top topography, ensures that those within the 21 kangaroo-inspired guest suites are out of sight of their, few, neighbours, with the exceptions of the kangaroos sleeping in the tall grass and the crimson rosella parrots perching on the eaves. And while eco-friendly technology might not be as noticeable as the animals that hop, slither and flap through the surrounding tangle of fragrant eucalyptus or mallee, an entire roof surface used for rain gathering and a system that turns wastewater into clean irrigation water demonstrate the lodge’s commitment to maintaining the local ecology.
An entire roof surface used for rain gathering and a system that turns wastewater into clean irrigation water demonstrate the lodge’s commitment to maintaining the local ecology.
Meanwhile, the Island is also famous for its cheeses, sheep’s milk and yoghurts, free range chickens and eggs. The only pure Ligurian honey, famous for its flavour and medicinal properties is produced on Kangaroo Island, with strict quarantines in place protecting these gentle bees from their mainland counterparts. Seafood is abundant on the Island – with daily catches of prawns, crayfish, snapper and barramundi bringing the fresh riches of the Ocean to the table.
This is the place which you can set your mind free and indulge in world-class food and wine and discover the Island’s unique natural attractions, often with exclusive access and always with a special touch of luxe.
© EcoAsia 2009
