Departures United Kingdom Spring:Summer 2024

30 DEPARTURES TRAVEL

30 DEPARTURES TRAVEL THERE ARE, OF COURSE, plenty of kangaroos on Kangaroo Island, but only one named Sunshine. The largerthan-life metal sculpture – made out of pieces of an old Sunshine-brand combine harvester – has greeted guests at Southern Ocean Lodge, one of Australia’s first super-luxury retreats, since it opened back in 2008. Sunshine is a survivor. After the devastating bushfires of 2019-2020, which burnt the lodge to the ground, The mesmerising turquoise waters of Ningaloo Reef, near the Sal Salis tented camp, below the various parts of his metal skeleton were found lying among the ashes. His creator, sculptor Indiana James, carefully reassembled the pieces and, when the rebuilt lodge opened in December last year, Sunshine was once again standing watch. Only this time, he has a friend. As James foraged through the ashes, he also found cutlery that had survived the inferno, which he used to create a sculpture of a lyrebird. Its wings made of melted forks, and its magnificent tail fashioned from firescorched spoons, the new statue is an ode to beauty that rises from the ashes, just as the lodge has now done. Compare before-and-after photos and, at first, Southern Ocean Lodge 2.0 (southernoceanlodge.com.au) appears to be an exact replica of the muchloved original. The panoramic view from the Great Room is just as jawdropping, the South Australian wines in the cosy wine cellar – where guests are encouraged to help themselves to any bottle they would like to try – are just as impressive. It’s only when you actually walk through the space that the small changes come into focus. The rooms may look the same, but each one now has a bathtub with a view; the spa still smells as heavenly as ever, but now includes a sauna and hot-and-cold plunge pools. Discreetly tucked away behind the main lodge is a new fourbedroom Ocean Pavilion that offers a private escape for small groups travelling together. These subtle changes make it clear that original owners Hayley and James Baillie, who also led the rebuild, got it right the first time around. And that’s pretty remarkable when you consider how much Australia’s luxury-lodge SAL SALIS (2)

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: OSCAR SLOANE, RICHARD LYONS, © PRETTY BEACH HOUSE scene has evolved over the last decade and a half. Australia’s first generation of lodges – which included the likes of Qualia on Hamilton Island and Saffire Freycinet in Tasmania – were safe bets. Set in some of the country’s bestloved holiday hot spots, their elegant accommodation and finessed food gave guests a new way to experience a familiar destination. Fifteen years on, the format has proven so successful that luxury lodges have become attractions in their own right. Instead of taking a day trip to the beaches of the Central Coast, Sydneysiders in need of a recharge make the 90-minute drive to stay at Pretty Beach House (prettybeachhouse.com), an intimate clutch of four guest pavilions nestled inside Bouddi National Park. South Australians savour the stargazing and koala-spotting at Sequoia Lodge in the Adelaide Hills ( sequoialodge.com.au), just half an hour out of town. Conversely, you will also find lodges in the most far-flung corners of the country. Sal Salis ( salsalis.com.au), a high-end tented camp, is set amid the sand dunes of Western Australia’s Cape Range National Park, near the spectacular Ningaloo Reef; Mount Mulligan Lodge in Queensland’s backcountry (mountmulligan.com), is accessed via a three-hour four-wheeldrive journey from Cairns, or a halfhour helicopter flight. Clockwise from left: a Kittawa guest lodge, which nudges King Island’s rugged coastline; Finniss River Lodge’s bejungled setting southwest of Darwin; the generous panorama from a guest pavilion at Pretty Beach House in Bouddi National Park The locations may be diverse but the central promise is the same: today’s lodges are all about immersing their guests in the destination through carefully curated activities, which have become a key attraction. “It’s not unusual for highend travellers to forgo the traditional luxurious accommodation in favour of a property that delivers a richer interpretation of the destination, with amazing people and culture,” says Drew Kluska, founder and managing director of The Tailor travel designers. Activities range from hikes to heliflights, forest bathing to Indigenous experiences. Case in point: during the “Connection to Country” experience offered by Tasmania’s Saffire Freycinet (saffire-freycinet.com.au) – one of the lodge’s most popular offerings – an indigenous guide shares insights into the culture, traditions and bush tucker of the native Oyster Bay people. What’s on your plate – or in your glass – has become another way to celebrate the environs, with lodge menus highlighting the region’s wines, spirits and craft brews alongside locally grown produce. At Southern Ocean Lodge, that might mean tucking into South Australian venison teamed with cacao, beetroot and witlof, while at Silky Oaks Lodge (silkyoakslodge.com.au), adjoining the Daintree Rainforest, salmon tartar is paired with tropical flavours such as pickled ginger and yuzu aïoli. KEYS, PLEASE! 31 DEPARTURES