Southern Ocean Lodge 2.0: The same iconic lodge, but better

Nearly four years after Southern Ocean Lodge was left in ashes, it has taken back its rightful place atop the dramatic cliffs of Kangaroo Island and, to the relief of those who have had the luxury of experiencing its warm embrace, it’s there to stay

‘Nothing but Sea and Sky’ is the name of the fragrance I spritz and sniff on my first morning at Southern Ocean Lodge. It’s a deliberate choice. With the sweeping sea views that extend into a cyan sky beyond the full-height windows of my Flinders Suite, the comforting scent bubble of zesty bergamot, fluffy white musk and milky sandalwood feels like it was purpose-made for a destination like Kangaroo Island.

There is a magical quality to the location of SOL, as it’s often called. On this southern tip of Australia’s third largest island, rugged, pock-marked limestone cliffs tower dramatically above a wind-whipped turquoise ocean – a playground for torpedo-fast seals, while up above, ospreys glide beneath wispy clouds that never outstay their welcome.

It wasn’t even a question that the lodge would be painstakingly rebuilt from scratch, following the devastating 2019/2020 bushfires. Nearly four years later, Southern Ocean Lodge 2.0, which opened in December 2023, is a near-identical replica of the much-loved original, interiors included. Southern Ocean Lodge’s original architect Max Pritchard once again designed the iconic property, with just a few minor adjustments made to further elevate the globally recognised luxury lodge.

The most noticeable: there are four additional suites, taking the number from 21 to 25; the spa has been extended and relocated, with a view now out to the bushland rather than the ocean; the pool has been moved to the left of the famous Great Room, to allow dippers and sunbakers a little more privacy; and the suites themselves – still lined up like modern carriages on a clifftop train track – have been slightly reoriented to take in more of the dramatic coastline (and now include an ethanol fireplace). There is also a brand new ultra-premium (from AUD$16,200 per night) four-bedroom Ocean Pavilion, which features two wings that can be hired out separately or connected, to cater to groups and multi-generational families.

Design

Pieces by many of the original South Australian artists whose work was proudly displayed in the lodge’s first iteration, are back and on show throughout the restaurant, spa, suites and communal spaces. The interior is light and airy, awash in a neutral palette punctuated with pops of warm Tasmanian black wood and considered flourishes of navy blue, along with Julie Paterson’s signature kangaroo-emblazoned textile print on the lounges and cushions. Indiana James’ iconic metal kangaroo, Sunshine, is back where he belongs, in the upper lounge of the Great Room, and a new piece, Lyre Lyre Pans on Fire, makes its debut at SOL 2.0, constructed from metal kitchen utensils and cutlery left behind by the fire.

The iconic ‘leaf mandalas’, by Kangaroo Island local Janine Macintosh, that feature individually dried, arranged and sewed-on eucalyptus leaves, seeds or shells, are wonderfully ubiquitous in the lodge, along with a new take on her trademark style: mandalas made from fire debris. Old, rusted nails and screws, glass shrapnel and other hard remnants that speak to days of devastation have been repurposed and transformed into beautiful works of art. 

Sustainability

“By the third of January, I was standing up on a roof and looking at the fire coming out, and deciding when we turn on the pump. And then we got in the bunker,” John Hird, who co-manages the lodge with his wife Alison, tells us, of the 2020 fires. He, Alison and four employees had remained behind and found shelter in the basement as the fire approached. The helipad, he says, reached such scorching temperatures its concrete blistered – something only occurring at 1200 to 1600 degrees celsius.

It’s no wonder, then, that SOL 2.0 has implemented a number of sustainable initiatives to equip the building should another fire hit. At the soft end of sustainability, there’s the lack of plastic and the environmentally friendlier aluminimum cans, sourced where possible over bottles. At the hard end, there’s the fact that the lodge is off-grid, and 65 per cent of its whopping 2.6 megawatts-a-day of power comes from solar and batteries. When the sun is shining, solar provides all the lodge’s power, while the battery takes over when it is cloudy. “We can actually just run one generator,” explains John, “Even at this time of the evening [7pm], we’re running on solar… we’re running the generator at such a speed and load that it is producing the most amount of electricity for the least amount of diesel.”

On this southern tip of Australia’s third largest island, rugged, pock-marked limestone cliffs tower dramatically above a wind-whipped turquoise ocean – a playground for torpedo-fast seals – while up above, ospreys glide beneath wispy clouds that never outstay their welcome.

The lodge now has a greater surface area to collect more water, and the capacity of the lodge’s tanks has increased from 1.8 million litres to 5.2 million litres, with the advanced fire system in place able to utilise every last drop. Sprinklers, which can be controlled from anywhere in the world using satellite internet or even 4G, now encircle the whole property, and the lodge uses mostly rainwater, topped up with bore water that has been desalinated in SOL’s own desalination plant, also partly powered by solar. Donning a #lumberjack tee shirt along the way, John, Alison and the SOL team have also propagated 45,000 biodiverse native plants onsite, which, in time, will grow to provide SOL guests with verdant views as well as ocean ones.

Wining & Dining

Dining at SOL is an experience rooted in the land and waters of South Australia, with local produce the heroes of every three-course lunch and dinner. A daily changing affair led by SOL Executive Chef Tom Saliba, I indulge in a smorgasbord of South Australian seafood during my stay, including garfish, mulloway, barramundi and even marron, served with colourful and artfully presented vegetables and salads that make every dish a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.

This sense of place is true of the wine list, too, which is almost exclusively South Australian – Yalumba, Islander Estate, Springs Road, False Cape, to name just a handful – the exception being French Champagne. As for the lodge’s sommelier, it doesn’t need one: It has John. A die-hard oenophile, he sourced and acquired the 98-label-strong selection available at SOL, and his mission to sniff out the next delicious drop will never be over, purely because he enjoys it – and shaing a glass with his guests – so very much.

As we congregate in the new custom-built cellar – with the lightest gamays starting at the left, and increasing in heaviness to an award-winning tannat by Geoff Hardy on the right – a guest peruses the selection before plucking one of John’s favourite drops from the shelf and heading to the lower Great Room, bottle in-hand. This is nothing unusual, with guests at the lodge invited to help themselves to anything they like, whenever they like ($400+ bottles are at your expense). This open-bar, what’s-yours-is-mine concept is unique in the luxury lodge world, and even in the Baillie Lodges portfolio, and a stroke of pure genius, for the fact that it has the effect of putting everyone immediately at ease.

At pre-dinner drinks each evening, couples can be found reclining on the curved banquettes and admiring the view from the oceanfront Ghost chairs, chatting over a glass of their favourite, well, anything. The Great Room is the heart of the lodge, and, with that quintessentially Australian  that melds grounded, laidback luxury with natural beauty, it also has a lot of heart – much like Southern Ocean Lodge itself. It’s a pleasure to welcome her back.

Hotel Notes

Rates in a Flinders Suite start from AUD$3400 per night, including all dining, an open bar with premium wines and spirits, an in-suite bar replenished daily, signature experiences on Kangaroo Island and island airport transfers.

southernoceanlodge.com.au

While You’re Here

SOL offers various experiences on Kangaroo Island as part of your stay, including a beautiful clifftop walk, and fascinating tours to Remarkable Rocks and Seal Bay led by SOL staff – many of them with backgrounds in science and zoology. A marine protected area, Seal Bay is home to a colony of 1,000 sea lions – a critically endangered species only found in SA and WA. As a guest of SOL, you can wander right onto the beach to witness the sea lions at close quarters – the only place in the world you can do so.