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Australia’s new Southern Ocean Lodge puts Kangaroo Island on the luxury travel map 
An example of the lodge’s effort to be in communion with nature, the great roomprovides an unobstructed panorama of Hansen Bay. Photo courtesy Southern Ocean Lodge.
“Look,” says Ben Lanyon. “Your first kangaroo.” A hundred yards up the road, the wan carcass of a retriever-size ’roo is splayed face up on the bitumen. It’s almost dusk, and Lanyon, the bright-blue-eyed co-manager of Southern Ocean Lodge, is driving me west from the airport to Kangaroo Island’s newest hotel. “You basically can’t drive after dark,” he laments. “That’s how much wildlife there is here.” 
Photo by Jen Judge
Last March, James and Hayley Baillie unveiled Southern Ocean Lodge, the island’s first high-end accommodation. “In terms of luxury travel, Australia has fallen behind New Zealand and Asia,” explains James. “We wanted to change that. Southern Ocean is a cross between an Aman resort and a Lindblad cruise.” Balanced on a jagged promontory where 250 acres of undeveloped bush collide with the surging Indian Ocean, the 21-room lodge is a rib of sun-bleached wood and glass that spills down the shoreline. At the head of the hotel is the split-level great room, with floor-to-ceiling windows, a modern hanging fireplace, and an infinity hot tub spilling over the veranda. The minimalist decor is one of clean lines, awash in muted whites, blues, and grays that reference the wild surrounds without drawing attention away from them. Connecting with the natural world is the point, I find, during my stay at the start of the austral summer. There are daily bush walks, seaside drives through Flinders Chase National Park, and Aboriginal-inspired massages. The lodge’s appeal zooms into focus early one morning when I wake to the thrum of distant waves on the shore below and spy a wallaby foraging outside my window. I’m swaddled in puffy bedding, sipping black coffee and communing with the wildlife. It’s a slice of nature—only more comfortable. Want to plan your own trip? Visit for australia.com more information. Comments (0)
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