‹‹ the sea lion colony at Seal Bay. The architecture
has been designed to bring the outside in, so that
when guests arrive in the curvaceous Great Room,
which serves as lounge, lobby and restaurant, the
view of the coast is undisturbed through 180
degrees of floor-to-ceiling glass. The 21 suites, all
facing the ocean, run along a breezeway,
culminating in the very sexy Osprey Pavilion,
a private suite w ith sunken lounge and an exclusive
vantage point along the coast. All the suites, other
than the Osprey Pavilion, are named after the
historic shipwrecks that regularly occurred in
these dangerous waters.
While it’s tempting to stay around the fireplace
and explore the carefully assembled wine cellar,
the lodge encourages guests to get into nature,
with a varied collection of daily bespoke
experiences and tours with guides who know
and love the terrain, as well as self-guided hikes
and walks. Kangas & Kanapés is one of the most
popular excursions, where guests can mingle with
grazing kangaroos while sipping cocktails.
A dawn visit to the sea lion colony is exhilarating,
followed by a breakfast barbecue at nearby Bales
Beach with chef Asher Blackford — his inventive
menus for the lodge reflect the natural
environment by using, wherever possible, intensely
flavourful produce from South Australia and what
can be foraged on the island. (“Good, honest food”,
as he calls it.) Guests are greeted with homemade
lamingtons when they arrive and chocolate koalas
on turndown at night.
The synergy between the natural world outside
and the lodge interior is carried through to the
Southern Spa, which sits on a cliff at the end of
a boardwalk. One of its signature treatments is
a delightfully sticky Ligurian Honey and Almond
Wrap, using honey from the Ligurian bees that
inhabit the island, the world’s only purebred and
disease-free colony of these bees.
Digital detoxers will be pleased to note
there are TVs only in selected suites, and the
telephone reception is poor. But the view of
the pounding ocean through the lodge’s panoramic
windows is more cinematic than anything you’d
find on the small screen.
Rates at Southern Ocean Lodge start at $1200
per person per night twin-share and include all
dining, open bar with premium wines and spirits
(Cellarmasters List additional), in-suite bar,
signature experiences, island airport transfers
and use of the comfortable new guest lounge at
Kingscote airport. VL
southernoceanlodge.com.au
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP The Osprey Pavilion
features panoramic views of the Southern
Ocean. A granite bath in the Osprey Pavilion
open bathroom. Sustainably produced local
barramundi, charred onion, confit pumpkin
and Kangaroo Island marron bisque.KANGAROO ISLAND