Kangaroo Island’s Southern Ocean Lodge restored and reopened
The Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island has been reborn as a luxury getaway.
The venue was burnt to the ground during the Black Summer bushfires four years ago, but its revival has sparked excitement among guests and industry heads.
Hovering above the limestone cliffs of the island’s wild southwest coast, the new $55 million property has been dubbed SOL 2.0 and comes with an all-inclusive price tag of $3400 a night for two.
A lot of love was put into the rebuild which was overseen by Baillie Lodges’ founders and creative directors, and SOL’s parents, James and Hayley Baillie as well as resort managers John Hird and Alison Heath.
“It’s not often you get to do something twice,” James Baillie told The Australian.
“To be able to tweak and massage and work on what could have been done better…(this) lodge will be a significantly better product.
“But it’s been a huge slog … even though we’d done it before it’s not easy building in such a remote location with trades and the availability of materials and we did it right through Covid.”
The group has rebuilt the Great Room to almost identical dimensions, with Khai Liew’s bespoke furniture, remade. The suspended fireplace was restored in France.
They will be hoping to emulate the raft of international awards SOL once attracted, while attracting a new cohort of high-end travellers from the US and Europe.
The restoration and rebuild has attracted plenty of interest from overseas travel press with Kangaroo Island leaping to the top of places to visit in 2024.
Guests can enjoy the vast wilderness surrounding the property, which has regenerated beautifully.
Jonathan Jackson, 7th December 2023
