Situated on the southern coast of Kangaroo Island, the rebuilt Southern Ocean Lodge features 25 suites – mostly one bedroom – each with a private deck facing the Southern Ocean. New to Southern Ocean Lodge is the Ocean Pavilion, which can offer one four-bedroom suite or two two-bedroom suites.
The design of the recreated lodge was led by South Australian architect Max Pritchard who designed the original lodge. The just-opened redesign features a greater focus on sustainability.
Owned by Baillie Lodges, the property also includes a restaurant and bar, showcasing the best of Kangaroo Island producers, the Great Room, a public sitting and gathering space which includes a connected infinity pool and outdoor terraces, quieter space the Baudin Lounge, and an onsite spa with three treatment rooms.
“Kangaroo Island attracts the highest international tourism spend of any region outside of Adelaide, with latest data showing international visitors contributed $38 million to Kangaroo Island’s visitor economy,” said South Australia’s tourism minister, Zoe Bettison.
“With Southern Ocean Lodge already known as an international drawcard, its re-opening promises to boost international recovery even further.”
With ground broken on the new lodge in February 2022, Southern Ocean Lodge 2.0 has been rebuilt according to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system and includes hybrid solar, battery and rainwater harvesting infrastructure. With energy efficient fittings, the new building will reduce energy usage by a quarter.
“We feel very fortunate to be able to present the new-look Southern Ocean Lodge to the world,” said co-founder of Baillie Lodges, James Baillie.
“Hayley and I had lived and breathed the original lodge from the concept and planning stages to its award-winning reality, celebrated for its timeless design.
“With the benefit of hindsight and learning, we saw the chance to rebuild Southern Ocean Lodge as a special chance to return the property that seemed to touch so many guests over the years and with some considered additions to take her to a next generation traveller and a sustainable future.
“It’s a ‘full-circle moment’ for us and one that brings some closure to the past, as well as an optimistic look towards the future and an even more sustainable, leading experiential tourism offering for South Australia.”
Baillie Lodges’ other co-founder, Hayley Baillie, said they had been “buoyed” by support from former guests and the broader tourism industry since they lost the existing lodge to a bushfire that impacted more than 40 per cent of Kangaroo Island.
“It has been wonderful to work with the original lodge’s local suppliers as well as discovering new entrants to the region, including food and beverage producers, artists and designers,” she said.
“We have a chance now to show the world the incredible depth and diversity of the regional Southern Australia and Kangaroo Island offering as its stands today and into the future, and we’re looking forward to working in rewarding partnerships with local communities once again.”
Baillie Lodges also operates the likes of Longitude 131 at Uluru, Silky Oaks Lodge in Port Douglas and The Louise in the Barossa Valley.
