2 weeks ago
5
September 1, 2025 — 5:00am
It takes a few moments to realise how the artworks have been created. At first glance, they’re just patterns, swirls, figures, artistic renderings that work well with the overall design of the new Southern Ocean Lodge.
But get a little closer, and you discover familiar objects: a cocktail strainer, spoons and forks, pairs of tongs, shards of coloured glass. All of these are blackened, some twisted, some broken, though now formed in beautiful ways.
And you realise, these are from the old lodge. These are from the fire.
Most of the artworks are by Janine Mackintosh and Indiana James, Kangaroo Island locals who lived through the devastating 2020 bushfires, who saw so much of this beautiful outcrop in the Great Australian Bight burn.
The artists were commissioned to complete a large series of works for the rebuilding of one of the most famous establishments that disappeared during those fires, Southern Ocean Lodge.
“Well before we had the go-ahead to actually rebuild, they were already working on collecting things from the sites and starting to put ideas in place,” says Craig Bradbery, chief operating officer of Baillie Lodges, which owns Southern Ocean Lodge.′
“From day one, there was a strong belief that we’re going to rebuild it. Before the site was even cleared, those artists went in and started collecting things.”
The resulting artworks are a highlight of a stay at the new property, with their blend of relics and natural materials such as leaves and shells, a motif that runs throughout the lodge. The works are not only beautiful, but also represent life pulled from the ashes, a literal demonstration that not all was lost during those terrible days five years ago.
The new lodge has been open for a year now, after a long, painstaking clearing and rebuilding process, one that was aided financially by the South Australian government.
Those who visited the previous iteration would certainly recognise it today: the experience begins, again, at the circular great room, its huge picture windows framing a panorama of Hanson Bay and its cool, clear waters, an expanse that stretches to Antarctica.
On a windswept Kangaroo Island day there’s still no better place to be than a couch at the front of that great room, with a cup of coffee or maybe a glass of red wine, spotting whales and dolphins amid the whitecaps.
“Everyone agreed that the original was pretty damned good,” says Bradbery of the rebuilding and redesign. “The great room and restaurant, they’re literally created like for like – same furniture, same artwork.
“We redesigned the configuration of the suites, particularly the beds, so that in every suite you can lie in bed and look at the ocean or the stars at night. It was a great opportunity to honour the old but add new features and iron out a couple of little things that weren’t ideal.”
Some little things, it has to be said, still don’t seem ideal. The lodge’s lower suites are a long, uphill trek from the great room and restaurant. And the pale tiles used on most of the resort this time around already show signs of wear.
The new features, however, provide balance. The Baillie Pavilion is an exclusive private residence, an ultra-premium space perched on a clifftop above the main lodge. The Southern Spa features three treatment rooms, a sauna and outdoor plunge pools.
The walk-in wine cellar, which was always an attraction, a space in which guests could help themselves to a wide range of South Australian wines, is back, and it’s bigger. It now includes a second room with a table for private tasting and dining experiences.
Guests of the new Southern Ocean Lodge take their joy in various places, in various ways. It might be in the restaurant, or a la carte food with a view. It could be on one of the included signature experiences, group tours to places such as Kelly Hill Caves, Seal Bay and Hanson Bay Sanctuary.
For me, it’s early morning in my suite, lying in bed and watching the sky as it is slowly lit with purples and pinks, as the sun cracks the horizon and the ocean comes into view, and you’re reminded, once again, that every dawn brings a new day.
The writer stayed as a guest of Southern Ocean Lodge and Luxury Lodges of Australia.
DETAILS
FLY
Qantas flies from Australian ports to Kangaroo Island, via Adelaide. See qantas.com
STAY
Stays at Southern Ocean Lodge include all dining and all drinks (with some premium wine and spirits extra), in-suite minibar, signature experiences, use of all lodge facilities and transfers to and from Kangaroo Island Airport. Rates from $3200 a suite a night. See southernoceanlodge.com.au and luxurylodgesofaustralia.com.au
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