Southern Ocean Lodge was conceived by James and Hayley Baillie and designed by the Kangaroo Island-born architect Max Pritchard, opening in 2008 on the limestone cliffs above Hanson Bay, between Flinders Chase National Park and Seal Bay Conservation Park. Rebuilt after the bushfires of 2020 and reopened in December 2023, now part of the Beckons collection, it strings its suites along the clifftop, with limestone floors, blackwood walls, custom furniture and work commissioned from South Australian artists; the Baillie Pavilion takes the crowning position. The Great Room holds the open bar and a walk-in cellar of South Australian wines, and dinner is a four-course menu that changes daily, built on island produce such as marron and line-caught whiting. The lodge makes its own power off grid from solar and batteries, turns bore water into drinking water by solar-powered reverse osmosis, harvests rainwater and keeps a 20-metre buffer planted with fire-retardant native succulents. Guided outings, included in the stay, lead guests among sea lions at Seal Bay and through Flinders Chase. The Southern Spa has three treatment rooms and hot and cold plunge pools.
- Nearest airport
- Kingscote Airport, Kangaroo Island (KGC), 44 Miles / 71 Kilometres
- Rooms
- 25 suites
- Taken whole
- The whole lodge: its suites and the four-bedroom Baillie Pavilion
Insider tip Walk the boardwalk down to the Hanson Bay shore, or take the clifftop path that starts at the lodge door.
Why I choose it An off-grid clifftop lodge, rebuilt after the fires, with Kangaroo Island's wildlife reached on included guided outings.
