14 TRAVEL + INDULGENCE THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, AUGUST 11-12, 2018theaustralian.com.au/travel

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The residents of Hanson BayWildlife Sanctuary are bundledin sleep, snug and content in thecrooks of eucalypt branches. Iknow how those koalas feel.South Australia’s Kangaroo

Island, southwest of Adelaide, can be a wildand woolly place in winter, with smashingwaves and blustery winds.

My cosy and agreeable perch comes withan unparalleled view of Mother Nature in herfinest fury. At Southern Ocean Lodge, all theaccommodation and communal spaces areangled towards heathland, cliff and shorelineviews. On the last morning of my three-nightstay, the hitherto sunny skies turn to gun-metal grey and the long, long reach of theSouthern Ocean is flecked with whitecaps.Through wall-sized windows, watching thechanging colours and enveloping mists, it’slike being tuned in to an IMAX screening.

Australia’s third-largest island has had atormented history, of whaling and sealslaughters and shipwrecks. The guest suites atSouthern Ocean Lodge, aside from the top-tier Osprey Pavilion, are named for suchtragic groundings of coastal traders and mailsteamers, particularly in the 1800s, with manyon board lost to the swells.

Each chamber has a sign with the name ofthe vessel and the date of its demise, such asFides, wrecked on May 22, 1860, at thepleasant-sounding Snug Cove. Kona met itsmatch on January 3, 1917, at a place with theprophetic name of Scraper Shoal.

The 21 guest habitats are oases of style andcomfort, with complimentary mini-barsstocked with South Australian produce, andbathroom amenities by indigenous brandLit’ya, also the choice for brilliant treatmentsby Ainslie and Cassia at Southern Spa in anocean-facing pavilion up a timber boardwalkfrom the lodge proper. You will emergeglowing, lightly untethered and scented withquandong and macadamia, lemon myrtle andKakadu plum.

The soft comforts and pleasures of South-ern Ocean Lodge, owned by the visionaryJames and Hayley Baillie of Baillie Lodges,

have seen it recently voted best hotel in Aust-ralia, and in the world’s top 50, by readers ofUS publication Travel + Leisure. The accoladeis timely as the property has just clocked up avery successful 10 years, marking the mile-stone with a mild refresh of interiors and nodoubt a celebratory bottle or two of excellentlocal wine from Jacques Lurton’s The Island-er range.

The property sits in supreme isolation onthe southwest coast of the island, overlookingHanson Bay, roughly in the embrasure ofCape du Couedic and Cape Bouguer, designedin a low and sinuous form by South Austra-lian architect Max Pritchard. The lodge occu-pies just 1 per cent of the 100ha private siteand is an acknowledged model of sustainabledevelopment. The wing of suites is reached byan undulating corridor, and the main GreatRoom facilities of lounge, bar and restaurantare housed in a curved pavilion wrapped withpanoramic windows. At night, ceiling down-lights sparkle like a firmament of stars.

A decade on, the look is still resolutelycontemporary. The surrounding heathlandand mallee scrub has been left untamed,peppered with plant species that includenative lilac and silver wattle plus thewondrously named cushion fanflower andcreeping bookweed. Against this backdrop,from certain angles the buildings all butmerge into tufty vegetation, the serpentineswoop of the rooflines resembling somethingstill but alive, like a crouched goanna.

And so to dine on abundant treats from

What appears to be at least half the pasteis denata ever made in Lisbon are displayed ontrays and their custardy fillings seem todissolve into thin air.

Just as the Baillies have unified the inter-iors with stylish accessories and works byleading artisans, Blackford points out that thetableware by ceramicist Malcolm Greenwoodhas been designed to mimic the island’snatural features. I look anew at irregular-shaped bowls and off-kilter plates and can seepared-down boulders and cliff-faces. Or is thehouse-branded Baillies 9 gin talking? Thetipple, made in small batches by parish prod-ucer KI Distillery, is zesty with caraway andnative juniper, ginger and citrus.

Across Blackford’s daily-changing menus,island produce predominates, from Southracklamb and John Kersley’s partridges andpheasants to American River oysters fromNepean Bay and Ligurian honey from localhives. Fryar’s free-range eggs come from“stress-free hens” and sheep’s milk productsfrom Island Pure. Even the salt is a local hero,hand-harvested at the Bay of Shoals. Black-ford admits he is a “forager” and loves amulti-faceted “location dish” such as KingGeorge Whiting nabbed at American Riverserved with sea-fresh samphire. “Flavour overfluff,” he declares of his cooking style.

But while Kangaroo Island has success-fully emerged as a culinary destination, it’snature that eclipses all else. Surely no onecould visit here and not be astonished by the500 million-year-old granite formations

GREAT SNOW ESCAPES

FALLS CREEK, VICTORIA Top-shelf Canad-ian instructor Norman Kreutz, from SilverStar resort in British Columbia, will imparthis wisdom in an Academy Masters programfor skiers aged 50 and older next weekendand the following (August 25 and 26). Withthe help of other instructors, Kreutz will offerin-depth coaching with video reviews plus thechance to try out Rossignol gear. Onlinebookings 14 days in advance attract a 15 percent discount; $579 a person (plus lift ticket).Falls also hosts the Mim Sodergren Women’sSki Program from Friday to Sunday nextweekend, a women-only instruction initiati-ve. From $1540 a person, twin-share.■ skifalls.com.au

MOUNT HOTHAM, VICTORIA Along withFalls Creek, this alpine resort has announcedit is extending the season until October 7,thanks to above-average snow conditionskickstarted with a record-breaking June. Andin a deal revealed this week, spring skiers andboarders can enjoy unlimited access to both

Mount Hotham and Falls Creek for as little as$14 a day from September 1. The Spring Passmeans visitors can make the most of theseason for up to 37 days; $499 for adults, $299for seniors and children. Hotham celebrates30 years of snowboarding in Australia withthe Banked Slalom event on August 25.■ mthotham.com.au

MOUNT BULLER, VICTORIA Six-day liftpasses are on sale at this resort, with skiers 65and over offered the best deal, at $329. Child-ren aged five to 18 pay the same price whilethe adult pass is $599. Holders of these passescan ski any six days in the season, non-con-secutive days included. The resort also has aspecial Thursday deal that sees adults ski for$90 while kids and over-65s pay $50. ■ mtbuller.com.au

THREDBO, NSW Snow lovers seeking a mid-week getaway can stay three nights at theThredbo Alpine Hotel and get a free day ofskiing or boarding until the end of this month.

PERISHER, NSW The ski-in, ski-out PerisherValley Hotel is offering savings of 20 per centon stays of five nights from Sundays in familyrooms. The hotel is 100m from the Village 8Express chairlift on Front Valley, and facili-ties include a spa and sauna, cocktail bar andchildren’s games room. Epic Australia Passholders get up to 15 per cent off at Perisher’srestaurants and bars. The resort also has sav-ings of up to 30 per cent on lift tickets, lessonsand gear hire for online bookings made sevendays or more in advance. ■ perisher.com.au

GUTHEGA, NSW The Guthega Inn, a cosylodge on the western edge of the Perisherrange, has a mid-season family deal fromAugust 26 to September 8. Families of four(children aged 12 years and younger) can stayfive nights for $3286 in a family room, includ-ing breakfast and dinner, over-snow transfersplus use of snowshoes and toboggans. ■ guthega.comPENNY HUNTER

The package includes a three-day lift pass anddaily breakfast; $1806 for two adults, twin-share. The NSW resort (pictured) also has aFirst Timer spring package featuring threenights at Candlelight Lodge, a three-day liftpass, daily group lesson and ski or snowboardhire. From $209 a person a night; valid forstays September 3-22. ■ thredbo.com.au

BEAUTY AND BOUNTYCreature comforts on Kangaroo Island

SUSAN KUROSAWA

executive chef Asher Blackford’s bustlingkitchen. Give us our daily bread, and make itcumin sourdough or fennel seed and herbloaf. Assistant lodge manager Lucky, late ofSouth Africa’s Singita safari lodge, bustlesabout and supervises service. “Have you hadyour lamingtons and Anzac biscuits yet?” sheinquires. I confess that the arrival treats havenot yet been touched. “Eat up, Susan!” sheinsists, “and leave space for Sunday lunch!”

Come the Sabbath, I see what she means.

IN THE KNOW

Accommodation at Southern Ocean Lodge, in five suite categories, starts at$1200 a person a night, twin-share, with aminimum two-night stay. Includes all dining, open bar with premium wines andspirits (cellarmaster’s list at additional cost), in-suite bar, signature touring experiences and island airport transfers.Tariff savings and extras such as Southern Spa credits apply to stays of three nights or more. Sealink operates ferries between Cape Jervis and Penneshaw with connecting shuttles toand from Adelaide and Kingscote; Qantas and Rex fly from Adelaide.■ baillielodges.com.au■ southernoceanlodge.com.au■ southaustralia.com

Clockwise from above: Remarkable Rocks; Southern Ocean Lodge; Seal Bay sealions

SUSAN KUROSAWA

TRAVEL + INDULGENCE 15THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN, AUGUST 11-12, 2018theaustralian.com.au/travel

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known as the Remarkable Rocks in theFlinders Chase National Park. “Domed insel-bergs” say the signs, or islands of rock, buttheir weathered and wind-gouged forms look,from some angles, like works by HenryMoore or Sculptures by the Sea installations.Only a bit of squinting is required to imaginedinosaurs on the prowl and eagles poised topounce. All you need are stout walking shoes,a windbreaker and a sense of imagination.

Southern Ocean Lodge has complimentarymorning tours that take in the RemarkableRocks and key sights such as the lonely red-crowned sentinel of Cape du Couedic Light-house and the colony of basking seals atAdmiral’s Arch plus those dozing koalas atHanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. The namesof settlements and natural features reflectBritish and French navigational history.Explorers Matthew Flinders and NicholasBaudin met off the coast of South Australia in1802 and, in an accord at odds with thewarring history of their homelands, agreedthat the island had been jointly discovered.

Drives down long, well-maintained roadsreveal Cape Barren geese waddling inprofusion, thickets of eucalyptus, and velvetyfields this winter that look uplifted from thefolded moors of southwest England, save forthe hardy grass trees. There’s every greenever seen, as Mother said on our long-agomotoring trips through Cornwall and Devon.

Another recommended excursion is thelodge’s Kangas and Kanapes late-afternoongathering beside the heritage EdwardsCottage on the Grassdale bush estate. Guestsgraze on savouries and sip wine as the localwildlife hip-hops in the dusk and nibbles, too,on verdant pastures. The Kangaroo Islandmacropod population is a subspecies of thewestern grey and is sooty-coated and ratherstocky. I see tammar wallabies in the gloam-ing, too, their short ears on high alert as theysense our presence.

Also on offer to Southern Ocean Lodgeguests are self-guided clifftop walks andcoastal loops or escorted hikes. But thetouring piece de resistance is the new Seal

Bay Sunrise “bespoke experience” at Seal BayConservation Park. Before the visitor centreopens to the general public, Southern OceanLodge guests and their assigned ranger haveprivate access to the boardwalks and thebeach. It means an early start but it feels likethe most enormous privilege to be the onlyhumans on the surf-pounded beach as thesealions crest the waves to shore, waddleabout and jostle each other for the warmestspots on the sand as the sun heightens andfish-hunting ospreys circle.

Then lodge ranger Phil drives for a fewminutes past the visitor centre to Bales Beachfor our breakfast. I had imagined a simplepicnic with thermos tea and pastries butinstead, under a tin-roofed park shelter, theirrepressible Blackford is at a barbecue grillcooking up a spread that would feed, well, acolony of sealions. His “froached eggs” are atriumph. He packs them ready-poached andthen fries at the barbecue spot. They holdtheir shape like little buns and here comemushrooms, bacon, tomatoes, bread,croissants, strawberries and plunger coffee.

When I say it seems like a miracle at theend of the world, Blackford tells me how twoEuropean backpackers, down to their lastrasher of bacon and one egg, turned up at thebarbecue spot recently and waited politely,just under the shelter, to fry their meagresupplies. Asher’s lodge guests that morninghad eaten less than half their rations so hewaved over the hungry pair and froached andfried and piled toast upon them.

Apparently overwhelmed, the backpackersmade a little speech. “This Kangaroo Island,”they declared, “is a place that answersprayers.” Such bounty, so much beauty. Whocould argue with that.

Susan Kurosawa was a guest of SouthernOcean Lodge.

MORE TO THE STORY

Southern Ocean Lodge’s guests might find it easier to tear themselves away, thanks to the recent opening of a private departure lounge at Kingscote airport (pictured) with decor and design in harmony with the lodge. With a well-stocked bar, plenty of natural light, magazines, toilets and clusters of stylish seating, it’s a fine spot in which to tarry after flight check-in. Walls are adorned with works by Kangaroo Island’s award-winning “assemblage artist” Janine Mackintosh, whose wonderfully textured pieces in gouache, linen thread and native

botanicals such as banksia and gum leaves also feature across the lodge proper. Many look like mandalas, rich in meaning, clearly expressing her love affair with the South Australian landscape.■ janinemackintosh.com.au

SUSAN KUROSAWA

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