Helmed by James and Hayley Baillie, the Baillie Lodges portfolio consists of seven luxury properties in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Each one is a setting for “premium experiential travel,” according to the company, from Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge on Canada’s Vancouver Island to Huka Lodge on New Zealand’s North Island.
And the latest news is that Southern Ocean Lodge is once again welcoming guests to its spectacular clifftop location on Kangaroo Island, following the devastating bushfires on the island in 2020.
We spoke with Craig Bradbery, chief operating officer of Baillie Lodges, to hear more about Southern Ocean Lodge’s rebuild, and why it’s an incredible fit for clients seeking a luxurious adventure.
After the 2020 bushfires on Kangaroo Island, Southern Ocean Lodge was rebuilt, and many parts of it were painstakingly recreated, including the beloved Great Room.
Credit: 2024 Baillie LodgesHow do you describe Kangaroo Island to travelers unfamiliar with it?
One of the ways we describe it is “Australia's zoo without fences.” It is where you can have all the iconic Australian wildlife experiences, seeing kangaroos, koalas, platypuses, seals and sea lions. It has all of that and more.
Southern Ocean Lodge is on the south coast of the island, and the next landfall is Antarctica; you really are on the edge of the world.
I think the vastness of the island surprises people. It’s almost the same size as Bali in Indonesia, as an example. But Bali has 4 million people, and Kangaroo Island has 4,000 people. It’s a place to experience space and sky and landscape and wildlife. And then there’s the wild and incredible Southern Ocean lapping on the beaches. Southern Ocean Lodge is on the south coast of the island, and the next landfall is Antarctica; you really are on the edge of the world.
Once clients arrive at the property, what can they expect?
We are an all-inclusive property, so from the moment you land on Kangaroo Island at the airport, everything is included and everything is taken care of. Our team meets you at the airport; it's about a 50-minute drive to the lodge, where all your dining and beverages are included. We have a 24-hour open bar, too, if that's your thing.
We also have a series of four signature experiences included, so guests get to do all of those on a stay. If they want to do more, there are bespoke experiences that they can add on.
Craig Bradbery, chief operating officer of Baillie Lodges
Credit: 2024 Baillie LodgesWhat are the signature experiences like?
The signature experiences make sure you get to see the highlights of the island. You get to see the wildlife, the landscape and the ocean, and then you come back to the lodge after each experience and have really incredible local food and local wines — Australia has premium wines, and that's something people often don't know. The island even has its own vineyards. It's all part of getting that sense of place.
One signature experience is called The Wonders of Kangaroo Island. It's a four-hour excursion and we go into the Flinders Chase National Park and stop at a number of points, including remarkable rocks on the edge of the land overlooking the ocean, and a place called Admirals Arch, which is another incredible formation on the coast and home to a colony of seals. We stop at the Cape Kudu Yelick Lighthouse for a touch of history — the island is well-known for shipwrecks, and each of the lodge’s guest suites is named after a different shipwreck on the island.
Other experiences include a coastal cliff top walk; a sundowner event with wine and canapes in a reserve where kangaroos hop around; and a “gourmet trail” experience, which takes guests to wineries and some of our food producers.
And the lodge itself is a sight unto itself. Since it was rebuilt after the 2020 fires, what should clients know about the property today?
The lodge itself is spectacular, from the architecture to the views. You are in a structure right on the edge of the world, watching this wild ocean. The fire is going, and you've got beautiful red wine and great food. We try to make sure guests can totally disconnect.
The lodge reopened last December, and probably 90% of guests those first weeks were return guests who were eager to get back and have a look at it. When the fires came through, the lodge was 12 years old, but it was timeless in its original design, so we had a great template to start with. We certainly knew that there were things we could do better, so the new lodge is a wonderful combination of that.
When you walk in, the big, rusty doors swing open and the Great Room reveals itself and the view far beyond that — that is a jaw-dropping moment that every guest remembers. And you would not know it's a different room now. It's been recreated. James and Hayley Baillie spent a lot of time tracking down the original furniture makers and artists. And the restaurant is exactly as it was, which is really wonderful.
Southern Ocean Lodge’s Remarkable Suite offers two bedrooms and spectacular views.
Credit: 2024 Baillie LodgesDid guest accommodations change much in the rebuild?
The guest suites are where there are changes. There are 21 suites that feed off the main lodge, and we took the opportunity to alter the way they are laid out. One of the main things was to open up the views (and they were already really spectacular).
Now when you're in bed, you can look out and see the ocean or you can see the stars at night.
The beds were towards the back of the suites before, so they've been re-angled. Now when you're in bed, you can look out and see the ocean or you can see the stars at night. We have also added features; for example, we put bathtubs in all the suites, because our sustainability initiatives have allowed us better water storage. The lounge areas are also different. So, when you walk into the suites, they are a blend of the new and the old.
Were any other significant alterations made?
The spa has been changed. It used to have the best position on the property, perched on a clifftop with spectacular views. But when you're in a spa, you are normally face down, so you're not looking at the views. So on that site, we created the four-bedroom Baillie Pavilion instead. It can be divided into two, two-bedroom suites. And it’s about 620 square meters — or six or eight New York City apartments, I like to say. As for the spa, it’s been moved to face the wilderness. We’ve also expanded that facility at the gym, made a new pool deck with hot and cold plunge pools and a sauna.
Kangaroo Island is known as incredible destination for wildlife viewing.
Credit: 2024 Baillie LodgesHow does Southern Ocean Lodge usually figure into a client’s larger Australia itinerary?
Australia is a long way from the U.S., but I think one of the things that a lot of our U.S. clients don't realize is that once they arrive, it's really easy to travel around Australia. We are a big country, but we don't have as many destinations or cities as the U.S. does, so there's a lot more direct flights between locations.
We want guests to leave with something, whether it's a better understanding of the local culture, more knowledge about the flora and fauna or some wine or food they've never tried before.
The key places that many of our guests want to visit are really accessible. They generally land in Sydney or Melbourne in the morning; they can spend two or three nights in the city, or they can get straight on a connecting flight and be on Kangaroo Island that same day.
Most guests to Australia will visit Sydney, which is certainly the No. 1 destination, with Melbourne very close behind it. But for remote destinations in Australia, Kangaroo Island is highly sought after for the wildlife experience, and the Red Center or Uluru is probably the second or equal in demand, but for its desert landscape (and we've got a property out there, too, Longitude 131).
Then the third or equally sought-after destination is the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest (where we have another property, Silky Oaks Lodge. Combining some of these makes a great itinerary.
Our properties offer soft adventure — you might be in a little discomfort, whether it's out on the reef or in the Red Centre and it’s hot and you're a little bit sweaty — but just at the right time there's someone there with a drink or a snack, or you come back to this beautiful lodge for some pool time or a spa treatment. And at the same time, we’re giving guests that authentic sense of the place. We want them to leave with something, whether it's a better understanding of the local culture, more knowledge about the flora and fauna or some wine or food they've never tried before. That’s very important to us.
How does Baillie Lodges work with travel advisors?
The U.S. and European markets are vital to our job. So many people dream of coming to Australia, but it's then really important that travel advisors are able to convert that dream. The distance to get here, the size of the country, and a client’s lack of understanding of the destination lead them to their travel advisors.
We work really closely with the trade in the U.S. Our in-market representative is active on the road, and in Los Angeles and Texas and Florida every other month. The majority of our business from the U.S. comes through travel advisors.
Resources for Advisors
Advisors can access marketing resources via the Baillie Lodges website. Downloadable reference materials are also available, as is a reservation inquiry form.
