Turning of the Sod

The event was attended by the Honorary Steven Marshall MP, Premier of South Australia, Southern Ocean Lodge Managers John Hird and Alison Heath and architect Max Pritchard, among many other invited guests and media.

Works are set to begin immediately, with the new-look Southern Ocean Lodge – dubbed ‘SOL 2.0’ – slated to open in the second half of 2023. Investment in the project is forecast around $50 million, with up to 70 tradespeople engaged for the duration of the build. When the lodge reopens it will provide employment to more than 50 staff.

‘Rebuilding Southern Ocean Lodge – a truly world-class destination on Kangaroo Island – is not only an enormous show of confidence in how our state will strongly bounce back, but also in the future of tourism and business on the island,’ Premier Steven Marshall said.

SOL 2.0 will largely maintain the original lodge footprint with 25 luxurious guest suites easing along the coastline. In a deft design manoeuvre, each of the suites has been reoriented to offer even better views of the ocean and coastal wilderness, where the eye was always drawn to the glorious sunrise, sea mists and thundering cobalt waves breaking on the shore.

The new orientation allows generous in and outdoor lounging as well as baths and Eco-Smart fireplaces for all suite categories, while a new location for the Southern Spa allows space for three treatment rooms, state-of-the-art fitness equipment, a sauna and temperature-controlled hot and cold plunge pools.

Environmental sustainability is core to the lodge’s new design, with significant hybrid solar and battery infrastructure allowing the luxury lodge to continue to run off grid in its remote location while reducing diesel fuel consumption by more than 50 percent.