I can’t imagine anywhere more remote than Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island, Australia. Covered in old-growth vegetation, webbed with farmland but little else in the way of human development, and enclosed by wave-pounded limestone cliffs and headlands. At its far western tip, granite formations – The Remarkables – have been sculpted into strange shapes, like something out of a Dali painting.
Kangaroo Island is a pristine wilderness which lies off the mainland of South Australia, southwest of Adelaide. Over a third of the island is protected in nature reserves. like Get up close and personal with kangaroos, seals and penguins, as well as bountiful birdlife. In the west, Flinders Chase National Park is known for penguin colonies and striking coastal rock formations, like the sculpted Remarkable Rocks and the stalactite-covered Admirals Arch.
The consequences of European settlement on the mainland passed the island by, and several endemic sub-species developed. Southern Ocean Lodge, on KI’s southwest coast, has its own naturalist guides who help guests spot echidnas (like hedgehogs) goannas (lizards), koalas, emus and (of course) kangaroos. They also lead beach walks among throngs of seals and sea lions.
The lodge itself is a line of 21 cliff top suites sit on scrub-covered dunes looking out over the sea. Its cuisine is fresh and imaginative, showcasing local ingredients. But the real joy is gazing through your suite’s expansive floor-to-ceiling windows at the crashing ocean.
If you’ve never seen a kangaroo, wallaby, echidna, possum, koala, goanna or New Zealand fur seal before, this is your chance.
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