Rumi on Louth is progressing to the next phase of its luxury development, with the $20 million second stage recently approved for planning. Located near Port Lincoln, both Louth Island and the resort are owned by Adelaide entrepreneur Che Metcalfe, who is fiercely dedicated to making sure the resort’s development and the island’s conservation efforts go hand-in-hand.
The second stage will introduce 26 new Earth-sheltered villas, designed to blend in with the island’s natural surroundings. These luxury villas will be built into sand dunes constructed on the island, so they are virtually invisible and disappear into the landscape.
Unlike many other luxury resorts where the rooms are stacked next to each other, here, guests will enjoy complete privacy, with each villa scattered independently across the southern end of the island.
Along with the new villas, the second stage will bring resort-style facilities. Following a $30 million investment in the first phase, which included essential infrastructure like solar power, desalination plants, and boats to transport guests, the focus is now shifting towards luxury amenities.
These will include tennis courts, pickleball courts, a Japanese-onsen-inspired day spa with plunge pools, spas, saunas, and cabanas for guests to relax by the pool. A boardwalk will also be built over the sand dunes, leading guests to an eastern-facing beach with “beautiful white sand and crystal-clear turquoise waters”.
“If you’ve ever seen Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays, it’s very much like that type of beach, except smaller,” Owner Che Metcalfe says.
The resort is heavily focused on self-sufficiency, with Metcalfe dedicated to making the island even more sustainable in this next stage of development. This is part of the long-term vision for the resort, which sees the island rely less on outside resources with everything managed internally.
Rumi on Louth is designed to be like a small city that runs entirely on its own, since the island doesn’t have services like SA Water, SA Power Networks or local council facilities. To make this possible, Rumi on Louth already composts, recycles, and uses advanced systems that turn human waste into water, which is then used to water crops and help native plants grow.
New additions in this stage include adding chicken coops and growing vegetables, alongside continuous efforts to restore and revegetate the island.
“When people come and stay, it’s luxury, but what they don’t see is the behind the scenes,” Mr Metcalfe says. “I always wanted something that was true to the wilderness, that the island is.”
“Over time, we plan to be more and more self sufficient, and part of that is growing our own vegetables. We always forage for native ingredients, which we will grow more of over time.”
Rumi on Louth shows no sign of slowing down when it comes to further expansion. Mr Metcalfe says he is “notorious” for dreaming up bigger ideas, and has plenty more plans in mind, though they are all subject to planning approval.
“I think of things over time, like having the buggies drive up to an outdoor cinema, or a rock pool near the beach so people can swim with kids,” Mr Metcalfe says. “I want to do unique experiences that you can’t get anywhere else in Australia, and I want to build it into one of the best resorts in the world. I don’t want to stop until we get there,” Mr Metcalfe says.
Rumi on Louth is currently collaborating with Archaea Architects on the next phase of the project. Although there was initially hope to reveal the entire island in one go, the approval process took longer than expected, leading to the decision to break the development into stages.
Once a builder is selected, a construction start date and completion timeline will be announced, along with the opportunity to presell the villas. There has already been strong interest from wealthy families in the US and UK, looking to hire the whole island. While the current accommodation at Rumi on Louth is sensational, the new villas in stage two will bring an even higher level of luxury.
For more information on Rumi on Louth, click here.
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