Kangaroo Island’s luxury tourism destination, Southern Ocean Lodge, has been been destroyed in the bushfires that spread across the western end of the island on Friday, January 3.
Fortunately, all guests and staff are safe, with owners James and Hayley Baillie stating on the Lodge’s Facebook page, “We owe a huge debt of thanks to our amazing team at the lodge and to the South Australia Country Fire Service whose crews and volunteers worked so hard to protect lives and landscape.”
In a message sent out today, the Baillies said they have already taken architect Max Pritchard to revisit the site, and can confirm that the original plans intended for the Lodge’s redesign are still intact.
Whilst it is currently too early to estimate a reopening date, the recreation of Southern Ocean Lodge will remain a focus, as will taking a leading role in helping to rebuild Kangaroo Island’s tourism industry.
The message also noted the Baillies’ acknowledgement that this moment of loss is about Kangaroo Island as a whole, with bushfires having reached around 40 percent of the island.
Today, the South Australian Government launched the SA Bushfire Appeal, intended to raise much-needed funds for those directly affected by the fires in Cudlee Creek and Kangaroo Island.
An additional $1 million has been pledged by the Marshall Government to help the Kangaroo Island community rebuild.
For more on Southern Ocean Lodge, see here.
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