The Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Weekend magazine has compiled a to-die-for selection of Australian getaways – one for every week of the year infact!
Here’s what Australia’s favourite cook, Maggie Beer had to say about her dream pick – Southern Ocean Lodge:
MAGGIE BEER, cook, restaurateur, author
The experience: Consistency, attention to detail and utter relaxation on Kangaroo Island.
“I have visited the Southern Ocean Lodge four times, as I host a Kangaroo Island Food Safari each year. Recently, I stayed at the lodge for five days. I’m a detail freak and I appreciate every little bit. The luxury is the staff, who are lovely people. It’s in the swivel chairs you sit on. It’s in the way everything is so restful, and how every window is set to capture a view: the first time I walked into the lodge’s great room, it took my breath away. It’s in the greeting on arrival, the freshly made lamingtons served and the good-quality tea. On my last visit, we walked the cliffs to Hanson Bay every morning, and every morning the staff would offer to pack us cut fruit on ice or a picnic and rug. We sat outside for every meal we could, eating the best food, using seasonal, local produce. The lodge’s signature scent is lemon myrtle, so there’s a sense of the bush. I don’t relax easily unless I’m by the sea. Here, I am so relaxed, I just give myself over to it.”
Dream to reality: Regional Express (rex.com.au) flies daily from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island; Sealink (sealink.com.au) has a daily ferry service from Cape Jervis on the mainland. Southern Ocean Lodge, Hanson Bay, two-night stays from $990 a person a night, twin share. southernoceanlodge.com.au
For more inspirational getaways, visit http://www.smh.com.au/travel/52-extraordinary-australian-journeys-20130314-2g2w8.html#ixzz2NxN5bVbj