FIT FOR A KING
ON THE REMOTE WEST COAST OF THE BREATHTAKINGLY BEAUTIFUL KING ISLAND LIES A NEW LUXURY OFF-GRID RETREAT WHERE EVERY LITTLE DETAIL HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY DESIGNED
On walking into Kittawa Lodge the first thing you notice is how completely isolated you are on this breathtakingly beautiful, rugged, untouched stretch of King Island’s west coast.
The night we arrive the waves, whipped up by the Roaring Forties, are crashing on to the rocky shore, a thunderstorm is brewing and it’s about to get really wild and woolly outside.
But that is not a problem as once inside the self-contained eco pod, which is one of three lodges cocooned in between the undulating sand dunes and grassy hills of the 39ha property, you immediately feel warm and snug. This feeling of warmth once you step inside the lodge’s front door past the generous supply of neatly stacked firewood and pinecones is amplified by the freestanding French-designed fireplace which is thoughtfully set and ready to go with the strike of a match.
The windows, which extend all the way up to the raked ceiling, are so expansive it feels like there is nothing between you and the ocean and uninhabited coastline.
This combined with the fact that the entire pod looks out to sea means you are ideally positioned to watch and hear the natural world of diving kestrels and falcons, rustling bush grasses and an abundance of Bennetts wallabies grazing and playing in front of you.
Host and seachanger Aaron Suine, a construction lawyer formerly of Paddington, Sydney, greets us at the door and proudly shows us around our accommodation, pointing out the many little touches he has carefully selected to fit out the pods.
These feature everything from locally sourced art works and luxurious sea-green bamboo linens and natural coloured throws to the piece that he is perhaps most proud of, a huge custom-made concrete bath tub.
This tub, which weighs 270kg and took four men to lift - which naturally heats as the sun hits it throughout the day - sits at the end of the pod closest to the sea and is positioned so close to the glass that once you’re immersed in its waters and the lights dimmed, you could be convinced you are actually outside in the elements.
Suine says after he, and his organisational psychologist partner Nick Stead, purchased the property four years ago they spent a lot of time staying at other luxury lodges around Australia to gain inspiration both from a positive or negative perspective.
“We just really wanted to hone in on the guest experience,” Suine says.
“Our whole design philosophy was always founded in what I wanted the guests to feel. It wasn’t about what would look good in a magazine.”
And although this luxurious lodge is at the top-end of the high-end of Tasmanian tourism experiences, it still manages to fulfil the couple’s original aim of creating a property with a low-carbon footprint.
Your visit at Kittawa can be as tailored as you want it to be. If you opt for the more hands-on approach, which includes the option of a four-course dinner served in our lodge, a guided bird-watching or beef farm tour, or the most indulgent of all, a romantic bath immersion experience.
We go half way in terms of the curated offerings and choose the four-course dinner in our room and a solo art house and golf course tour. The dinner does not disappoint and the salmon carpaccio topped with locally grown fennel, rocket and crispy salmon skin, homemade gnocchi with burnt butter and herbs, thick piece of sous vide, medium-rare King Island steak and finished with a delicious chocolate and hazelnut torte are all highlights in a standout meal.
The accommodation is completely luxurious but at the same time Suine and Stead are also keen to promote as much of the community of King Island as possible, which includes using as much of the local produce as they can and showcasing hand-selected artworks by local artists such as Dianne and Andrew Blake.
“Our mission is to create memorable experiences for our guests, as we welcome them to the Kittawa Lodge family,” Suine says. So if you want to stay in a place that’s private, remote, off-grid yet offers ultimate luxury, this would be hard to go past.