Refurbished lodge hunts for new staff

SILKY Oaks Lodge at Mossman is recruiting staff ahead of reopening on October 1 following a refurbishment costing more than $15 million.

Silky Oaks Lodge manager Sonya Boaden said roles to be filled included duty managers, chefs and kitchen staff, guest services positions, food and beverage service roles, housekeeping staff and spa therapists.

There are some 40 positions to be filled.

The luxury lodge closed last April for a makeover and planned to reopen in September but the pandemic delayed work.

Cairns-based construction company Prime Australia is leading the project.

Port Douglas architect Gary Hunt has worked on design and leading design firm Pike Withers is doing interiors.

Ms Boaden said potential recruits would have the opportunity to work at a world-renowned luxury lodge as part of a broader team at Baillie Lodges, with the potential to build a career in hospitality and to gain experience in sister properties in spectacular destinations.

“We’ve had delays with the project due to the pandemic but works are starting to take shape in earnest now, and so the really fun and essential stage begins - creating our opening team,” Ms Boaden said.

“Baillie Lodges has a very rewarding family feel so there are lots of opportunities to join a terrific team of hospitality professionals, learn a lot and have lots of fun along the way,” she said.

The highly regarded eco-retreat alongside the Mossman River was sold to Baillie Lodges in January 2019 with the company planning upgrades from the outset.

Baillie Lodges owns Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island and Longitude 131° at Uluru.

The revamp of the resort at a secluded spot alongside the Mossman River shifts the luxury focus from the bustling hub of Port Douglas.

In 2018, Silky Oaks made the top 100 nature-based holidays in Australia’s Best Nature Escapes, which described the treetop riverside resort and spa as having “more than meets the eye”.