Qualia, Longitude 131, Southern Ocean Lodge — Australia's Three Greatest Luxury Resorts
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Three Resorts. Three Australias.
Australia contains multitudes. The tropical far north, with its ancient rainforests, turquoise seas, and coral reefs. The red centre, where the oldest landscapes on earth meet the most extraordinary night skies. The southern edge, where the Southern Ocean drives against ancient limestone cliffs with a force that has been shaping them for millennia. Each of these Australias has produced a resort that is not simply the best in its region but among the finest anywhere in the world.
Qualia — Hamilton Island, Queensland
Qualia sits on the northern tip of Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays, 60 pavilions arranged along two headlands with views across the Coral Sea that change colour with the light throughout the day. It is, by any measure, Australia's finest luxury resort — and one of the finest in the world.
The pavilions are private, positioned for absolute seclusion, each with a private plunge pool and direct water views. The two restaurants serve food that reflects the extraordinary produce of the Queensland coast prepared by a kitchen brigade that would not be out of place in any major city. The spa, the two pools, the fleet of vessels available for private charter, and the helicopter pad make every element of Qualia feel as though the island belongs to you.
Longitude 131 — Uluru, Northern Territory
Longitude 131 sits in the shadow of Uluru — the ancient sandstone monolith that is simultaneously Australia's most iconic landmark and one of the world's great spiritual sites. The fifteen tented pavilions, each elevated above the red earth, face Uluru directly, so that the sunrise — which turns the rock through extraordinary progressions of colour from grey to ochre to burning red — is experienced privately, from bed, with nothing between the guest and one of the natural world's great daily performances.
The Field of Light experience, where 50,000 solar-powered lights illuminate the desert floor at night, is one of the most extraordinary art installations in the world. Experiencing it privately, after the day visitors have left, is one of the genuinely rare luxury experiences that Australia offers.
Southern Ocean Lodge — Kangaroo Island
Southern Ocean Lodge, perched on limestone cliffs above the Southern Ocean, is where wilderness and world-class hospitality meet with the specific quality that makes every other consideration secondary.
The 24 suites, each with floor-to-ceiling ocean views, the infinity pool that appears to flow directly into the sea, and the kitchen that uses Kangaroo Island's extraordinary produce — organic honey, exceptional wines, the island's famous marron and seafood — create an experience that is simultaneously wild and refined in equal measure.
