Kangaroo Island resort owners rally behind Australian tourism

Southern Ocean Lodge hit the headlines this week when aerial footage of the devastated resort circulated in social media.

James and Hayley Baillie, the founders of Baillie Lodges, which owns Southern Ocean Lodge, have thanked the resort’s managers John Hird and Alison Heath for “an incredible job” dealing with the escalating situation.

They confirmed all staff and guests escaped unhurt.

“In reality this is a very emotional time for us all, and we’ve shed many tears over the past few days for the loss of a dream realised and a life’s work for us,” said James and Hayley in a statement.

“It’s hard not to remember the very first time we set foot on the site on Kangaroo Island’s wildly beautiful south-west coast with our baby son, Finn, and envisioned a luxury lodge that would offer an experience of the island to guests from Australia and around the world.

“We’re very conscious that at this moment of loss, it’s not all about us at Southern Ocean Lodge, but about the Kangaroo Island community as a whole, which has suffered losses as a result of the bushfires that reached around 40% of the island.”