Kangaroo Island | Developments & News

[Stryker]

There’s some great shots of the new terminal in this article.

https://www.theislanderonline.com.au/st ... l/?cs=5810

[Ho Really]

There’s some great shots of the new terminal in this article.

https://www.theislanderonline.com.au/st ... l/?cs=5810

Looks impressive. Multiply this to the scale of Adelaide International Airport and it would put ours to shame.

Link to the architect's webpage: https://ashleyhalliday.com/jobs/kangaro ... -terminal/

Cheers

[Ben]

From AFR.com

IHG, Rydges and Radisson vying for new Kangaroo Island hotel

by Larry Schlesinger
Some of the world's biggest hotel companies are vying to operate the first major hotel to be built on Kangaroo Island, in a sign of the growing global appeal of the South Australian leisure destination.

Intercontinental, Radisson, Rydges, Wyndham and boutique operator Lancemore have all made the shortlist of operators to manage the 115-room Dauncey Hotel in Kingscote, which has secured a permit and is due to begin construction shortly.

The hotel is being developed on land owned by Adelaide Hills winemakers the Amadio family, who have put the hotel project up for sale with a price tag of between $30 million and $35 million.

"We're in the process of selecting an operator after a strong response and now we're looking to secure an investor," Amadio Group spokesman Caj Amadio told The Australian Financial Review.

"The island is screaming out for this sort of accommodation. We've got the new airport with Qantas beginning flights but we currently don't have the capacity to take group bookings," Mr Amadio said.

The new hotel will comprise 115 rooms across five levels, all-day restaurant and lobby facilities, a rooftop function and bar area, a gymnasium, a state-of-the-art function space and meeting rooms.

Kangaroo Island is renowned for its natural beauty, local wildlife, food and wine and has become especially popular with Asian visitors. A new world-class golf course at Pennington Bay and direct flights from Melbourne are adding to its appeal.

Savills Australia's Rob Williamson and Vasso Zographou have been appointed to sell the hotel at Lot 502 Dauncey Street in Kingscote on the north eastern side of the island.

Mr Williamson said he expected the global expressions-of-interest campaign to generate interest from local, interstate and offshore investors.

"A hotel of this size provides the perfect blend of local community warmth and atmosphere and the ideal location for day tripping to the major tourism attractions on the island," he said.

Recently a number of prominent estates and farms on Kangaroo Island have hit the market including the 2398-hectare De Mole Estate and 7821-hectare Cygnet Park Farms owned by media billionaire Kerry Stokes.

[SRW]

This is what it will look like apparently:

[Ben]

Looks like it would have been great in 1992...

[Norman]

I like it... As long as they do the greenery properly.

[Will]

Another proposed hotel in KI. This time in American River.

From realcommercial.com:

American River Resort, Kangaroo Island
32 hectare site
Approved resort development
Commitment by international operator
Kangaroo Island is the third largest island in Australia and one of South Australia’s most popular tourist attractions. The island is a nature lovers’ delight and boasts a wide array of unique landscapes and wildlife. It is also home to the globally renowned Flinders Chase National Park.

The American River resort will initially comprise a 100-room upper upscale resort which is proposed to be operated under the Cordis brand, by Langham Hotels & Resorts as well as future additional luxury villa accommodation to be operated under the Langham brand.

Leveraging its natural position with panoramic views to Pelican Lagoon and the natural coastal landscape, the American River resort will be one of the largest and only internationally branded high-quality accommodation offering on the island once complete.

[claybro]

Is it just me, or does anyone else think KI is one of the most over-rated destinations in Australia. Its not like interesting rock formations, deserted beaches and cold windswept coastal environments are in short supply anywhere else in Australia. Added to that, Kingskote, not the most attractive country town in SA, coupled with indifferent local attitude to tourists, and lacklustre service. International visitors must really wonder what they have wandered in to. Hopefully these developments spruce up the visitor experience a bit.

[SBD]

Is it just me, or does anyone else think KI is one of the most over-rated destinations in Australia. Its not like interesting rock formations, deserted beaches and cold windswept coastal environments are in short supply anywhere else in Australia. Added to that, Kingskote, not the most attractive country town in SA, coupled with indifferent local attitude to tourists, and lacklustre service. International visitors must really wonder what they have wandered in to. Hopefully these developments spruce up the visitor experience a bit.

Last time I was over there (10 years ago), the place seemed to be flooded by German tourists. I gathered it had received some good write-ups in their travel guides so they cam to see it for themselves.

[Nort]

Is it just me, or does anyone else think KI is one of the most over-rated destinations in Australia. Its not like interesting rock formations, deserted beaches and cold windswept coastal environments are in short supply anywhere else in Australia. Added to that, Kingskote, not the most attractive country town in SA, coupled with indifferent local attitude to tourists, and lacklustre service. International visitors must really wonder what they have wandered in to. Hopefully these developments spruce up the visitor experience a bit.

Depends on where you go on the Island. Parts of KI are as close as you can get to untouched Australian landscapes, and Seal Bay is amazing.

[muzzamo]

Is it just me, or does anyone else think KI is one of the most over-rated destinations in Australia. Its not like interesting rock formations, deserted beaches and cold windswept coastal environments are in short supply anywhere else in Australia. Added to that, Kingskote, not the most attractive country town in SA, coupled with indifferent local attitude to tourists, and lacklustre service. International visitors must really wonder what they have wandered in to. Hopefully these developments spruce up the visitor experience a bit.

I find that the culture leans towards ripping off tourists and it something that we don't really see on the mainland, in SA at least.

It starts with one of the most expensive ferry crossings in the world, given to a monopoly operator. Then you consider things like the KI wilderness trail. It cost them $6M or something to build - not a small amount but pocket change even within DEW, and then they want to charge users a significant amount to use the trail - something that isn't done anywhere else in SA.

[rhino]

It starts with one of the most expensive ferry crossings in the world, given to a monopoly operator. Then you consider things like the KI wilderness trail. It cost them $6M or something to build - not a small amount but pocket change even within DEW, and then they want to charge users a significant amount to use the trail - something that isn't done anywhere else in SA.

But is certainly done successfully in other parts of the world (New Zealand springs to mind), and is actually working successfully on KI too.

[eKwatee]

Devastating news about the Southern Ocean Lodge, video in the linked article shows the extent of the damage to the structure. This is obviously going to take sometime to rebuild, if they choose too. A huge undertaking, not only to rebuild the structure, but to get the momentum up and going again of the business side of things.

https://7news.com.au/news/bushfires/kan ... s-c-632347

[Ho Really]

The Southern Ocean Lodge can be rebuilt, but the landscape will take a lot of time to regenerate. The lodge on its own won't bring guests and tourists. KI is too important to SA for tourism. A real pity.

Cheers

[OlympusAnt]

does anyone know if any wineries or apiaries were damaged in the fires