Kittawa Lodge

Each one-bedroom Lodge sits in its own valley within the dunes, placed for privacy. Charred timber, custom joinery and local artwork run beneath a soaring roof-form, and a French-designed fireplace anchors the living room. The bathroom is the signature: an oversized handmade concrete bath behind a wall of glass facing the Southern Ocean, which Tourism Australia included in its list of 12 baths with a view. A king bed with Cultiver linens, a fully equipped kitchen and a private yoga platform complete each Lodge, and there is internet but no television.

The Kittawa Retreat, which opened in April 2025, suits two couples, friends or a small family. It has two king bedrooms (the second converts to twin singles), a concrete bath in each of its two bathrooms, an outdoor lounge with a cedar hot tub, and a private cellar room stocked with wines, spirits, books and games. It is also the only accommodation at Kittawa where children are welcome.

There is no restaurant, and that shapes the stay. The base Nightly Experience includes breakfast provisions and snacks, a freshly prepared lunch each day, and dinner provisions with a recipe card for cooking in the lodge kitchen. Gourmet Traveller lists southern rock lobster, King Island beef and lamb, and local cheeses among the produce on the table.

Guests who would rather not cook can book a private cook. The Signature and Wildlife packages each include one four-course dinner served in the lodge, while the All-Inclusive Experience covers a three-course dinner every night plus Tasmanian wines, beers, cocktails and spirits.

Wellness here is informal and private: coastal walks, the concrete bath with Kittawa's own bath salts, and yoga on the deck above the ocean. Staff can add massage, reflexology, guided yoga, meditation and guided walks.

A coastal track leads from the property around Fitzmaurice Bay, where the Cataraqui sank in 1845 with the loss of about 400 lives. Snorkellers can find southern rock lobster and abalone in the coves metres from the lodges, and the Wildlife Experience adds a private five-hour tour to see platypus and little penguins. The Calcified Forest lies a short drive south. Golfers have Cape Wickham Links, 13th in Golf Digest's World's 100 Greatest Courses for 2026-27, and Ocean Dunes on the same island.

Kittawa suits travellers who want King Island's coast, produce and golf with almost nobody else around: three dwellings across 96 acres, and staff on site to arrange the cook, the massage or the tour. The trade-off is self-sufficiency. At the base rate, dinner means cooking from a box of King Island and Tasmanian produce, and getting here takes a small-plane flight from Melbourne, Launceston or Burnie.

For couples, a Lodge with the Signature or All-Inclusive package is the sweet spot. For a group of four, the Retreat and its hot tub are the obvious choice.