Works on the much-anticipated refurbishment of Tropical North Queensland (TNQ) luxury bolthole Silky Oaks Lodge have commenced today, with parent company Baillie Lodges confirming the reopening date for the new-look lodge as October 1, 2021.
Expected to run to more than $15 million, the refurbishment will align both the features at Silky Oaks Lodge and the guest experience of the Daintree Rainforest with the existing Baillie Lodges properties in Australia and overseas. The company has most recently added New Zealand’s iconic Huka Lodge to its esteemed portfolio of luxury lodges.
The core team at Silky Oaks Lodge including Lodge Manager Sonya Boaden and Executive Chef Mark Godbeer has remained onsite since the property closed in 2020 and has worked towards readiness for the larger scale works to commence smoothly and efficiently this week.
Baillie Lodges Project Manager Joel Walker has appointed Cairns-based construction company Prime Australia to lead the project given the company’s wealth of experience in TNQ, with a view to engaging many locally based tradespeople.
Inclusive rates, premium suites, contemporary finishes and a more stylish experience of the World Heritage-listed Daintree are all slated, with Port Douglas-based architect Gary Hunt engaged for the design and Amanda Pike of Pike Withers for the interiors. The magnificent Daintree Rainforest and tranquil Mossman River will remain the star attractions, with the landscape’s cool influence reflected indoors. Custom furnishings by local designers will evoke a real sense of the tropical north.
Baillie Lodges Founder Hayley Baillie has commissioned Indigenous artworks from the region’s Kuku Yalanji people, and has purchased artworks from the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair and ceramics for the main lodge areas from the Yalanji Arts Centre. Hayley has also worked with fine art photographer Catherine Nelson to commission a series of five large scale images of the Daintree and its people which will feature in guest lounging areas and suites. Please see following image for download.
Silky Oaks Lodge will continue to work with valued local tour operators to offer guests a swag of adventures of the surrounding Daintree Rainforest, Great Barrier Reef and Cape Tribulation.
Baillie Lodges founder James Baillie said that everyone was excited to be working full steam on the Silky Oaks Lodge project once again.
“We’re thrilled the works on Silky Oaks Lodge have begun this week. At Baillie Lodges we feel strongly about supporting local and regional economies by working with local designers, tradespeople and food and beverage producers to give back to the local communities in which we operate,” Mr Baillie said.
“We’re looking forward to injecting new life and love into the incredible Silky Oaks Lodge property that has been loved by many guests over the past decades and will, we intend, continue to delight guests into the future.”
Set adjacent to the World Heritage-listed wilderness of the Daintree National Park and along the banks of the gently flowing Mossman River, Silky Oaks Lodge offers guests a stylish rainforest escape, with experiences spanning river-snorkelling, driving safaris, Indigenous guided walks, the lodge’s own Healing Waters Spa and access to Port Douglas and the Great Barrier Reef.
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