Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1516204
SILKY OAKS LODGE, QUEENSLAND BEST FOR: NATURE-SEEKERS AND CULTURE– CURIOUS This 40-room lodge sits overlooking the Daintree rainforest, the World Heritage–listed jungle that predates the Amazon by 10 million years. It's the perfect perch from which to explore the stories of ancient Australia via a Dreamtime Walk—a journey led by an indigenous guide who shares some of the traditions and stories of this sacred land. Plus, it's just a 30-minute helicopter ride from here out to the reef, too, so you can snorkel amid the day-glo–colored coral during the day, and have a picnic on an isolated island, before heading back for sundowners in the forest here, as caw-cawing bird calls ricochet round the semi-darkness. Make sure to ask your driver to fire up the resort's own podcast on the drive from Cairns—perfectly timed as a primer for the local region. MAP ILLUSTR ATION BY ANNE BENTLEY At Silky Oaks Lodge, enjoy a hammock hang-out, or hop in the helicopter for a quick ride to the coral reefs nearby. SAL SALIS, WESTERN AUSTRALIA BEST FOR: SCUBA DIVERS AND SNORKELERS Most reefs around the world, including the Great Barrier, sit off eastern coasts, but Australia is lucky to have a rare exception: the 162-mile-long Ningaloo, which ranges around the northwesternmost tip of Western Australia, one of the most isolated spots in the country. Even better, it's a fringing reef, which means that coral gardens and teeming fish are mere feet from shore; when you wade into the water, snorkel in hand, pay attention, as the reef is so close you can easily walk into it. Sal Salis is the only accommodation in the Cape Range National Park here:A 16-tent glamping property designed with minimal eco-impact (it could be packed up within days and leave no footprint behind). Power is solar, and there's no Wi-Fi or AC, but a fully stocked bar and gourmet chef are always on hand, and the tents are artfully angled to make the most of the prevailing cool breezes. BAMURRU PLAINS, NORTHERN TERRITORY BEST FOR: SAFARI-LOVERS Australia's answer to safari is best explored at this remote station in the aptly named Top End: Head out across the floodplains here in an airboat to see flocks of magpie geese, crocodiles, and carpets of lilies, or hole up in a hide to spy on the buffalo and thousands of wild horses roaming the 76,000-acre reserve.š The spacious rooms at Bamurru are standalone bungalows, each perched on stilts with nods to the ruggedness of this isolated spot in their décor—think corrugated iron and rusty patinas; floor-to-ceiling windows overlook the plains, where the waters dazzle as if on fire when the sun strikes the glassy surface. The brand-new Jabiru retreat, ideal for two couples, sits a little apart from the main lodge, effectively a private micro-camp with its own pool. Sunset at Bamurru Plains offers a feast for the eyes as Buffalo and wild horses roam the expansive reserve. POSITI V E I MPACT FOR LU X U RY TRAV EL IS A GOA L , RATHER TH A N A N A FTERTHOUGHT. BAL HARBOUR 211