The latest luxury stays in Australia include an $18,000-a night super suite at South Australia’s Southern Ocean Lodge.

And yes, the famed A.H. Beard Baillie beds are back.

Where the spirits roam | Rottnest Island, Western Australia

Wine entrepreneur Peter Fogarty began his $40 million redevelopment of Rottnest Lodge in 2021, and it’s due to open in September. The Lodge Wadjemup will include 109 rooms, a pool, bar and restaurant, and is named after the traditional owners’ term for the island, Wadjemup, meaning ‘the land across the sea where the spirits are’.

With 63 beaches, an abundance of quokkas, heritage-listed buildings and natural sites, plus a confronting past, “Rotto”, as West Australians call it, has long been a local secret. Just 19 kilometres off the coast from Fremantle and 33 km from Perth’s city centre, many visitors choose to book a day trip.

Much of the accommodation is basic, including beach huts and glamping facilities. Another high-profile WA family, the Prendivilles, recently opened luxury resort Samphire, which, along with The Lodge Wadjemup, has boosted the appeal for overnight stays.

And while you are out west, do visit Yagan Square’s Market Hall – the multi-million dollar reimagining of the site on the border of Perth’s CBD and Northbridge. Apart from the soon-to-be-completed market hall, the public space features gardens, sculptures, and the illuminated Perth Digital Tower.

Buy a slice of Raes | Byron Bay, NSW

Some hotels are born with the X factor. Others pump in millions of dollars, but never quite get there. Wategos’ iconic 1960s ‘Mediterranean Gothic’ whitewashed building was initially created as a folly for its private owner. It became Raes on Wategos boutique hotel in 1994, and has been booked out pretty much eve since. Demand ramped up even more after the Catalano family took over the property in 2014 (Antony Catalano would seem to be to boutique hotels what Justin Hemmes is to the food and beverage sector), and got amother boost when Australia’s borders were closed.

If you tire of being waitlisted for a room at Raes, consider The Bonobo by Raes: 41 new-build two-, three- and four-bedroom hotel apartments. Investors are essentially buying an apartment, which Raes will manage as a five-star hotel. “Think of it as owning a slice of Raes,” says sales agent John Melville. The only catch: owners will be limited to up to 90 days use of their Byron pad each year.

Designed by Richard and Spence, the architects behind Brisbane’s The Calile Hotel, The Bonobo by Raes is on Jonson Street, a five-minute drive from Raes. It will include a restaurant, lobby bar, rooftop pool and wellness retreat, and there will be new stores in the precinct.

Billed as a “social hub” in the heart of Byron, the hotel will be up and running by early next year. The lead-in price for two-bedroom apartments is $2.2 million.

Martinis by the pool | Sorrento, Victoria

Jackalope, Lancemore Lindenderry, Cape Schank Resort, the InterContinental Sorrento: the list goes on. When it comes to the Mornington Peninsula, travellers are spoilt for choice. Now another much-loved property in the area, the historic Hotel Sorrento, has just unveiled a 30-metre pool, surrounded by a travertine terrace and olive trees, plus 13 luxury Sunset Suites (taking the total room count to 50) and a new Marlo Spa.

Located at the western end of the heritage part of the hotel (which first opened in 1872, and is now run by the third-generation of the Pitt family), the new suites go from $550 a night. Ground-level rooms open to their own private garden and marble mineral bath while upper-level rooms have balconies with parkland views.

Relax on the hotel’s custom-made Sorrento sun lounges by Grazia – wrapped in a bespoke robe by Melbourne-based Hommey – while you order a poached prawn club sandwich and espresso martini, delivered poolside.

Gold plus | Journey Beyond, Australia

Journey Beyond’s new Gold Premium category of cabin and service includes more benefits for passengers, such as extra courses at dinner, silk eye masks and exclusive tours.

The refurbished cabins are finished in walnut timber with polished brass details, along with prints by Indigenous artists on the upholstery. Cabin bookings include access to the Gold Premium Lounge and Gold Dining carriages.

Gold Premium sits between Platinum and Gold classes, and will launch on The Ghan from April, followed by the Great Southern in December, and on the Indian Pacific next year. It costs $3700 per person for a two-night, three-day itinerary on The Ghan (all-inclusive of food, beverages and more).

Also new for Journey Beyond is a ‘Gems of the Southwest’ small-group tour (by bus and four-wheel-drive) operated by its Outback Spirit brand, with departures in November and December.

The eight-day itinerary starts and ends in Perth and includes the Karri Valley, Cape Leeuwin, the Margaret River region, and Rottnest Island. Book before March 31 and receive $400 off at $5595 per person. The trip can be paired with a few days on the Indian Pacific to create an 11-day itinerary.

Small and bespoke hotels

Go off-grid in style | Eyre Peninsula, South Australia

Hailed as the nation’s ‘seafood frontier’, Eyre Peninsula is where you go to feast on oysters and blue swimmer crab one day, and bluefin tuna and prawns the next.

Spend some time in bustling Port Lincoln (one of the region’s main towns), then treat yourself to Rumi on Louth – a luxury eco resort on Louth Island, 135 hectares of tranquility, white sand beaches and turquoise waters.

In 2018, the SA government put Louth Island’s leasehold up for tender. Rumi on Louth is the result, after Che Metcalfe, the chief executive of telecommunications infrastructure company Uniti Group, won the tender with his environmentally sensitive resort proposal.

The first stage of Rumi – five spacious options in the solar-powered lodge – will open for stays from the end of this month. Four suites are each priced from $3600 for a minimum two-night stay based on dual occupancy; while an apartment is priced from $4320. The cost includes food and experiences, plus a selection of beverages.

It’s the sort of place where activities include a ‘catamaran odyssey sunset cruise’ and a beach tour by buggy, followed by a six-course degustation at the on-site restaurant. By 2025, Rumi will have 27 villas in addition to its four suites and apartment; plus a second restaurant, walking trails, yoga meditation platforms, observatories, and more.

Bed down at the Jreissatis’ | Yarra Valley, Victoria

Levantine Hill Estate comprises two vineyards in the Yarra Valley. The winery was established in 2009 when Melbourne’s Jreissati family bought an established vineyard at Coldstream and began planting a new one alongside it. Since that time, the family – whose businesses include Bensons Property Group – have been steadily adding to the site’s features.

The first stage of the estate’s new-build $20 million 33-room boutique hotel is due to open soon. The hotel is designed by Karl Fender of Fender Katsalidis, the firm that designed the estate’s restaurant and cellar door buildings, plus the winery and events complex.

So hot right now | Surry Hills, NSW

What is it about Surry Hills? The Paramount, 202 Elizabeth, Adge, Crystalbrook Albion and the Ace Hotel have all opened in the past eight years, while the Porter House Hotel by MGallery, which opened in 2022, is so close to the neighbourhood, it’s as good as there.

On September 1, the once working-class industrial suburb will welcome yet another cute boutique hotel, The Eve. It will offer 102 rooms at 10-40 Baptist Street on the site of the former Wunderlich factory, which used to make pressed metal ceilings.

Developed and owned by Toga Group and operated by TFE Hotels, the hotel is within the group’s Surry Hills village, Wunderlich Lane – a new lifestyle area on the corner of Baptist and Cleveland Streets. Designed by Adam Haddow of SJB, and landscaped by Daniel Baffsky from 360 Degrees, the precinct features edgy laneways and lush greenery. The Eve will include a rooftop deck and swimming pool plus bar and restaurant; rooms will be priced from $390 a night.

House Made Hospitality (behind such winners as Hinchcliff House and Grana) will also have three venues in Wunderlich Lane: a restaurant, an all-day cafe/wine bar, and a cocktail bar, all inside a heritage building that once housed the Bank of NSW.

Melbourne just got sexier | Fitzroy, Victoria

From the Motley Hotel in Richmond to the Coppersmith Hotel in South Melbourne, and not forgetting the Lyall in South Yarra, Melbourne has long nailed the cool neighbourhood hotel. It’s fitting then that the raunchy American-based Standard Hotels brand will launch its first play in Australia – and its first-ever StandardX junior brand hotel – in Fitzroy.

Due to open at 62 Rose Street in March (a short tram ride from the CBD), the $60 million hotel has 125 rooms and offers seven room types, from the 21-square-metre Cosy King to the 48 sq m Suite Spot with city views. The ground-floor restaurant Bang will be helmed by chef Justin Dingle-Garciyya, while the rooftop bar will be just the spot for an afternoon margarita.

Since the Standard brand debuted in Los Angeles in 1999, it has featured in a number of movies and television shows, including Sex in the City – hence its cult-like following. The brand’s flagship hotel is the New York Standard High Line, where pretty much anything goes, and the queue to the rooftop bar stretches to Long Island.

Standard International – The Standard’s parent company also operates brands like Bunkhouse and Peri – describes StandardX as a “rebellious younger sibling” with a lower nightly rate (yet to be confirmed). While in Fitzroy, look out for that charming old pub, The Gertrude (on the corner of Gertrude and Napier streets). Now co-owned by Iza Dawkins and former Rockpool chef Andy Lockyear, it’s had an impressive makeover and dishes up delicious Italian cuisine.

Big and bold hotels

1 Hotel for Australia | Melbourne, Victoria

Also in Melbourne, watch out for the Australian debut of sustainable luxury brand 1 Hotel on the banks of Melbourne’s Yarra River. The 277-room 1 Hotel Melbourne is part of Riverlee’s $550 million redevelopment of Northbank Wharf and is tipped to open later this year. The long-anticipated 500-room ShangriLa Melbourne, situated in the north-east of the city overlooking Carlton Gardens, is expected to open in the next 12 months.

Five-star garden city | Adelaide, South Australia

For decades – possibly centuries – Adelaide’s hotel scene was pretty stagnant. Then came The Mayfair in 2015, followed by Eos by SkyCity in 2020, plus a series of makeovers for the city’s established five-star players, including the Sofitel, Playford MGallery, and InterContinental hotels.

Hot on their stylish heels comes South Australia’s first flagship Marriott Hotel, which will open in May as part of the $1.2 billion redevelopment of Adelaide’s 152-year-old General Post Office building on the corner of King William and Flinders streets.

The 285-room, 15-storey Marriott Hotel Adelaide is a $200 million new-build featuring a Presidential Suite, Club Lounge, restaurants and bars, swimming pool and fitness centre, plus function and conference rooms.

Marriott International was busy Down Under last year, too, opening its W Sydney and Ritz-Carlton Melbourne.

Adelaide-bound travellers with bleisure time to spare might want to head out of town to Harrogate Lane – an off-grid luxury accommodation property that’s just opened in the Adelaide Hills, a 45-minute drive from the CBD. Harrogate Lane’s first offering is ‘Joy’, a two-bedroom cottage in a valley next to a creek, and close to the stone ruins of the farm’s original homestead; priced from $1200 a night, including breakfast.

Festival season

Go grab a bite | Limestone Coast, South Australia

Since Adelaide’s annual Tasting Australia event began in 1997, it has grown steadily in stature. More than 68,000 people visited the event last year, held at venues in and around the city centre.

This year, visitors from interstate will be able to fly directly to regional South Australia, with charter flights from Melbourne to the Limestone Coast as part of a new two-day Tasting Australia Airlines experience.

It’s one of more than 150 events scheduled to take place across the state from May 3-12.

International chefs Asma Khan, from the United Kingdom, America’s Claudette Zepeda, and James Henry from France will feature alongside a strong Australian lineup that includes Matt Moran, Julia Busuttil Nishimura, Justin James and Jake Kellie.

Tasting Australia Airlines Melbourne-Limestone Coast event is priced from $1850 a person and includes flights, transfers, one night’s accommodation in Naracoorte, a four-course dinner, and a busy two-day itinerary.

Celebrate humanity | Brisbane, Queensland

The annual Melt Open festival of Queer art and culture in Brisbane is ramping it up this year. The “open access” fringe-style festival takes place in October and November at venues throughout central Brisbane, including Fortitude Valley, Newstead, New Farm, Brisbane City, West End and Wooloongabba.

On Sunday, October 27, Brisbane’s Story Bridge will be closed to host Tide, a performance event by American photographer Spencer Tunick. The work is expected to feature thousands of nude people in a celebration of diversity and inclusion.

Dial up wellness | Gold Coast, Queensland

If a detox topped your New Year resolutions, reserve a spot at Sol Elements, a Japanese-style bathhouse and spa on Tamborine Mountain in the lush Gold Coast hinterland. This temple to wellness – complete with ancient bodhi tree –will draw on earth, fire, wind and water to help guests unlock all the good feels. If a day spent drifting between the onsen, float room, clay room, Himalayan salt cave, sauna and massage table doesn’t deliver, you really are in trouble.

Sol Elements launch was delayed due to wild weather this summer, and is now tipped to open in mid-July. Book a private suite for one or two people (priced at $180 a person per hour), or use the communal space from $95.

Precincts worth the wait

$3.6 billion urban oasis | Brisbane, Queensland

Overseen by the Destination Brisbane Consortium, the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane development will open in stages throughout this year. The $3.6 billion project covers 12 hectares in the CBD, and includes cultural buildings, a bicentennial bike track, and a 250-metre-long Sky Deck (100 metres above street level) with bars and restaurants overlooking Brisbane River.

The Queensland Performing Arts Centre will also welcome a $175 million new-build 1500-seat theatre with a distinctive rippled glass facade, making QPAC the largest performing arts centre in Australia. Queens Wharf will be linked to QPAC and the wider Cultural Precinct via a pedestrian bridge across the river, due to open sometime this year. And in August, the 340-room, five-star Brisbane Star Grand hotel and casino will open its doors. It will also include a leisure deck, 35 metres above street level.

The Queen’s Wharf Precinct made The New York Times′ 52 Places to go in 2024 hot list (as did the state of Tasmania – Australia’s only two entries on the list).

Fishy business | Sydney, NSW

The Emerald City takes seafood almost as seriously as harbour views. Hence, a roar of approval went up when the NSW government committed $750 million to creating a purpose-built market, beneath a wave-shaped, scale-patterned roof, to honour the fishing industry. The building will have natural ventilation, a rooftop solar system, and plans to draw on recycled water for around half its water needs.

Architects 3XN have worked with Sydney firms BVN and Aspect Studios on the food and dining attraction, which will be unveiled later this year. The new Sydney Fish Market will be at the head of Blackwattle Bay on Glebe’s Bridge Road, adjacent to the existing fish market, which dates to the 1960s.

Retail space will comprise around half of the 30,000 sq m market, and the vastly increased scale is expected to boost foot traffic to around six million people a year.

The Darling and Sofitel Darling Harbour are among a number of highly rated luxury hotels in the vicinity if you want to make a mini-break of it.

Take flight

A220s to replace Boeing 717s | Qantas

Qantas has been copping brickbats for years over its ageing fleet. When the first of 29 new A220s on order arrived in Sydney in December, Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson hailed “the start of the biggest domestic fleet renewal program in Qantas’ history as the group takes delivery of one new aircraft every three weeks on average over the next few years”.

The QantasLink A220 seats 137 passengers in a two-cabin configuration with 10 business class seats, and 127 in economy. It replaces the Boeing 717, and will mostly connect smaller capitals such as Canberra and Hobart with the likes of Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.

The A220 has almost double the range of the 717 at more than 6000 kilometres, meaning it can fly between any two cities in Australia, opening up new domestic and short-haul international routes. The aircraft burns 25 per cent less fuel per seat compared to previous generation aircraft, and can take blends of up to 50 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).

Other big news is the inaugural 17-hour direct flight from Perth to Paris on July 17. Qantas will operate the flight four days a week during the peak European summer, using the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

More new aircraft | Virgin Australia

Also flagging its focus on spanking new aircraft, Virgin Australia will take delivery of one new plane nearly every month this year, at it increases its number of Boeing 737 MAX-8s.

This new-generation 737 includes in-seat power for all passengers, plus device holders (even in cattle class), larger overhead lockers, and wider business class seats. The aircraft are around 15 per cent more fuel efficient and 40 per cent quieter, helping the airline reach its commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050 – a goal shared by Qantas.

In good news for those hoping to visit the red centre, Virgin Australia will return to Uluru this year, with two new direct services connecting Uluru to Melbourne and Brisbane, starting June 6 and 7 respectively. This marks the first time the airline has operated services to Uluru from the two cities.

In other news, Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand have applied for a unilateral trans-Tasman code-share agreement, which would give passengers direct access to Air New Zealand flights into Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, complementing VA’s direct Queenstown services.

The $55 million tropical gateway | Cairns

Now for some trivia. Cairns is the nation’s seventh-busiest airport for international passengers, with direct flights from Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore, Bali, Auckland and Port Moresby. And yet, until last year, the international terminal had not been upgraded for 30 years. More than $55 million has been committed to the overhaul, which began last year and will run until mid-2025. This year, expect to see refurbished check-in and arrival areas, including new escalators, elevators, bathrooms, furnishings and artworks. Four glass air bridges will give passengers a panoramic view of the mountains and waterways as they land. The first air bridge is already operational, with the rest to be in use by mid-2024.

Cruise on

New ships ahoy | Australia

A number of new ships and brands debuted in Australia during the 2023-2024 southern hemisphere season, including Virgin Voyages (Resilient Lady); Disney Cruises (Disney Wonder), and innovative Celebrity Edge. Scenic Cruises will be sending a ship to Australia for the first time this year: the luxury discovery yacht Scenic Eclipse II, which accommodates just 228 passengers and 176 crew.

Total cruise passenger capacity in Australia this year is expected to be up by 42 per cent on 2023 figures, according to Cruise Lines International Association.

Eighty-one cruise ships will operate in Australian waters over the course of 2024, or 14 per cent more than last year. “Many of these ships will be staying longer and offering more local sailings, which means Australia will welcome more than 3700 port calls around the country – an 18 per cent increase over 2023,” says CLIA’s managing director for Australasia, Joel Katz.

Along with Eclipse II, Silversea’s Silver Nova makes the line’s Australian debut in November, and will depart from Melbourne for the 2024-2025 season. Nova is Silversea’s 12th and most innovative ship design, launched mid last year.

Ultimate itineraries

25 of the best | Australia-wide

What do you give the traveller who has everything? This is a question Adelaide-based luxury travel group The Tailor is happy to answer. For its 25th anniversary (it was founded in 1998 by Drew Kluska), the company has created an itinerary that’s totally off the charts. Why choose one luxury experience – like renting your own island on the Great Barrier Reef, or chartering a private yacht to sail the Kimberley, or doing an Arnhem Land safari – when you can do them all in one trip?

To mark the anniversary, The Tailor has crafted a bespoke month-long journey with 25 national highlights that honour Australian culture, both ancient and contemporary. The itinerary – a melange of private luxury travel by land, air and sea with stays at properties like Capella Sydney, Longitude 131, Southern Ocean Lodge and Finniss River Lodge – is available year-round, but The Tailor recommends April or November for optimum weather conditions. Price on application (read, six figures per person.)

Stretch your wings | Queensland & Northern Territory

Captain’s Choice, which specialises in private jet tours, has been focused on international trips over the past few years as Australians fled abroad post lockdown. But the Melbourne-based, high-end tour operator doesn’t neglect its backyard. A new three-day “taster” tour departs on October 18, called ‘A Long Weekend in the Outback by Private Plane’.

Discover the culture of the Anangu people, dine amid Bruce Munro’s Field of Light installation with Uluru in the background, take a morning walk through Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, and lunch at Birdsville Hotel. Other highlights include a Maruku Arts dot-painting workshop, and a visit to the Qantas Longreach Museum. Prices start from $6400 per person, twin share.

Glamp it up | Northern Territory

World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park never disappoints. A&K continues to go big on trips to the Top End: take its classic three-day Remote Kakadu Glamping trip, which includes visits to the ancient rock-art galleries of Arnhem Land. There’s also that favourite outback pastime of croc spotting on Mary River, before bedding down at A&K’s permanent bush camp each night. Priced at $12,933 for two guests.

Smell the beech | Tasmanian Walking Company

Co-founded by tourism entrepreneur Brett Godfrey, the Tasmanian Walking Company has plenty of new offerings this year, including its just-launched portfolio of ‘Limited Edition Walks’. One of these is the five-night Cradle Mountain Autumn Botany Walk, departing on April 22 for $4795 per person.

Tasmanian botanist Danah Leary will lead the trek, which takes place during the height of autumn – the best season for fungi. If the intimate details of flora and fauna are your thing, sign up now. Highlights will include the turning of the fagus – Tasmania’s Nothofagus gunnii or deciduous beech tree – and learning how plants evolved to survive in the alpine environment. There’s a glass of chilled wine waiting at the end of each day, and you can also join Leary for botanical sketching sessions in the evenings. Tasmanian Walking Company has access to the only private accommodation along the trail, meaning there’s no need to BYO pillow here.

While in Tassie, soak up the reimagined 1840s Georgian homestead Leighton House, a 20-minute drive from Launceston. Priced from $800 a night, this glorious fully renovated heritage beauty can sleep up to 12 people.