Australia’s Luxury Lodges offer extraordinary access to some of the country’s wildest places – and with that access comes an opportunity to play a meaningful role in their protection. From safeguarding Australian sea lion pups on Kangaroo Island and tracking an endangered hawksbill turtle on Lord Howe Island, to recording threatened species in Tasmania’s remote southwest, three Luxury Lodges of Australia members are supporting conservation initiatives grounded in the environments they call home.
Southern Ocean Lodge: A safer start for Australian sea lions
On South Australia’s Kangaroo Island, Southern Ocean Lodge is partnering with the Australian Sea Lion Recovery Foundation to support its Pup Shelters Project at Seal Bay, home to Australia’s third-largest Australian sea lion colony.
Specialist environmental scientists install purpose-built shelters throughout the colony, providing vulnerable pups with refuge during their critical first months of life. The partnership also supports the foundation’s broader research and conservation work at Seal Bay, helping to build knowledge and improve outcomes for this endangered species.
The initiative forms part of Beckons’ Tomorrow Beckons regenerative travel program, which connects its lodges with community and environmental organisations in their regions.
Capella Lodge: Following Hayley the hawksbill turtle
On World Heritage-listed Lord Howe Island, Capella Lodge is supporting marine conservation through a partnership with the Taronga Institute of Science & Learning.
The lodge is supporting Hayley, an endangered hawksbill turtle fitted with a satellite tracker as she swims through the waters surrounding the world’s southernmost coral reef. Each data point provides researchers with valuable information about her movements and behaviour, helping to build a clearer picture of how hawksbill turtles use the marine environment and inform efforts to support the species’ future resilience.
For guests, it creates a tangible connection between the wildlife encountered around Lord Howe Island and the scientific work helping to protect it.
On Board Expeditions: Guests become citizen scientists
In Tasmania’s remote southwest, On Board Expeditions has partnered with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE) on a citizen science project supporting wildlife conservation across the region’s National Parks, Marine Reserves and Wilderness World Heritage Area.
Throughout its six-month Port Davey season, guests and crew help survey and record rare, threatened and migrating species, including orange-bellied parrots, wading birds, water rats and the azure kingfisher, as well as introduced species such as Pacific oysters and long-spined sea urchins.
Monitoring is woven into the expedition experience, from recording sightings and GPS locations on tender excursions to reviewing footage from motion-detection cameras. Findings are reported to the Tasmanian Government’s Natural Values Atlas, contributing valuable information to help guide future conservation action.
Together, these initiatives show how a deeper connection with Australia’s wild places can extend beyond the experience itself – supporting research, conservation and practical action to help protect the species that make them so remarkable.
Image credit: Dirk Holeman
