Longitude 131°
People & Purpose
The focus of the guest experience at Longitude 131° is on deepening understanding and connecting with the rugged yet fragile natural environment and the rich cultural heritage of the Indigenous Anangu people, whose history in the region extends back 60,000 years. View case study
“The footprint is light on the earth, the lodge is hunkered low, there is nothing between you and the 600-million-year-old Uluru except red, raw landscape.”
Susan Kurosawa, The Australian
A broad-ranging Environmental Management Plan governs all strategies relating to the conservation of the desert ecosystem, including protection for both native flora and fauna.
The lodge’s construction – approved under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act – involved extensive consultations with the traditional Anangu owners, the Central Land Council and Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority. Cultural maps were consulted to confirm no sacred sites were com-promised, and 12 square kilometres of land were designated a conservation reserve for the local population of mulgara, a small carnivorous marsupial, as well as other native animals.
The Longitude 131° guides undertake a formal accreditation program offered by Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in conjunction with Charles Darwin University, with content that has been developed by the local First Nations Anangu community. Signature guided experiences and excursions delve into the Anangu culture, sharing ancient creation stories of the Traditional Custodians alongside the raw beauty of World Heritage-listed icons Uluru and nearby Kata Tjuta and interpreting the verdant yet delicate ecosystem of native vegetation and wildlife.
“We place a strong emphasis on the First Australians’ significance to our national culture. We strive to showcase Central Australia’s /ndigenous heritage – particularly from an artistic perspective.”
Longitude 131° Co-General Manager, Louise Lanyon
Throughout the lodge, commissioned artworks from local Indigenous artists (including a communal work of 500 hand-painted ceramic tiles which line the bar) stand alongside a collection of artefacts of the first western pioneers.
A legacy of Baillie Lodges founder and creative director Hayley Baillie’s leadership and personal passion, the lodge has established a multi-faceted partnership with a number of Indigenous arts centres, in particular, Ernabella Arts, the oldest continuously running Indigenous arts centre in Australia. The culturally strong, multi-generational contemporary art studio produces works in a variety of mediums that draw worldwide acclaim.
In the spirit of ‘Tjungu warkarintja’ – which translates to ‘working together’ in the local Pitjantjatjara language – the lodge hosts ‘artist in residence’ programs. Lodge guests are able to visit the closed community by special and exclusive arrangement. A full-day private tour allows the artists to share their heritage and artworks, while guests gain an understanding of the techniques and symbols used by the artists to tell their Tjukurpa (sacred stories) through their art.
LONGITUDE 131º CONSERVATION EXPERIENCES
OUR LITTLE WHITE BOOK
The Luxury Lodges of Australia brochure has become a treasured and widely recognisable ‘go to’ for Australian experiential luxury, enjoyed both online and in printed form at our lodges. The brochure is available to view or download in eight languages below.