Category: Featured Story

Following an architectural redesign and 20-month build, Silky Oaks Lodge has emerged from its chrysalis with a fresh, contemporary style featuring soaring ceilings, slowly turning fans and generous open-air spaces designed to welcome in the sights and sounds of the rainforest.
The new experience starts even before check-in, as guests making the 50-minute journey to Silky Oaks Lodge along the Great Barrier Reef Drive can tune in to Baillie Lodges’ new Luxury Redefined podcast for a virtually escorted arrival. Timed to align with the drive from Cairns Airport to the lodge, the podcast offers a personalised introduction to the destination and its people, from Baillie Lodges Founders James and Hayley and Silky Oaks Lodge Manager Sonya Boaden to Walkabout Cultural Adventures’ First Nations guide Juan Walker and commissioned artist Catherine Nelson.
The main lodge and 40 guest suites have been recreated to reflect the Baillie Lodges style in cool, contemporary luxury with king beds, premium finishes and now-famous attention to detail. Generous in- and outdoor lounging spaces feature specially designed furniture and commissioned artworks offer a real sense of the destination. An in-suite bar is stocked with local gourmet treats. Private decks feature hammocks ready to sway in the afternoon breeze and outdoor baths invite gazing to the treetops.
Executive Chef Mark Godbeer heads up the Silky Oaks Lodge kitchen and has worked with the region’s producers to create a refreshing, daily changing menu ideally suited to the tropical climate. Breakfast, sunset drinks and canapés and dinner are included in the tariff, while a la carte lunch is available. A walk through the new Kitchen Garden reveals a very short ‘plant to plate’ journey.
An itinerary of included signature experiences includes morning yoga, rainforest walks and drifting in the Mossman River. Silky Oaks Lodge is centrally located to many of the broader region’s natural attractions, making it a hub for adventures in the Daintree Rainforest and Mossman Gorge, Port Douglas, the Great Barrier Reef, the Atherton Tablelands and the wilderness of Cape Tribulation. The lodge has established partnerships with the region’s premium local operators to offer guests a swag of experiences from Indigenous guided hikes and snorkelling the reef to scenic helicopter flights.
Baillie Lodges Founder James Baillie said it was personally very special to bring a new generation of guests to Silky Oaks Lodge under the Baillie Lodges banner.
“The property has always held a place in my heart as I was the general manager there in the mid-1990s, so having it under our own brand is a circle completed” Mr Baillie said.
“It’s now a very different time for Queensland tourism, and we’re thrilled to invest in the destination and its operators and bring a stylish and contemporary vibe to the luxury lodge and to offer so many ways for our guests to experience the tropical north,” he said.
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.

A baby pufferfish travels through a wondrous microworld full of fantastical creatures as he searches for a home on the Great Barrier Reef.

LIZARD Island has received its first delivery of Coral IVF babies with nearly 10 million coral larvae released across four of the local reef locations under the Federal government funded Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program.

I personally find now that John’s present actions regarding the retirement of Bally Hooley to be very short-sighted and a quote from him to “be able to view this fascinating piece of history forever” is perhaps overstated since who will take over responsibility from here on?

IN BRIEF / News, views, insights and inspiration from around the Shire and beyond our borders.

Douglas News Network’s editor, Andre Leu, will be speaking shortly at the High-Level Segment of the “4 per 1000” Initiative at the COP26 Science Day being held in Glasgow. Andre was an original signatory (signature No.7) of the International Agreement at the Paris Climate Change meeting in December 2015.

Local journalist Crispin Hull shares his review on this weekend’s HAMLET performance at Clink Theatre.

The 2021 Port Shorts Virtual Film Festival celebrated a spectacular online showcase of short films from our own backyard and around the world on Saturday night with legendary Aussie actor and Festival Ambassador Stephen Curry announcing the worthy winners.

The claims that all coconuts (Coco Nucifera L.) were introduced into Australia by Europeans were researched by studying the journals of maritime expeditions, records of the Queensland Acclimatisation Society, historical data and published papers.

This year’s “Race that starts the Nation ” is shaping up to be a beauty with events across the Shire featuring race calcuttas, luncheons, live broadcasting, race sweeps, raffles, prizes for best dressed and best hats, photo booths and people-watching galore.
Here’s a snapshot of what’s on offer…