49 NAIKO RETREAT, FLEURIEU PENINSULA, SA
Unimpeded views over the Fleurieu Peninsula and Kangaroo Island are complemented by gorgeous modern design at this secluded retreat where the only company you’ll have is that of dolphins, roos and wedge-tailed eagles.
AFTER A TWO-HOUR DRIVE from Adelaide, Kangaroo Island’s sheer limestone cliffs and sparkling beaches beckon in the distance. Closer at hand, lush green meadows curve downwards in a parabola towards the sapphire blue water at the southern tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula. Designed by architect Max Pritchard (Southern Ocean Lodge) and with an all-encompassing commitment to sustainability, Naiko Retreat (naikoretreat. com.au) is hidden in the shadow of those slopes but, even from here, its appeal is obvious.
Gazing majestically out to sea, the three-bedroom house is fronted by floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the Backstairs Passage and designed to resemble one of the waves tumbling into the private cove directly below. When I lie down in bed, the steep slope disappears and I feel as if I’m hovering directly over the water.
In the other direction, a hiking path ascends a seemingly never-ending hill rent by steep gullies dotted with arum lilies. Dense stands of pink gum come alive with birdsong at my approach and an echidna curled up on the path is entirely oblivious to the glorious scenery around it. Mobs of roos keep a watchful eye on me and the skittishness of sheep grazing in the shadow of centuries-old yaccas indicates how rarely they encounter people – guests have the entire 800-hectare property to themselves.
My heart is racing from the walk, but I can feel my mind slowing down by the minute as a stiff sea breeze rushes over Naiko Retreat’s streamlined form and tousles my hair. Waves crash gently beneath
