Ecopia Retreat (Kangaroo Island, SA)

Location: Close to Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island, SA

Your Hosts: Yael & Rob

Sleeps: 2 guests

Bedrooms: 1 bedroom

Ecopia Retreat is a boutique eco luxury accommodation, set out on a dedicated wildlife sanctuary of 150 acres. It offers exclusive use of three bespoke luxury retreats – two Villas and the Residence. The two luxurious eco Villas, each graced with panoramic views of the natural surroundings and carefully sited to provide guests with an intimate, private experience. Crafted from rammed earth, with eco solar-passive design and contemporary open-plan, the Villas boast double glazed windows, hardwood floors and charming wood fireplace. Appointed with luxurious king-size bed and freestanding bath. Off-grid, solar energy and rainwater, self-contained, eco-friendly – the softest footprint, in luxury!

The Ecopia Villas provide the ultimate romantic escape to nature. Villa Ada and Villa May, each set in secluded locations on a vast property, full of wildlife and spectacular scenery. Ecopia Retreat is a registered dedicated wildlife sanctuary. The eco-friendly Villas deliver an authentic Kangaroo Island immersive experience. The most unique off-grid luxury slow-stay on KI!

Ecopia offers a range of bespoke dining experiences, details on request. The Villas were designed with accessibility in mind, offering spacious one level interior, and a boardwalk leading onto the deck.

About your local community:

The Kangaroo Island community is so diverse and interesting! While we know people from across the Island through various associations, we are closest to the people in the Parndana area, and very closely connected to the western end of the Island. Footy has a lot to do with that - Rob has played for the Western Districts football club on and off for nearly 20 years.

The western end of the Island was the area that's been hit the hardest in the black summer bushfires of 2019-20. The Island community, and particularly of the Parndana and Western End regions are extremely strong and resilient people. The way the community pulled together to work through the difficult times is admirable. We have been very fortunate, that the fire stopped at Ecopia, and while a third of our property was impacted, the retreat area remained untouched, providing a safe home and refuge to the wildlife.

As the owner, what is your favourite thing to do at this property:

It is hard to pick one thing we love doing on the property... we never tire of watching the amazing wildlife we are so fortunate to have at Ecopia, kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, koalas, beautiful birds and the list goes on.

We love walking down to the river with our little girls, exploring around their 'fairy forest' and enjoying the peaceful surroundings.
And an absolute winner is watching the sun sets from our deck. Pretty much every sun set is a spectacle!

What is your favourite trip close by:

We love spending afternoons either at Vivonne Bay or down at Bales Beach, which is right next to Seal Bay, and the closest beach to Ecopia. All are on the south coast of the Island.

Guests should not forget to pack their…. Camera, layers (as being an Island you need to be prepared for weather changes throughout the day), and walking shoes. Guests can stock up on food supplies when they arrive on the Island, to enjoy during their stay in the self-contained Villa.

How did you come to offer accommodation in the bush?

Rob fell in love with Kangaroo Island when he was at uni in Adelaide, and decided to buy some land on the Island. We've had Ecopia for about 15 years now, and when we lived and work in Arnhem Land, we used to rent out our home to visitors.

The amazing feedback we've had from our guests, on how unique and beautiful their stay was on the property made us want to share it with more people. This led us to dreaming up the two off-grid eco Villas. Rob has always wanted to do some rammed-earth building, so we came back to Kangaroo Island to focus on this building project.

It took a good 18 months to complete the first Villa (Villa Ada), launched in April 2008, and followed by Villa May, launched in December that year. It was a changeling two year period, giving birth to this business, and our second daughter, but we haven't looked back! We are a registered wildlife sanctuary, we have thick vegetation, which not one bit of was disturbed when we built the two Villas, and a diverse and thriving local wildlife.

Book via Ecopia Retreat

Instagram Handle: @ecopiaretreat