Baillie Lodges has begun what it describes as ‘experience alignment’ work on the interiors at Silky Oaks Lodge in North Queensland, with the luxury property to reopen to guests from 1 October 2021.
The AUD$15 million refurbishment will bring the property more in line with the accommodation standard experienced across the Baillie Lodges network both in Australia and overseas. Cairns construction firm, Prime Australia, has been tasked with overseeing the upgrade project, which will aim to bring more of the Daintree Rainforest feel into the overall guest experience.
Silky Oaks Lodge closed last year following settlement of its acquisition and to prepare for refurbishment. Port Douglas-based architect, Gary Hunt, will deliver the property’s new look, with interior design coming from Amanda Pike from Pike Withers.
A variety of artworks have been sourced from the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair and commissioned from local Indigenous artists, along with ceramics from the nearby Yalanji Arts Centre, with decorations to be led by Baillie Lodges Co-Founder, Hayley Baillie. Five large scale images of the surrounding area, showcasing the native flora and communities which live within it, which will be displayed in Silky Oaks’ guest lounge areas.
Custom furnishings aimed at invoking feelings from the rainforest will be supplied by local designers to give guests a true sense of the far north.
Additional changes coming to the resort will be the development of inclusive rates packages which will offer guests a variety of daily activity and cultural immersion activities along with a number of daily meals.
Baillie Lodges Founder, James Baillie, said he was pleased the Silky Oaks Lodge project was back underway following COVID-19 related delays and postponements in 2020.
“At Baillie Lodges we feel strongly about supporting local and regional economies by working with local designers, tradespeople and food and beverage producers to give back to the local communities in which we operate,” he said.
“We’re looking forward to injecting new life and love into the incredible Silky Oaks Lodge property that has been loved by many guests over the past decades and will, we intend, continue to delight guests into the future.”