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Million-dollar makeover for luxury lodge
IN the heart of South Australia’s Barossa Valley, luxury lodge The Louise has reopened after a $3 million makeover under new owners Baillie Lodges.
For many years Baillie Lodges has run the prestigious Longitude 131 at Uluru, Capella on Lord Howe Island and Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island – currently being rebuilt after the island’s devastating fires of 2020 – and has brought its trademark style to The Louise.
The lodge is home to award-winning Appellation restaurant, renowned for its four-course degustation dinner menu with matched wines which is included in the tariff, along with breakfast.
The Louise has 15 suites, each with a spacious lounge with TV, bedroom with king-size bed, desk, bathroom with spa bath shower plus an extra shower outdoors offering privacy under the stars.
A private courtyard at the front of each suite and rear access to deck chairs overlooking the rolling hills and vineyards are the perfect spot for quite relaxation.
Each suite has a mini bar with drinks included in the tariff, tea and coffee making facilities, complimentary biscuits and chocolate fudge.
One of the traditions at The Louise is that guests gather for complimentary pre-dinner cocktails and canapes in the main lounge before dinner.
Fitting in to the relaxed atmosphere, the dress code is casual.
Executive Chef Asher Blackford is in charge of the kitchen, fresh from a stint at Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge on Vancouver Island and formerly from Baillie Lodges’ flagship property Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island. His menus showcase fresh local produce.
Next month Contour bar and kitchen with a walk-in wine cellar will open.
With its location in historic Marananga, The Louise provides a central base to explore the Barossa Valley’s acclaimed wineries, sample local produce at cellar doors, shop for local art and crafts and enjoy nature walks.
At nearby Seppeltsfield Estate learn more about the region’s wines and take a Taste of History tour to enjoy a 100-year-old vintage port from the centennial cellar. Then enjoy a meal with matched wines at the popular Fino restaurant.
Baillie Lodges Chief Operating Officer Craig Bradbery said: “We’re thrilled to see the results of the intricate planning and investment in this iconic property and we’re so excited to embark on the delivery of a new experience of the Barossa for our guests with The Louise as luxury base.”
For more information: thelouise.com.au
Photo: Ken Butti
Lior in line-up at 2023 Adelaide Festival
ISRAELI-born Melbourne singer Lior teams up with composer-conductor Nigel Westlake to premiere a new production, Ngapa William Cooper, at next year’s Adelaide Festival, to be held from March 3-19.
The festival, which will welcome international artists for the first time since COVID-19 hit in 2020, has 11 world premieres, 8 Australian premieres and 17 productions exclusive to Adelaide.
Ngapa William Cooper features Lior, singer Lou Bennett, the Australian String Quartet plus soloists in a tribute to Yorta Yorta man William Cooper’s 1938 protest march in Melbourne against the Nazi atrocities at Kristallnacht.
The concert, which will be performed on March 5 and 7, includes the Australian String Quartet’s Aheym, a homage to the Diaspora experiences of Bryce Dessner’s Jewish grandmother.
Each year the Adelaide Festival attracts many interstate visitors. The 2022 festival saw 40 per cent of audiences travelled to Adelaide from around Australia.
Among the highlights of the 2023 festival – announced on November 9 – is Messa da Requiem, a massive production where Verdi’s operetta Requiem has been integrated with dance, thanks to choreographer Christian Spuck and the 30-member Ballet Zurich, supported by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and an 80-member choral ensemble. It will be staged from March 8-11.
Belarus Free Theatre’s acclaimed production, Dogs of Europe, combines physical theatre with absurdist humour in a story set in 2049 under a brutal Russian regime.
Adelaide Festival’s new artistic director Ruth Mackenzie said: “It started as underground theatre in Belarus, but now they are touring around the world. This production comes to us thanks to Cate Blanchett who saw the show in New York and tipped off (festival director) Neil Armfield, saying it was a must for the Adelaide Festival. It will be an intense experience.”
Dogs of Europe will be staged from March 2-6.
Jewish playwright Lally Katz is premiering Hans & Gret, a psychological thriller set around teenagers that is based on the classic fairytale Hansel & Gretel. It will be staged from March 3-12.
To add to Adelaide’s festival fever the city also hosts WOMADelaide from March 10-13 and Adelaide Writers’ Week from March 4-9 under new director Louise Adler.
For more information: adelaidefestival.com.au
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