As Capella Lodge celebrates its 20th anniversary on the remote NSW island of Lord Howe, General Manager Libby Grant reflects on her two decades at the helm, and explains how the island is working hard to retain its identity.
Libby Grant (pictured with partner, Mark McKillop) has been working and living on island resorts since the 1980s and says she “kicks herself” at how lucky she is.
It was while working on Lizard Island with Mark in the early 2000s the pair were offered the job at nine-room Capella Lodge by hoteliers James and Hayley Baillie (in what was their first property under Baillie Lodges) – and two decades later Grant and McKillop are still managing the island’s premier resort.
“It’s a simple, but beautiful life,” Grant says. “And little has changed. Those who live here are proud islanders and they will protect it with their lives.”
It seems that simple way of life is why so many want to come here.
Lord Howe allows just 400 visitors on the island at a time, and there is no Wi-Fi outside of the lodge.
“Whenever there are discussions about mobile phones, a lot of people don’t want it. The community wants to keep their identity and have their grandchildren live the way they did.
“At the local school kids don’t wear shoes, they have freedom from a young age and a simple life and the islanders don’t want that to change.”
A natural beauty
“The beauty and isolation and ability to disconnect from busy life are the reasons most want to come here,” Libby says.
“There are amazing walks from easy strolls through the forest to climbing mountains like Mount Gower. You can do the same walks every day and every day it’s different, and there are birds everywhere.”
She says the marine life is also a drawcard for visitors.
“A lot of our staff are scuba divers and dive on their days off, but there are also the most simple things that create great experiences, like having a barbecue on the beach. That’s my favourite thing to do, go to Ned’s Beach with a cheese plate and watch the stars come out. It’s magical.”
Island life and looking to the future
Libby says living on islands for the last 30 years has been “the best parts of my life”.
“I spent more than 13 years taking people diving as a dive master on Heron Island and I loved every minute of it – and I met Mark there.
“Mark and I laugh about how we’ve lived and worked together for 30 years and we often think, ‘What if someone went somewhere else in the morning?’.
“Sometimes I think that would be wonderful, but at the same time we’d miss each other!”
Grant says their next move is likely to be a mixture of mainland life and travelling the world.
But, she says regardless of where she ends up, there’s not one thing she regrets.
“I get to meet the best people all the time. I spend most of my time talking and finding out about people and their lives and that’s one thing I‘ll miss. That connection is so special. You get little windows into people’s lives and learn about incredible stories of adventure and history and that’s just fantastic.”
For more information, visit Capella Lodge.
