Did you know you can have an island getaway without stepping off mainland Australia? In Seven Spirit Bay, an Outback Spirit lodge in a remote western corner of Arnhem Land, it’s a place to escape mainland time and get onto island time in no time. Karryon’s Zoe Macfarlane reviewed Seven Spirit Bay as part of Journey Beyond’s Beyonder mega famil.
When you get asked if you’d like to join a Journey Beyond famil – especially their new mega famil – the answer is yes. Always yes.
When you get a choice of three pre-Ghan trips, the answer is yes, yes, yes. Especially as the options were all fabulous: Kakadu National Park touring with Outback Spirit, a luxury overnight stay at Horizontal Falls, and Seven Spirit Bay.
As cloning is not condoned (or available), I happily said yes to Seven Spirit Bay. Because when else would I get an opportunity to stay in a luxury Outback Spirit resort in one of Australia’s most remote and unspoiled areas?
Checking in at Seven Spirit Bay
You know you’re in a remote destination when there’s no check-in at your accommodation.
With only 24 spacious lodges and every guest arriving on a private charter flight, when you’re greeted upon arrival, it’s with your name and a refreshing towelette, not by someone asking to see your credit card for incidentals.
Which they incidentally don’t need, as Seven Spirit Bay is all-inclusive, from premium Australian wines, fine-dining meals, beverages, tours, and even laundry (handy with the ochre Outback soil).
Ushered to a deck overlooking a pristine crescent bay, it was a challenge to stay focused as the lodge manager gave us a run-down of life at Seven Spirit Bay.
The obvious distraction of the golden sand and glass-like bay was probably why it was repeated that we were not – under any circumstances – to walk on the beach. And most definitely not swim.
It is the Northern Territory’s cruellest trick to fill the waters of its postcard-perfect beaches with beefy-bro-sized lemon sharks, jumping stingrays, and 5-metre saltwater crocodiles. The kind that could cross that 10-metre stretch of beach just for a nibble on your sand-coated foot.
The lodges at Seven Spirit Bay
As we were shown to our rooms, the first thing I noticed was the size of each of the 24 stand-alone lodges, almost as large as my 2-bedroom Burleigh apartment. I’m in #5, a few minutes’ walk from the main lodge.
A sizeable ultra-comfortable bed stands centre with a large freestanding wardrobe forming the bedhead. The storage space here is also almost equal to that in my 70-square metre apartment, so it was with great pleasure that I unpacked every single item and found a home for it.
As we’re permitted to bring 20kg of luggage on the Outback Spirit flight from Darwin – you can only reach the lodge by private air charter or boat – this was no small task.
While most guests stay at Seven Spirit Bay for only three or four days, the luggage allowance is ideal as most visitors are doing at least one other Outback Spirit or Journey Beyond experience while in the Northern Territory.
The bathrooms are modern and spacious, with luxury fittings, including Villeroy and Boch twin vanities and a huge rainforest showerhead in the enclosed shower.
Room amenities are discreetly tucked away, including a tea station, kettle, iron and board, with a hairdryer available on request.
Wine & dine
The food at Seven Spirit Bay would not be out of place on any fine-dining menu in Darwin. Or Sydney. That it’s in a remote outpost in the far Northern Territory is extraordinary.
Meals are creative and beautifully presented – the perfect complement to the outdoor dining set-up. Especially with the soundtrack at the tropical bayside dining deck, when a splash in the water added a thrill. Was it a jumping fish, a feeding shark, or one of the bay’s three resident crocodiles?
As someone with dietary requirements, even common adaptations (these days) like no gluten or dairy can make you feel like a burden. Not at Seven Spirit Bay. When the staff checked in on what I could and couldn’t eat, it was communicated in a way that made it seem like an honour to deliver food that I could not only tolerate but savour like everyone else.
Things to do
While it would have been easy to lounge around Seven Spirit Bay for the entire stay, there’s more to do than I imagined. All at a leisurely island pace, of course.
Seven Spirit Bay is in Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, and our knowledgeable Outback Spirit guide, Gemma, shared her passion for the region on our land tours. These included a guided biodiversity walk through the lush nipa palms and mangroves and a four-kilometre loop around the failed 19th-century British outpost, Victoria Settlement.
Had we had longer than three nights (one more would have been fab), a (safe) beach trip to Rainbow Cliffs or Vashon Heads wildlife safari would have been fun.
Fortunately, we spotted one of each of the resident wildlife – buffalo, banteng, saltwater crocodiles, and Timor ponies – on our drive from the airstrip and daily tours!
Facilities
If you’re looking for an island resort stay laden with on-tap entertainment, a poolside cocktail service, and shops nearby, this is not it.
There are no TVs anywhere in the resort, and Wi-Fi was available only around the main lodge – perfect for allowing guests (ahem, me) to practice presence after a full-on month.
The small saltwater pool was a far better alternative for those of us (also me) ready to cave into temptation and risk getting a toe nibbled by a lemon shark in the bay.
Alongside classic novels, the air-conditioned library offers respite from the temperatures – mild for our stay – and board games in the main lodge encourage communal after-dinner fun.
If shopping for souvenirs is a must on your holiday, the resort’s small gift shop has a selection of leather holdalls, water bottles, and native animal magnets to get your fix.
The verdict
On our last day, a group of 12 flew in. Their arrival felt jarring. Not because they weren’t lovely people (they were), but because they all had Australian accents!
This might seem a weird observation, however, after finding my groove in Seven Spirit Bay’s peace, the exotic wildlife, total disconnection from ‘real life’ distractions, and tropical, island-time feels, made it seem like were far from Australia, when in fact, we’d never even left the mainland.
