Bar & Bites: Forget the quokka selfie, The Lodge Wadjemup offers a real reason to visit Rottnest Islandt

I had my own Grand Designs moment recently during a family holiday on Rottnest Island when I had a hardhat preview tour of The Lodge Wadjemup. The sprawling $40 million hospitality and accommodation project, which completely reimagines the old Karma Rottnest site, was more than a month from completion and as such was a building site. However, channelling my inner Kevin McCloud, I got a real sense that the brains behind the bold redevelopment — Social Grounds Hospitality partners Miles Hull and Graeme Dick — are determined to create an iconic addition to the people’s paradise. The boldest move is that, unlike existing venues Hotel Rottnest and Isola, The Lodge Wadjemup does not face Thomson Bay. Patrons will enter the hotel and hospo venue from Digby Drive. Most of the eventual 100-plus hotel rooms and the conference centre face west so guests can enjoy sunsets over Garden Lake with Wadjemup Lighthouse in the distance. Sunsets Bar and Dining, overseen by head chef Mat Powell (Il Lido, Little Creatures), will offer Mediterranean-leaning food. He’s keen to keep things simple to ensure that they can feed up to 500 seatings while keeping everything on the menu between deliveries from the mainland. Powell took Bar & Bites backstage to show off several large commercial walk-in refrigerators. Beers on tap will be mostly West Aussie, plus Peroni, with wines from major investors Fogarty Wine Group and other local producers. Behind Sunsets facing east is Pelicans, a casual cafe and ice-cream kiosk for folks wanting a bite (or lick) before jumping on their bike or into the pristine waters. The grab-and-go option will offer soft serve ice-creams, something currently missing from Rotto. The rooms are compact, especially in the heritage-listed former boys’ reformatory, but well-appointed with pleasingly clean design from Space Collective Architects. The old 1970s-built motel-style rooms have also been renovated, with the old “Rotto orange” walls repainted in crisp Santorini white. Reservations for the first 60-odd refurbished rooms will open within the next month, with the newly constructed rooms, pools, conference centre and Indigenous cultural space Gathering Ground due to arrive in mid-2025. On the tour, The Lodge Wadjemup general manager Jeremy Nordkamp said he’s been asked one question more than any other since plans for the ambitious project were unveiled. What are they doing with infamous Governor’s Bar? The dingy dive bar was both an anachronism on the idyllic island and a great escape from pests endemic to Rotto — quokkas, seagulls, children and inexperienced cyclists. The Guv is gone. The Lodge Wadjemup marks a new era for Rotto. Now the challenge is to find around 130 staff to make this potential game-changer live up to its immense promise. For more information, and to snare first access to booking details, visit thelodgewadjemup.com.