Off the Grid
Six travel writers share their off-grid experiences in some of Australia’s most unique regions – where Mother Nature is at the helm and the only requirement is to reset, recharge, and reconnect.
PHOTOGRAPHY Tourism Tropical North Queensland
Sal Salis, Ningaloo
WORDS Carolyne Jasinski
When you can feel the sea breeze gently brush over your cheek; when the glimmering moon and a sky full of sparkles is the only light you can see; and when the ocean’s endless waves work their hypnotic magic on your mind, you know you’ve hit off-grid gold. Every sense is affected and it’s impossible to fight the “reset” on your body and soul.
This is Sal Salis, an eco-lodge nestled between two natural wonders on the Western Australian coastline – ancient Cape Range National Park and the world’s longest fringing reef, Ningaloo. Sal Salis has 16 glamping tents – who knew a tent on the beach could be so relaxing and the ultimate in luxury?
Not the five-star, silver service of a swanky hotel kind of luxury. Sal Salis is a back-to-basics operation focused on having minimal impact on the environment. The luxury here is in the wilderness and escaping the rat race. Say goodbye to your phone, Wi-Fi, and other distractions; there’s no connection – or rather, there’s a reconnection to nature. I start my adventure with one of the major drawcards: whale sharks.
It feels wrong jumping in the water with any creature that has “shark” in its name, but, as we discover, whale sharks are happy to let us paddle alongside for as long as we can keep up. Come evening, communal dining is another highlight. We gather at the lodge and feast on local seafood like seared scallops and sauteed mussels, while meeting an eclectic crowd from all over the world. We chat about the two daily tours where guides take us to their favourite places to snorkel with turtles or manta rays or hike to see fossilised shells high on the ranges.
I replay all these encounters as I nod off to the lapping lull of the ocean. And when the soft sunrise wakes me, I’ll walk a few steps to the beach, fossick among coral fragments from the living gardens just metres away, don my snorkel, and bob around in the water with the turtles.
Experience the serenity of staying in an eco-luxury safari tent overlooking Ningaloo Reef.
Horizontal Falls, The Kimberley
WORDS Katrina Lobley
To reach Jetwave Pearl, a seasonal luxury houseboat moored near the Kimberley’s (Gooniyandi Country) spectacular Horizontal Falls (Garaangaddim), you hop on a scenic flight from either Broome (Rubibi) or Derby (Nyiginka Country) bound for Talbot Bay. Having never visited Derby, I choose the unknown. The switching off from everyday life starts as soon as I roll into town. Derby, populated with fat-bellied boabs, is a photographer’s dream. Nature asserts itself, too, during the flight northeast to Talbot Bay. From my seat there’s a perfect view over the fascinating patterns – formed by tidal creeks – that resemble tree roots or more fittingly, stubby boab branches.
Upon reaching the bay’s floating hub and transferring to the 10-cabin houseboat, we’re shown the landscape in every possible way. From a helicopter, we see the falls – a phenomenon that naturalist Sir David Attenborough called “Australia’s most unusual natural wonder” – from every angle. We dangle a line into the Tiffany-blue waters to try to hook a fish and clamber into a caged area back at the pontoon hub to eyeball local sharks.
We also zoom through the wider of the falls’ two gaps at dusk and dawn, feeling the rushing water’s power. What I remember most about this 24-hour immersion is the instant camaraderie among those sharing the experience. There were couples treating themselves to something special, a group of pals from Darwin (Garamilla), and others side-tripping from Broome (Rubibi) after travelling from home bases all over Australia. Thrown together without the distraction of mobile phones, we shared traveller tales over a gourmet lunch, a sunset snack board, and an extraordinary three-course dinner.
With such a busy day behind us, bed beckoned early. I set my alarm to catch the sunrise but woke in the dark. With a cuppa warming my hands, I stood alone on deck, watching the stars make way for a riot of dawn colours.
Escape the everyday with an Ultimate Horizontal Falls Luxury Stay tour.
“The natural shelter from the stringybarks, cabbage palms, and Moreton Bay figs will keep the heat at bay, with birdsong lulling me to sleep.”
Barramundi Lodge, Arnhem Land
WORDS Mark Daffey
It’s the foliage that grabs my attention. Though Barramundi Lodge’s tented accommodation includes air-conditioning, I doubt I’ll need it. The natural shelter from the stringybarks, cabbage palms, and Moreton Bay figs will keep the heat at bay, with accompanying birdsong lulling me to sleep. Dare I say it, but the serenity here is off the charts, and as my body relaxes into the environment, I’m having a hard time thinking of how I’ll return to ‘real life’.
Surprisingly, given our remote Top End location, heavy mists shroud the floodplains when we rouse ourselves for breakfast. Only the very tips of the trees lining the riverbanks are visible through the fog, and as I gaze out over this vast, protected wilderness region, I try to imagine the wildlife that must be out there. As places go, it must be nice to grow up here as a buffalo or dingo.
Immediately after breakfast, we descend to the coastal wetlands to launch our fishing boats at the Liverpool River mouth, near the Ndjebbana community of Manayingkarírra. A few hours later, we’ll be swapping tales about the biggest barramundis any of us have ever caught.
Our adrenalin levels will be sky-high by this stage, contrasting with the tranquillity experienced since our arrival at the lodge. Not to worry, for visits to Maningrida’s Art Centre and Djómi Museum will help redress that, allowing time for us to browse through Aboriginal canvases, or appreciate one of the oldest community-owned artwork collections in Australia.
Following that, we’ll return to the lodge to hand-feed blue-winged kookaburras that have been popping in each afternoon, while the shimmering sun sinkings beneath the horizon soon after. Then, we’ll sit down for dinner, where those bounteous river catches we’d hooked that morning will be cooked to perfection, waiting to be feasted on.
Of course, we don’t have to do any of that. We could do nothing at all and just let that serenity weave its magic.
Enjoy a Top End recharge with Outback Spirit.
Seven Spirit Bay, Cobourg Peninsula
WORDS Sue Wallace
It’s that kaleidoscope of brilliant colour – a vivid turquoise sea, sapphire-hued sky, dramatic red cliffs, and the occasional fluffy white cloud hovering overhead – that seduces me on arrival at Seven Spirit Bay on the Cobourg Peninsula on Arnhem Land’s (Miwatj) northwestern tip. There’s a spirituality about this place that urges me to stop, slow down, look, listen, and live in the moment.
The remote luxury wilderness lodge has a front-row seat to the pristine marine sanctuary of Garig Gunak Barlu National Park in the Northern Territory. I don’t want to miss a single thing about this wild, untamed landscape that tosses up everything from tangled rainforests, to mazes of twisted mangroves, pretty lily pad-strewn lagoons, and pristine beaches with scattered driftwood and near-perfect shells. It’s a place that makes my heart beat a little faster, a place where I want to linger and walk in the footsteps of the few who have gone before me. Our days vary. One morning, we are skimming the waves where dolphins, dugongs, turtles, crocodiles, and pilot whales often play.
Later, a dip in the cool waters of the lodge’s rock pool – the only safe place to swim without fear a crocodile may be summing you up – is refreshing. Then it’s time for a feast of culinary treats as a cerise sunset streaks across the sky, before unfolding into a blanket of shiny stars as we dine on the freshest of seafood. A rousing chorus of noisy croaks and slightly eerie squeals accompany me as I wander back to my swish Habitat, one of 24 luxury, hexagon-shaped retreats with a comfy king bed I don’t want to leave.
Delicious dreams of this perfect sanctuary take over as I plot ways to delay my departure by plane tomorrow from what is the cutest airstrip in the land. Weeks later, I find a tiny shell collected on a beach walk that prompts me to slow down once again and recall the magic of Seven Spirit Bay.
Unwind and relax at this luxury wilderness lodge.
Reefsleep, The Whitsundays
WORDS Kate Webster
From the moment this experience begins, I know this is no ordinary escape; it’s a journey beyond, to unplug and recharge. There is something calming yet rejuvenating about being near such a vast body of water that is constantly moving. Add to that the colourful kaleidoscope of corals and marine life you get on the Great Barrier Reef, and this, I would soon learn, is the ultimate place to disconnect from the world and reconnect with nature.
Sleeping under the stars at Reefsleep on a part of the Reef, you really are remote enough to let go. The sound of the lapping waves replaces any traffic noise, snorkelling beneath the surface reveals an underwater world that will beat any television or screen, and the thousands of stars that blanket the sky at night provide all the lights you need.
As I gaze out from the deck of my glamping tent at Reefsleep, perched atop a tapestry of turquoise, blue, and azure waters, I feel an overwhelming sense of peace wash over me, enhanced by the gentle caress of the salty ocean breeze. I find solace in the remoteness of this incredible location.
Instead of thinking about work, emails, and phone calls, my mind wanders more into the enchanting space that surrounds me. I spend the day exploring the underwater world – the vibrant coral gardens and the creatures that call it home – diving and snorkelling until I fear that I too would turn into an aquatic animal.
Falling asleep at night to the soothing rhythm of the ocean is a privilege I will forever cherish. This was only rivalled by the sun rising to paint the sky in shades of pink and orange, a feast for the senses.
I have been dosed up on vitamin sea out on the Great Barrier Reef in the Whitsundays (Ngalangi), a place I found was a sanctuary for the soul, a place where the beauty of the world could heal and inspire, and a place that was the ultimate off-grid experience.
Reconnect with nature on the Great Barrier Reef with a Reefsleep overnight experience.
Cape York, Queensland
WORDS Fiona Harper
The first time I really valued going off-grid on the Cape York (Pajinka) Peninsula was from the vantage point of a mountain bike. I enjoyed riding across the base of the Cape from Cairns (Gimuy) to Karumba so much that I rode it again a few years later. I’ve also explored the Cape’s coastline from the deck of a sailboat and travelled across its rugged terrain by 4WD in the off-grid luxe style of an Outback Spirit tour.
Camping out beneath star-filled nights and waking to the heady scent of damp eucalyptus trees at dawn are memories I cherish. One night, I dragged my camp stretcher from the tent to sleep beneath a full moon rising over the escarpment, waking at dawn to see the setting moon and rising sun on opposing horizons.
Cape York comes with its own unique bragging rights. Want to stand at Australia’s most northerly tip? Tick. How about landing a feisty barramundi before cooking it over hot coals? Tick. Or sizzling fresh-caught Gulf of Carpentaria tiger prawns on the BBQ? Tick. Wildlife spotting doesn’t come any better than on Cape York, either. Far removed from the rest of Australia, even more so from the rest of the world, you’ll see creatures that don’t exist anywhere else.
But for me, the Cape’s appeal is its untamed beauty, where nature seems to have brushed the canvas then thrown away the palette so the hue would never be replicated. Burnt orange skies as the sun sinks in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Implausibly green Licuala palm fronds, and scarlet-tinted Quinkan rock art, tens of thousands of years old etched into sandstone escarpments that can only be viewed with a Traditional Owner.
So much of the Peninsula remains little changed since Indigenous Australians first walked on country. I feel privileged to have a dusting of Cape York embedded in my soul, and the allure of being able to escape into wild, untamed nature, continues to beckon.