This secluded retreat has fast-become known as Australia’s pinnacle hideaway paradise since its 2024 launch. We stepped ashore to experience it close-up
As arrivals go, the helicopter flight to Pelorus island is hard to top. After lifting off from Townsville, northern Australia’s largest city, guests are treated to a half-hour panorama of the World Heritage wonder of the Great Barrier Reef. Soaring just 500ft above the Coral Sea, over mottled reefs and marine creatures – sharks, turtles and, in winter, migrating humpback whales – is pure exhilaration.
So when the chopper touches down on the emerald lawns of this private island resort, guests inevitably disembark on a high. Whether arriving by air or by water, expect to be blown away by the sight of Pelorus’ tropical-modern bungalow set in naturally perfumed gardens to a soundtrack of cicadas and advancing and retreating waves. Champagne and chilled towels await.
Paradise found.
Opened in 2024 by the tech mogul Chris Morris, Pelorus is an off-grid, exclusive-use hideaway on the southwestern tip of a thousand-acre idyll known as North Palm (in English) or Yanooa in the Wulguru language of its traditional custodians, the Manbarra. It’s the northernmost point of an archipelago of around a dozen islands that include neighbouring Orpheus Island Lodge (also owned by Morris), all marooned off the east coast of tropical Australia. The £6 million Pelorus Private Island is the latest addition to a suite of elite retreats on – or close to – the Great Barrier Reef. It follows Lizard Island’s three-bedroom The House and Baillie Lodges’ stunning rainforest lodge Silky Oaks with its two-bedroom Daintree Pavilion. All spectacular in their own right, but none offers the exclusivity, space and privacy of Pelorus. After dispensing Champagne, hosts Elise Sarantou and Liam Hay usher guests past the water toys (jetskis, seabobs, kayaks, water bikes) arrayed on the beach, beyond the sunset-facing infinity pool and into the reef-front residence.
Architect David Dubois drew heavily on the traditional Queenslander aesthetic for Pelorus’ airy interiors of pitched roofs, shiplap walls and louvred windows and the rawness of oiled timbers such as New Guinea rosewood and Australian turpentine. He personally designed the winged armchairs, teak side tables and the egg chairs hanging on suite balconies to lend the place a distinctive, unique character. Dubois’ neutral decor emphasises the brilliant marine blues and sultry greens of the surroundings. The design is all about comfort and connection to place, best experienced at night when I drift off to sleep cooled by sea breezes channelled through louvres and screen doors, and soothed by the gentle lapping of water on the shore. A metronome for my dreams, and for the days ahead.
However, I arrive in the middle of the day and sit down almost immediately to a family-style banquet of appealing platters showcasing regional produce. On the menu there’s always line-caught local fish – perhaps Spanish mackerel, coral trout or nannygai (similar to red snapper or sea bream) – and charry, lemony grilled chicken, roasted vegetables and salads, served with fresh-baked sourdough. There’s also a comprehensive drinks list beyond Champagne to choose from, buttressed by notable Australian vineyards (Hentley Farm, Mac Forbes, Vasse Felix), a smattering of international options (Sancerre, Chablis, pinot grigio) and a spirit selection big on gins, rums and single malts, both Scottish and Japanese. Sarantou can whip up any cocktail you desire; she also handles morning coffee orders.
Dining here is never dull. Morris, a fan of Asian food, insisted on a teppanyaki grill and its flash-fried freshness (teriyaki-grilled Tasmanian sirloin, jumbo shrimps) suits the vibe so well. For casual snacking as the sun goes down, the pizza oven is perfect. But if you want to push the boat out, so to speak, opt for a five-course degustation dinner, always tailored to your tastes (guests are set a pre-arrival reference checklist to ensure an optimum stay), from options including jalapeño-spiked kingfish tartare, seared scallops and rib-eye steak. Perhaps with a double-baked chocolate brownie to finish.
Or you could take a memorable boat trip over to Orpheus to eat on the jetty under a shining star-lit sky. Or on the beach, by the pool or, more conventionally, in the lodge’s dining room. Choice is a big part of the Pelorus appeal. The resort itself is a deeply comfortable, solar-powered compound of five almost-identical bedrooms, three facing south to Orpheus and two looking west for fantastic sunsets. All take in the house reef and sandy shoreline. The room split means adults and children, or families and staff, can stay separately at the beach house, which has an official capacity of 11.
Days on this castaway island are tailored to your fantasies. Drift-snorkel in the strait between Orpheus and Pelorus among kaleidoscope fish (blue-green chromis, purple-tailed parrot fish, yellow-tailed fusiliers), past walls of soft corals and centuries’-old bommies or coral outcrops. Set off on a jetski safari or take a carbon-neutral sea-bike ride over see-through waters, spotting colourful reefs, turtles and cute cow-tailed rays. Or spend a day out diving or snorkelling on one of the outer reefs such as Bramble, Britomart or Walker, which is easily accessed by sand cay at low tide.
There are no walks yet on Pelorus, which is completely untamed apart from this small outpost of civilisation. The only way to properly explore the island currently is on boat trips along the coast past limestone cliffs and the bat caves made famous by Chris Hemsworth, when he posted his trip here in 2017 on Instagram. But outdoorsy types can hike the Pioneer Bay trail on Orpheus Island (pop into the Research Station while you’re there) or catch a speedboat across to the Great Barrier Reef’s largest island, Hinchinbrook aka Munamudanamy. Trekking through the quintessential north Queensland wilderness of mangroves and dripping rainforests will lead to waterfalls and (crocodile-free) swimming holes.
There are more sedentary pleasures, too. Guided yoga and meditation. Spa treatments – either in situ or at Orpheus’s Gwandalan Spa (massages, facials and body wraps using riverbed mineral salts and native botanicals). Beach picnics. Sunset cocktails on the pool deck. However you choose to while away the days, Pelorus doesn’t disappoint. And nor should it, given this is Australia’s ultimate tropical paradise.
