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Wander founder and CEO Cassandra Sasson says a visit to Kangaroo Island is something that should be on everyone’s bucket list.
‘It’s vast, remote, and wild, and from the moment you step on to the island you can tell you are somewhere pretty special,’ Cassandra says.
The luxury accommodation group is all about creating low-impact getaways that bring guests to some of Australia’s most beautiful regional locations. And after opening their debut property in the Scenic Rim, Queensland, they’ve now bought four of their luxury ‘WanderPods’ to the South Australian island.
Four of these modular pods are now set up overlooking Snelling Beach, which Cassandra describes as ‘one of the most spectacular beaches’ she’s ever seen. In line with Wander’s sustainably minded travel ethos, the new escapes are each designed around framing a different outlook of the island with expansive floor-to-ceiling glass windows and minimalistic interiors.
‘The experience is not about the pod, it’s about connecting with the landscape outside the pod, and with each other. The clean design gives you room to think, whilst also giving you everything you need to be comfortable,’ she adds. Inside the restrained timber build, you’ll find a cosy fireplace, and outside features a sleek outdoor bath where you can take in the fresh air and sweeping views.
‘Whilst the site is over 100ha, our intention was also to do something low scale so that we wouldn’t impact the landscape in a negative way.’
The pods were built off-site in just 16 weeks — before being shipped across and installed all within the same day — in order to protect the land and avoid disruption to natural wildlife. They’re also raised on posts, leaving the site relatively ‘unscarred’ if they ever needed to be taken away. Plus, each off-grid dwelling is powered by solar, and collects water from the roof, meaning they are virtually self-sufficient.
‘We try to encourage low-impact practices throughout our operations too, like suppling a compost garden at each pod, and sourcing from local supply chains wherever possible. At each of our locations too we make sure we continue to regenerate the land as much as we can, and I think by now we’ve planted over 2000 native trees,’ Cassandra says.
She adds that $10 from each stay booked in Wander’s network is donated to not-for-profit Bush Heritage Australia, to help continue their important environmental conservation.
There’s three one-bedroom pods, and one two-bedroom pod open for bookings on Kangaroo Island — and each one is named after constellations in the Heavenly Waters stars family, found in the southern skies above!
