One of Australia's most remote luxury lodges has just reopened

After months on the market, a spontaneous sale and a fresh new look, Swell Lodge is making a comeback.

Roughly 1550 kilometres off the coast of mainland Australia, Swell Lodge is peacefully perched on the far-west edge of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. When it launched in 2018, the property quickly gained international acclaim, positioning itself among some of the most remote luxury lodges in the country.

In pursuit of new ventures, award-winning wildlife photographer Chris Bray and his wife Jess listed Swell Lodge for sale in early 2024, closing it to the public in the process. But that’s not where this story ends. For new owners Rachel Kuchera and Owen Walsh, it was only just beginning. Now, they’re officially reopening the doors.

A quick recap

Swell Lodge, Christmas Island — Swell Lodge was founded in 2018 by Chris and Jess Bray.

In 2025, Rachel Kuchera and Owen Walsh were a few months into their lap around Australia, designed as a reset to map out their next moves. The couple long held ambitions of building their own eco-lodge, but had recently failed to secure a property in Kalbarri, WA. As their new caravan wound through the depths of the Kimberley, the conversation inevitably circled back.

Dreaming of “a little shack that opens straight onto the ocean," Rachel began searching for properties on the Cocos Keeling Islands, a destination long on her wish list. The results were underwhelming. But after a little encouragement from Owen, she turned to a more unconventional tool.

“I asked ChatGPT if there were any other listings," Rachel recalls. “It brought up the same properties, and then added a footnote [that said] there’s also an eco-lodge for sale."

It wasn’t on Cocos Keeling. Rather, it was over 500 nautical kilometres to the east-northeast on Christmas Island. Despite barely having heard of the external Australian territory, the couple described it as love at first sight. Rachel and Owen immediately got in touch with the Brays and within months, their dream had become a reality.

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What to expect

Swell Lodge changed hands in January 2026, with the new owners relocating to Christmas Island by early March. After a quick round of refurbishments, Rachel and Owen relaunched the all-inclusive accommodation to the public this May.

It marks a bold new chapter for Swell Lodge, one that builds on its existing foundations while elevating the guest experience – starting with the chalets. Originally built in 2017 and 2018, the private suites have been fully refreshed with updated furnishings, soft linens, leather lounges and original artworks.

A private chef has also joined the team, responsible for preparing all snacks and meals (including fine-dining degustation dinners) for guests. Daily breakfast hampers are also freshly prepared each morning and delivered directly to each chalet’s private deck.

As the only accommodation offering within Christmas Island National Park, the lodge provides rare access to one of the world’s most unique natural environments. New specialist guides lead guests on exclusive experiences and activities across this remote landscape, from witnessing the annual migration of the island’s 190 million red crabs to snorkelling its world-class reefs.

“It’s one of the most extraordinary places in Australia, and most people have never even heard of it," Rachel says.

Christmas Island red crab migration — Time your stay with the island’s annual red crab migration.

While much of the lodge’s original character remains, its offerings will continue to evolve alongside Australia’s luxury accommodation market. Plans for future developments have already been approved, including the addition of new villas, an onsite restaurant and dedicated accommodation for staff.

By 2027, Rachel and Owen hope to introduce long-table dining events and community-led food experiences to the island, too. The couple are also in the process of establishing a kitchen garden in the township to create a more sustainable food offering with local produce at its heart.

Swell Lodge now operates on a fully inclusive model, covering all accommodation, meals, activities, experiences and transfers – with capacity capped at just four guests at a time and fewer than 200 a year.

Demand is already sky-high, with reservations for May selling out within a week of going live. Bookings for the remainder of the 2026 season (June to October) comprise just 70 all‑inclusive packages, available via the resort’s website.

Despite its remote location, change of hands and temporary closure, Swell Lodge has managed to retain its status as one of Australia’s most remarkable island escapes, a sentiment not lost on Rachel and Owen: “We feel incredibly lucky to be part of its story."

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Located just an hour north-west of Melbourne, the largely undiscovered Macedon Ranges quietly pours some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines and serves up some of Victoria’s best food.

Mention the Macedon Ranges and most people will think of day spas and mineral springs around Daylesford, cosy weekends away in the countryside or the famous Hanging Rock (of enigmatic picnic fame). Or they won’t have heard of the Macedon Ranges at all.

But this cool-climate destination has been inconspicuously building a profile as a high-quality food and wine region and is beginning to draw serious attention from oenophiles and epicureans alike.

The rise of Macedon Ranges wine

liquid gold barrels at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — Barrels of liquid gold at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

With elevations ranging from 300 to 800 metres, Macedon Ranges vineyards are among the highest in the country. This altitude, combined with significant day/night temperature swings, makes for a slow ripening season, in turn nurturing wines that embody elegance and structure. Think crisp chardonnays, subtle yet complex pinot noirs and delicate sparkling wines, along with niche varietals, such as gamay and nebbiolo.

Despite the region’s natural advantages – which vary from estate to estate, as each site embodies unique terroir depending on its position in relation to the Great Dividing Range, soil make-up and altitude – the Macedon Ranges has remained something of an insider’s secret. Unlike Victoria’s Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula, you won’t find large tour buses here and there’s no mass marketing drawing crowds.

Many of the 40-odd wineries are family-run operations with modest yields, meaning the wineries maintain a personal touch (if you visit a cellar door, you’ll likely chat to the owner or winemaker themselves) and a tight sales circle that often doesn’t go far beyond said cellar door. And that’s part of the charm.

Though wines from the Macedon Ranges are just starting to gain more widespread recognition in Australia, the first vines were planted in the 1860s, with a handful of operators then setting up business in the 1970s and ’80s. The industry surged again in the 1990s and early 2000s with the entry of wineries, such as Mount Towrong, which has an Italian slant in both its wine and food offering, and Curly Flat, now one of the largest estates.

Meet the new generation of local winemakers

the Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. — The Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Then, within the last 15 years, a new crop of vignerons like Andrew Wood at Kyneton Ridge Estate, whose vineyard in 2024 was the first in the Macedon Ranges to be certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia; Geoff Plahn and Samantha Reid at Paramoor, who have an impressive cellar door with a roaring fire and studded leather couches in an old Clydesdale barn; and Ollie Rapson and Renata Morello at Lyons Will, who rapidly expanded a small vineyard to focus on top-shelf riesling, gamay, pinot noir and chardonnay, have taken ownership of local estates.

Going back to the early days, Llew Knight’s family was one of the pioneers of the 1970s, replacing sheep with vines at Granite Hills when the wool industry dwindled. Knight is proud of the fact that all their wines are made with grapes from their estate, including a light, peppery shiraz (some Macedon wineries purchase fruit from nearby warmer areas, such as Heathcote, particularly to make shiraz) and a European-style grüner veltliner. And, as many other wineries in the region do, he relies on natural acid for balance, rather than an additive, which is often required in warmer regions. “It’s all about understanding and respecting your climate to get the best out of your wines,” he says.

farm animals atKyneton Ridge Estate — Curious residents at Kyneton Ridge Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Throughout the Macedon Ranges, there’s a growing focus on sustainability and natural and low-intervention wines, with producers, such as Brian Martin at Hunter Gatherer making waves in regenerative viticulture. Martin previously worked in senior roles at Australia’s largest sparkling winemaking facility, and now applies that expertise and his own nous to natural, hands‑off, wild-fermented wines, including pét‑nat, riesling and pinot noir. “Wild fermentation brings more complexity,” he says. “Instead of introducing one species of yeast, you can have thousands and they add different characteristics to the wine.”

the vineyard at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The estate’s vineyard, where cool-climate grapes are grown. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Most producers also focus on nurturing their grapes in-field and prune and pick by hand, thus avoiding the introduction of impurities and the need to meddle too much in the winery. “The better the quality of the fruit, the less you have to interfere with the natural winemaking process,” says Wood.

Given the small yields, there’s also little room for error, meaning producers place immense focus on quality. “You’re never going to compete in the middle [in a small region] – you’ve got to aim for the top,” says Curly Flat owner Jeni Kolkka. “Big wineries try to do things as fast as possible, but we’re in no rush,” adds Troy Walsh, owner and winemaker at Attwoods. “We don’t use commercial yeasts; everything is hand-harvested and everything is bottled here, so we bottle only when we’re ready, not when a big truck arrives.” That’s why, when you do see a Macedon Ranges product on a restaurant wine list, it’s usually towards the pointy end.

Come for the wine, stay for the food

pouring sauce onto a dish at Lake HouseDaylesford — Dining at Lake House Daylesford is a treat. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

If wine is the quiet achiever of the Macedon Ranges, then food is its not-so-secret weapon. In fact, the area has more hatted restaurants than any other region in Victoria. A pioneer of the area’s gourmet food movement is region cheerleader Alla Wolf-Tasker, culinary icon and founder of Daylesford’s Lake House.

For more than three decades, Wolf-Tasker has championed local producers and helped define what regional fine dining can look like in Australia. Her influence is palpable, not just in the two-hatted Lake House kitchen, but in the broader ethos of the region’s dining scene, as a wave of high-quality restaurants have followed her lead to become true destination diners.

the Midnight Starling restaurant in Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The hatted Midnight Starling restaurant is located in Kyneton. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

It’s easy to eat well, whether at other hatted restaurants, such as Midnight Starling in the quaint town of Kyneton, or at the wineries themselves, like Le Bouchon at Attwoods, where Walsh is inspired by his time working in France in both his food offering and winemaking.

The beauty of dining and wine touring in the Macedon Ranges is that it feels intimate and unhurried. You’re likely to meet the winemaker, hear about the trials of the latest vintage firsthand, and taste wines that never make it to city shelves. And that’s worth getting out of the city for – even if it is just an hour down the road.

Delicate dishes on the menu at Midnight Starling. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the accommodation at Cleveland Estate, Macedon Ranges — Stay at the Cleveland Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Soak up vineyard views from Cleveland Estate near Lancefield, embrace retro charm at Kyneton Springs Motel or indulge in lakeside luxury at the Lake House.

Eating there

Enjoy a four-course menu at the one-hatted Surly Goat in Hepburn Springs, Japanese-inspired fare at Kuzu in Woodend or unpretentious fine dining at Mount Monument, which also has a sculpture park.

Drinking there

wine tasting at PassingClouds Winery, Macedon Ranges — A tasting at Passing Clouds Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Settle in for a tasting at Boomtown in Castlemaine, sample local drops at the cosy Woodend Cellar & Bar or wine-hop around the many cellar doors, such as Passing Clouds.

the Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar signage — Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Playing there

a scenic river in Castlemaine — Idyllic scenes at Castlemaine. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Wander through the seasonal splendour of Forest Glade Gardens, hike to the summit of Hanging Rock, or stroll around the tranquil Sanatorium Lake.

purple flowers hanging from a tree — Purple flowers hanging from a tree. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

One of Australia’s most remote luxury lodges has just reopened