Remote Kimberley luxury lodge to reopen with a new look

When it reopens for its 2026 season, the Berkeley River Lodge will have an all-new look to entice visitors to its remote and stunning location, 150 kilometres outside Kununurra in Western Australia’s Kimberley. That’s when its three-year renovation will be complete and unveiled.

But the lodge did have great bones to begin with. About 15 years ago, the Broome-based Peirson-Jones patriarch and matriarch, Martin and Kim Peirson-Jones, identified a gap in the Australian tourism market for such a luxurious retreat. The couple got their hands dirty, physically building Berkeley River Lodge (in collaboration with Indigenous owners) overlooking the Timor Sea in a picturesque spot on Balanggarra Country near the Berkeley River. Despite only being accessible via private airstrip when it opened in 2012, the exclusive, high-end retreat was an instant hit, winning Australia’s Best Accommodation Hotel at the Australian Hotel’s Association National Awards for Excellence just a few years after.

But since opening, fewer than 14,000 people have experienced it – there is capacity for only 36 guests at any one time and only 400 packages available in 2026.

It was bought by Saltwater Hotels and Resorts in 2016 to add to its suite of properties that include villas, apartments and other accommodation in snowfields, coastal holiday spots and boutique buildings in inner-Melbourne. It then spent three off-seasons delivering substantial changes to the Kimberley property.

When guests are welcomed back at the start of a four-month season on May 1, 2026, the upgrades will include new interior floors, villa balcony decking, pool decking and screens around open-air en suites.

Interiors will have new colour palettes and furniture via a design that draws inspiration from the surrounding land and seascape.

The included menu of experiences has also been expanded. It already offers plenty of ways to experience the wonders of one of the world’s great wildernesses such as a cruise on the Berkeley River, safari drive, rock art hike and Berkeley River fishing trip.

These activities are now joined by morning poolside yoga, Pilates, and stretch and breath work sessions.

The Barefoot Barbecue is another new experience, adding to a culinary offering that includes breakfasts, lunches, two degustation evenings and two three-course dinners paired with international wines at the onsite Dunes Restaurant.

“We will also grow more herbs and vegetables on site, in addition to composting initiatives and re-establishing Australia’s most remote chicken pen,” says the lodge’s general manager Hannah Wark.

Stays at Berkeley River Lodge are for five nights and are all-inclusive with return transfers part of the package. In 2026, Berkeley River Lodge will introduce return flight transfers from Darwin in addition to the existing transfers from Perth, providing east coast travellers with same-day connectivity.

In 2026, the five-night all-inclusive package will cost $9875 a person twin share for stays between May and August.

See berkeleyriverlodge.com.au