Australia's Best Eco-Luxe Wellness Retreats

To get a sense of what Soma Byron Bay is, it’s important to stress what it’s not. It’s not a fancy resort with a spa, a swim-up bar and morning yoga if you’re not too hungover; nor is it a field of tepees with herbal tinctures and uninhibited tribal dancing. It’s a stylish, purpose-built, well-considered sanctuary where exhausted bodies can heal, busy minds can dial down the noise and pretty much everybody can learn a new way to navigate life.

Set on nine hectares of rainforest in the Byron Bay hinterland, the eco-friendly retreat has 10 rooms (all with ensuites and views) in the main house, a separate tripleshare “forest abode”, a freshwater infinity pool, an infrared sauna, plus massage and Ayurvedic treatment rooms. Plant-based meals are taken at a seven-metre-long communal dining table, stories are shared around a big firepit, and yoga and Vedic meditation are practised in a striking domed shala in the forest.

Soma was founded by mindfulness expert and meditation master teacher Gary Gorrow and his former student, Peter Ostick, a once-burned-out media and technology wunderkind who says he was literally saved by the process. Ostick joined forces with Gorrow (who is also an Ayurvedic health coach) and Soma was born.

Courses include detoxifying cleanses, intensive personal-growth retreats that are designed to “transform your career, business, health and life purpose” and a four day program of yoga, movement and breathwork led by master teachers. The retreats have a non-residential option so you can stay somewhere else and still find peace at Soma.

A weird – but also weirdly natural – thing happens when you struggle to get enough sleep. Tired, cranky and often desperate, by day you reach for the very stimulants that are likely keeping you awake at night: caffeine and high-energy foods. If breaking that toxic cycle was easy, we’d all be fresh-faced, focused, unflappable and have extremely long fuses. But it’s not that simple so the folks at Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat in the Gold Coast hinterland created the “Triple S” – Sleep, Sugar, Stress program.

There have been countless studies about the importance of a good night’s shut eye (seven to nine hours for most of us) and all reached the same conclusion: we really need it. According to a 2021 report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, nearly half of all Australian adults had at least two sleep-related problems. “Getting too much or too little sleep is associated with an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, obesity and death,” the report claimed.

Gwinganna’s five-night program not only includes seminars about the bad habits that affect your sleeping patterns – and the value of bedtime rituals – but also a massage, a facial and delicious, organic, gluten-free meals (since the aim of this program is to calm the nervous system, caffeine and alcohol are no-nos). Add to that free time to relax and breathe and the naturally soporific effect of going to bed in the quiet comfort of a subtropical haven. By day six, you should be waking up to yourself (as distinct from the exhausted person you used to be). 

Surrounded by Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park and set beside the sparkling Indian Ocean on the edge of Margaret River wine country, the beachfront villas at Injidup Spa Retreat are all about experiencing the great outdoors in high-end comfort. Each of the 10 adults-only villas comes with a private plunge pool and is mere steps from secluded Injidup Beach, which means watching the sunset each evening is a breeze. The on-site day spa offers an extensive range of massages and treatments, including a 90 minute Restore & Balance Journey for couples featuring a glass of sparkling, fresh fruits, luxurious bath and 60 minute massage.

Formerly known as Golden Door, this retreat in the Hunter Valley is Australia’s largest and that’s reflected in its wide-ranging daily schedules. Clear your mind and join the grazing kangaroos for morning tai chi as the sun’s rays hit the property’s highest point before diving into a program of empowering seminars and up to 21 activities, be it meditation or water polo. Or simply relax and be pampered in the day spa. All meals are prepared without red meat, sugar, salt or saturated fat and the retreat is also alcohol- and caffeine-free so it’s easy to enjoy a restorative night’s sleep no matter how much wellness you cram into each day.

Spread over eight hectares in the subtropical Byron Bay hinterland, Gaia Retreat & Spa attracts international celebrities while remaining unpretentious and chilled – “barefoot meets Armani” in the words of its co-founder, Olivia Newton-John. The holistic healing approach means you can do your morning yoga on scenic Samira Lookout, train at the gym, take organic food cooking classes with the resort’s award-winning chefs or simply bliss-out at the day spa with its array of pampering and massage treatments. Try the divine Royal Kahuna, a Hawaiian healing ritual involving breath work and a rhythmic deep-tissue massage. Or take it up a notch in a high-energy dance fitness class soundtracked by legendary divas including ONJ herself. 

Serene gardens designed for contemplation, healthy meals delivered to upmarket suites and a menu of bespoke treatments targeting body and mind means Samadhi has every aspect of Zen covered. An East-meets-West sanctuary with private accommodation designed according to feng shui principles, this multi-award-winning, ultra-boutique retreat is all about helping you find an antidote to the stresses of city life through holistic healing. Mindfulness is at the core of one-on-one sessions covering meditation, qi gong and yoga, while the spa is all about pure indulgence. 

The loss of phone service as you follow Currumbin Creek Road towards the gates to Eden Health Retreat is a good indication of what lies ahead. There are no TVs, no computers and no mobile reception at this Hamptons-style estate next to Springbrook National Park in the Gold Coast hinterland. Stress and cravings are soothed by the swathe of green outside your room and a daily timetable of activities (revealed only the night before) and spa treatments. For some, morning yoga and a day spent reading by the pool will suffice. Others will give everything a go, from pottery and sound bowl healing to flying down a 200-metre zipline after slathering themselves in therapeutic mud. Meals are gluten-free and satisfying. 

The first thing you realise on checking in at this 30-year-old retreat is that your health – physical and mental – is the top priority. It’s why some guests are back for their 10th, 15th, even 20th stay. After a consultation with a naturopath to set your personal road map, you have permission to put yourself first. While guidelines frame everything (for instance, you’ll be advised when to drink water before and after meals) and twice-daily steam baths are prescribed to sweat out toxins, it’s your choice whether you subsist on juice and broth for a seven-day cleanse or choose to enjoy the on-site walking trails, pool and massages. The food is a highlight and even the dedicated weight loss program has a focus on education, with cooking demonstrations and nightly lectures ranging from nutrition to alkalising. 

The wellness-seekers of 1895 flocked to Hepburn Bathhouse when it first opened and the mineral-rich waters of central Victoria continue to exert a magnetic pull. The retreat now boasts the accoutrements of the modern age with plenty of spa treatments but the 90-minute Sanctuary Mineral Bathing experience remains the core proposition. Laze your way through the warm waters, from the soothing saltwater pool to the invigorating jets of the spa lounge pool, before a visit to the steamy Turkish-style hammam. Staying for the night? Each villa is equipped with a giant marble bathtub and mineral bathing salts to continue the aqua soothing, along with a gas log fire and sumptuous faux-fur throws to cosy up. 

It’s hard to imagine a more ideal setting for winding down and connecting with nature than the yoga studio at eco-friendly Billabong Retreat. This spacious bamboo-floored pavilion has a vaulted ceiling and one entire side is sliding glass doors that reveal a glorious valley view and a billabong covered in lotus flowers. Relaxation is guaranteed as you cycle through your asanas or learn the calming techniques of pranayama breathing to a soundtrack of wind in the trees and the melodic trill of an estimated 40 species of native birds. Prime your body for the next session with a visit to the on-site day spa or by relaxing in the soothing magnesium pool. 

Take your chance to chat to staff when you arrive at this Blue Mountains retreat; after that you’ll be in complete silence for one, two, three or 10 days. Using Vipassana meditation, guests aim to achieve self-transformation through self-observation, breath control and 10 hours of meditation daily. The facilities are spartan and the course is intense but those who stick with it are likely to be rewarded with a newfound sense of perspective and gratitude.

Usually a stay at Spicers Tamarind – nestled in the Sunshine Coast hinterland – involves languid, multi-course meals in its hatted restaurant, treatments at the day spa and perhaps a stint behind the pans at the cooking school. Ingeniously, things are much the same during the property’s new two-night wellness getaways, with the addition of masterclasses on conscious consumption, meditation, fire ceremonies and Kundalini yoga. Facilitated by leadership expert Rachel O’Brien, the program centres on self-care with nothing – even caffeine, wine and dessert – off limits.

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