Travel News

4 New Adventures in Australia’s Gold Coast

Locations in this article:  Sydney, Australia

Spa Treatments to Call Your Own

Pick your own herbs for a tea, be a horse whisperer, meditate upon the natural order of the universe: all at Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat. An aboriginal word for “lookout,” Gwinganna was built as an alternative to the indulgences of Gold Coast wining and dining. You can hunker down at Gwinganna, a 20-minute drive from the coastline, in the hinterland in Tallebudgera.

The small retreat caters to 60 people at a time. The spa, on the other hand, has 60 treatment rooms! Chef and Gardner Shelley Pryor ensure that the gardens at Gwinganna produce as much of the organic food prepared for guests as possible. Shelley is happy to walk the gardens with you pulling off leaves of herbs and chomping on them as she hands you some, too.

The no-alcohol, no-caffeine, no-sugar, no-dairy policy at Gwinganna might feel restrictive, but General Manager Sharon Kolkka understands that this isn’t a typical holiday for those booked on the recommended minimum 10-day detoxification retreat. This is a chance to getaway from it all (no cell phone coverage or Wi-Fi service) whilst getting rid of it all (toxins). The Retreat is sustainable and eco-conscious in its practices, and takes its philosophy of detoxification quite seriously.

Although I could have had any one of a number of exotic-named treatments: Sound-Therapy Massage, Dream Weaver Ritual, Yin Yang Ritual, or a Rain Shower Ritual, I enjoyed an 80-minute Tribal Dreaming Treatment. It more than made up for the rigid rules at Gwinganna. Steve, who created the spa treatment, plied me physically but also used “clack” sticks to clear the energy, played the haunting didgeridoo, and painted tribal patterns on me with indigenous mud.

By the time I left Gwinganna I was a mush of wellness. I could only wave goodbye through the mist (OK, downpour of rain) to the kookaburras laughing in the trees and the buff staff of personal trainers lugging my bags to the zero emissions golf cart transport so I could check out at the front desk.

For more unexpected sides to Australia, check out:

By Thea Klapwald for PeterGreenberg.com. Thea Klapwald writes about travel, culture and parenting with a humorous bent. Her work appears regularly in The Wall Street Journal, Westways, and TheResponsibilityProject.com. Her blog is www.awkwardtravelswiththea.wordpress.com.