Table of contents for WellBeing Wellness Experiences in WellBeing

Dear wellness seeker, Welcome to Wellness Experiences, a magazine dedicated to experiences that will help you rejuvenate your mind and body through travel, adventure, connection and movement. This magazine is filled with features that will inspire you to explore our country and the world, as well as ideas for wellness activities you can undertake on your next vacation to help you find greater health and happiness. Before embarking on a wellness retreat, consider your meals and fluid intake. If your retreat will involve a special diet, it can be a good idea to cut down on refined sugars, alcohol and caffeine for at least one week prior to the retreat to limit any negative side-effects. Most retreats will offer you advice on what to do before you arrive — some…

To travel is to satisfy the soul. Step outside of the confines of your home and you shall see more of the world and more of yourself. Travel with a curious heart and mind and embrace the changes you find in new cultures and regions. To travel is to open yourself up to change and possibility — to see how things could be done differently. Journal on your journey and be still in the moment, relishing all this trip has to offer. The travel you’ll regret most is the trip you never take.…

It’s no secret that the sea holds healing powers. Deśa Retreat is perched on the serene coastline of Jan Juc, near Torquay on the renowned surf coast of Victoria. Here, seekers of yoga, healing, surf breaks, eco stays, classes, courses, workshops and plant-based cuisine are found. THE EXPERIENCE Deśa Retreat offers a range of handcrafted workshops and retreats all year round. They are designed to stir the soul and create positive conscious action that promotes change in the individual long after they leave the stunning retreat surrounds. Reconnect with yourself and align your values with one of the immersive Deśa experiences. One of the most popular and healing experiences at Deśa Retreat is the private retreat. This fully customised experience prioritises your wellness needs with a program that’s all about…

We wake to find the sea awash with translucent jellyfish, as luminous as stars, cast adrift in the millions on a velvety, indigo tide. They swarm the sea off Fitzroy Island, clumsy and graceless in their great, jellyfish dance, bumping each other softly and spiralling away into the deep. My young daughter looks on, transfixed and beaming, leaning over the rail of our sailboat and staring down into the blue. Eventually it becomes all too irresistible to watch from afar, so we take the plunge, flinching and giggling, and paddling through water thick with the jellies that bounce off our masks and slide down our Lycra-clad legs. This euphoric, early morning swim off the Great Barrier Reef’s Fitzroy Island woos me entirely, but it’s not the first time that I’ve…

The historical Hawkesbury has been home to Skippy, Indigenous Australians, colonists and thriving current communities. With abundant eagles, cockatoos, parrots, pelicans, swans, mud crabs, flathead, blackfish and bream, the Hawkesbury’s habitat is surprisingly pristine. You may recall this iconic New South Wales region from shows A Country Practice and Home and Away as well as the movie Oyster Farmer. Author Kate Grenville in her novel Sarah Thornhill paints an evocative picture: “The Hawkesbury was a lovely river, wide and calm, the water dimply green, the cliffs golden in the sun, and white birds roosting in the trees like so much washing. It was a sweet thing of a still morning, the river-oaks whispering and the land standing upside down in the water.” But this 120-kilometre river surrounding Sydney from Broken…

Glowing tangerine and gold as the sun begins to rise, Pildappa Rock takes me completely by surprise. Fringed by weathered walls that flare like cresting waves frozen in time, it calls me to climb, luring me up a gently rising spur of prickly granite. Just four storeys up I reach Pildappa’s lichen-covered summit, undulating and pitted with tiny waterholes called gnammas that cradle sweet, clear rainwater and nurture verdant grasses with delicate white blooms. Clinging precariously to its slopes, eroded boulders shed outer layers of granite like onion skins, and far below my feet is a vast patchwork of farming plots stretches endlessly south. There’s nothing busy about this uplifting sunrise scene. Once buried seven kilometres underground, Pildappa Rock has taken its time to rise from the earth and remains…

Paddling through the shallows, spooking tiny shovel-nosed rays as I go, I am pulled far from the shore by the Dampier Archipelago’s island-studded seascape. Across Mermaid Sound, I glide through Searipple Passage and beach my boat on Dolphin Island to rockhop inland through the spinifex. Beyond the sand where I’ll pitch my tent for the night, rugged piles of fractured ironstone rubble take the place of trees. These precious shards — etched with mesmerising, 47,000-year-old petroglyphs — are part of the largest concentration of ancient Indigenous rock art the world has ever seen. This unlikely outdoor gallery is a stunning find, and on Dolphin Island, I have it entirely to myself. Found right across the Dampier Archipelago’s scatter of 42 coral-fringed isles, and dominating mainland hills too, these petroglyphs preserve…

At first light I’m out the door, rugged up against the tropical winter chill with a towel flung over my shoulder and goggles dangling from my wrist. Within minutes I’m at the water’s edge, unpeeling layers beneath towering fan palms and sliding into the steaming translucent flow of Bitter Springs. My oh-so-dreamy drift dive begins. I lift my feet and float silently, staring up into a dazzling canopy of lime-green palms and watching rainbow bee-eaters hunting on the wing. I slip on my goggles and duck-dive through thermal bubble trails rising from the deep, spooking wide-eyed freshwater turtles and schools of tiny fish with my wayward kicks. The 6am solitude is heavenly enough, but it’s the water — warm, soothing and mineral-rich — that unwinds me to my core, stealing…

It’s the perfect way to spend a chilly winter’s evening: snuggled up around the campfire, feeling cosy and warm, and deep in conversation with a few favourite friends. There’s something delicious in your mug, a soft glow from the fire, and a distinct feeling of contentment among your happy crowd: all of it classic hygge, the distinctly Danish philosophy for living. Pronounced “hoo-gah”, hygge translates as “cosiness of the soul”, and it’s all about relaxing in one happy, shared, indulgent moment. To cultivate hygge, the Danish believe that you need to make time for activities and rituals that connect you with others, awaken and indulge your senses, and make you feel peaceful and content. One of the best places to cultivate hygge is in nature, so in winter, why not…

n 1 the condition or fact of being 2 one’s utmost power, capacity or ability 3 potential or prospective value When you were little, you’d spend your day dreaming of all the wild and wonderful things you were going to do. You’d play make-believe for hours, making mud pies, drawing with chalk on the driveway and laughing as the sprinkler soaked through your clothes. You’d tell friends you were going to be a dolphin trainer, a firefighter, a doctor or a racing-car driver. As a child, the possibilities were as endless as the days. This issue, we encourage you to reignite your childlike mind and revisit a dream you might have let go. As the wonderful Gloria Steinem once said, “Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.” Never stop…

Have you ever joined a gym or planned to start a new fitness program, but struggled to get out of bed on Monday morning when the alarm went off? Then you spent the rest of the day berating yourself and ended up engaging in unhealthy behaviour because of the guilt and self-criticism? Or do you tackle new goals with bucketloads of enthusiasm, but after a few weeks the initial excitement wears off and you find it difficult to maintain your motivation? Have you ever wished that you just had more willpower? Research shows that people who are effective at achieving their goals don’t rely on willpower to resist temptations. They are better at self-regulation than people who struggle to stay motivated. What does self-regulation entail? Self-regulation is the ability to…

Hiking, trekking, bushwalking or tramping — no matter what you call it, going for a walk or climb, far from the madding crowd, is a beautiful way to connect with nature. If you’ve never thought about strapping on some boots and heading bush, there are lots of good reasons why you should. Hiking benefits your mind, body and soul; it rejuvenates the spirit and offers opportunities to build cardio and endurance fitness as well as flexibility. For some, hiking is a way to challenge themselves, and for others a social and fun activity or a way to escape the grind. According to Forests Australia, there are over 134 million hectares of bush to explore. So what are you waiting for? For some, hiking is a way to challenge themselves, and…

Hepburn Springs Bathhouse & Spa is located in the picture-perfect Hepburn Springs in the beautiful Daylesford Macedon Ranges region. Here, dramatic hills are complemented by lush forest and verdant greenery that thrives no doubt due to the natural mineral waters bubbling just beneath the surface. These mineral waters are special to the Central Highlands region and can’t be found anywhere else in Australia. They were first discovered in the mid eighteenth century, when European settlers recognised the benefits of these natural mineral springs. Today, the springs are highly valued by those who seek calm, relaxation and better health. Balneotherapy seekers rejoice; you can find the wellness you need here. With unique mineral springs and abundant natural beauty surrounding it, it’s no wonder that wellness seekers love visiting the Hepburn Bathhouse…

I’m about to escape for three blissful weeks of road tripping when I read a snippet of news that turns my holiday on its head. It’s the latest list of worldwide animal extinctions, and I’m appalled to discover that most of them are ours. Australia — for all our sanctuaries and collective sympathy — has one of the highest animal extinction rates in the world. One in every three mammal extinctions in the last 400 years has happened here. Ironic, isn’t it, given that mammals are so closely entwined with our collective Australian identity? Think koalas, echidnas and the platypus, Tasmanian devils and dunnarts, woylies and wombats: all of them distinctly Australian and all of them at risk. This inescapable truth stalls my self-indulgent holiday plans, so I swap infinity…

AUBERGERE du SOLEIL Luxury could be defined as enjoying unparalleled indulgence while revelling in the true beauty of nature. Guests at the Aubergere du Soleil can experience such magic when they rent out one of the two-bedroom, two-bathroom freestanding private maisons in the heart of the Napa Valley, California. Here, guests can enjoy a rustic yet elegant decor as they lounge about in the king-size bed or warm their toes by the fire — but it’s the bathrooms we truly covet. As well as a generously appointed en suite, the maisons feature a trellised terrace with an outdoor sculpted tub and rain shower that both allow the guest to enjoy uninterrupted valley views. It doesn’t get much more relaxing than that. aubergereresorts.com ROUNDHILL HOTEL AND VILLAS Some vacation destinations are…

Life is a series of experiences, some of which we can control and others which we cannot. Be the master of your next experience and make it about wellness. A wellness experience can give you renewed energy to achieve your health goals. It can expand your mind, challenge your body and connect you with nature, helping you to realign. Plan your next wellness experience this week. Whether it’s a retreat, a day at the spa or simply an at-home beauty ritual, make the time to schedule this in. Prioritise your self-care experience and enjoy every single minute of it.…

Take a deep breath of fresh sea air and let it fill your lungs. Close your eyes as the golden rays of the sun reach out over the Pacific Ocean and warm your body from your toes, buried in the sand, all the way up to your face. Wellness is in the air here at Noosa — and you’re invited. Peace is a state of mind easy to find in Noosa. Whether you’re relaxing on one of the many heavenly beaches, exploring the verdant natural surrounds or engaging in a meditative or invigorating activity, there’s plenty of things to see and do to help you not only enjoy a holiday, but achieve wellbeing. Start your day with an outdoor yoga session with Noosa Beach Yoga. Move and stretch your body…

I have finally arrived. I take a deep breath in and look around. The waves at Mollymook beach are gently breaking against the rocks, the sun is shimmering on the water and I spot an eagle soaring through the pink sky. I take another deep breath in and this time, I arrive in my mind. I reflect on the planning it took to make this two-day wellness stay in Shoalhaven happen. My toddler is with his doting grandparents, my work schedule is clear and my phone is turned off. I have officially clocked off all duties. It’s time to soak up everything this self-curated getaway has to offer in one of Australia’s most untouched wellness regions. Finding focus First up, I head to Life Centre Holistic Health in Bewong for…

Downstream of Mertens Falls where a shady patch of rainforest cools the trail, rock art glimpsed by chance lures us unexpectedly off track. We wade and rockhop with backpacks and boots held overhead to come face to face with a long-extinct thylacine, etched in vibrant red and yellow ochre on hidden, overhung rock. A vibrant battle scene colours the rock face too, and its intricate, 30,000-year-old details mesmerise us as we float in the perfect plunge pool at its base, gazing upwards in the most surreal of art galleries. We’re on the trail to Mitchell Falls, a magical, four-tiered beauty which is quite literally the high point for all dusty road trippers who ride the rugged Gibb River Road to reach this remote bastion of wilderness in the Kimberley’s far…

v 1 to go from place to place without purpose or direction 2 to travel purposefully unhindered through a wide area Lao Tzu once wrote, “A good traveller has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” We couldn’t agree with the Taoist master more! It’s time to toss away your itinerary and ramble, rove and roam wherever you’re called to go. Travelling is one of life’s greatest treasures and comes in many forms. You can travel physically to another state or country, you can travel mentally through the words of a book, or you can travel in your own imagination. Drift through the meandering laneways of a coastal village; float over the Aegean Sea on a boat with some new friends; wander the streets of an unfamiliar city…

A sound therapy retreat is an experience like no other. Soothe your soul and relax your mind with the power of music, from gongs to singing bowls to drums and bells. The resonance and vibrations felt during a sound therapy session have the power to help release tension and blocks in the body, allowing you to connect with your life force and truly be your best authentic, loving self. This practise began in ancient Tibetan and Himalayan cultures, where Tibetan singing bowls were struck during spiritual and healing ceremonies. Further studies into sound therapy continued in the mid 20th Century in the 1960s, when an English osteopath named Sir Peter Guy Manners conducted research into the effectiveness of audible voice frequency in several different treatments. He believed that his sound…

Aided by the internet’s ability to direct us anywhere at the click of an app, we’re on the hunt for flowers. Not a bouquet — a field. Beyond every elbow of the New England Highway a new vista emerges to delight us. Green fields to infinity and lazy hills roll away amid splashes of purple Paterson’s curse, tractors, horses, cows and tiny towns that pass like a gasp. A boon of our self-guided flower trail is the joy of being out in the country, travelling someplace we’ve never been within our own vast land. There’s also the smiles our money — spent at shops, farms and on accommodation — brings to struggling towns affected by flood, drought and COVID-19 restrictions. Sunflower gold In January, a different type of gold is…

When you’re looking for a vacation in the wellness space, chances are you’ll come across the word detox. A detox vacation is a great way to cleanse the body and the mind, leaving you revitalised, recharged and ready to perform at your peak. It can help your system to function more efficiently and handle the everyday stresses and toxins you’re exposed to with greater ease once you return home. “A detox vacation, whether focused on alcohol or other dietary elements like sugar, can provide several benefits for individuals looking to improve their overall wellbeing,” Eugenie Pepper, psychotherapist from Key Mindfulness in Randwick, says. “I regularly do a reboot and help my clients to do so too. It is a great way to reset and actually see benefits.” Another benefit of…

Some wellness destinations need no introduction — their reputation precedes them. That’s certainly the case at Elements of Byron, a retreat with an absolute beachfront location that epitomises the concept of barefoot luxury. Visitors to Elements can enjoy four unique ecologies during their stay, with rainforest, dunal, wetland and eucalypt environments all within the site’s borders. In addition to the two kilometres of absolute beachfront, the property abuts Belongil Creek, a tidal tea tree estuary home to a range of rare and endangered nesting shore birds. THE EXPERIENCE Built on a legacy of holistic and mindful living, combined with highly qualified professionals and state of the art facilities, Byron Bay wellness is alive. Elements of Byron introduces an inclusive approach to wellness, one that challenges the confines and rigid structure…

It’s not at all difficult to fall in love with Lizard Island’s coral-fringed curls of sand and the cornflower-blue bays that beckon snorkellers under the sea. Travel writers and reef lovers besotted with this tropical isle call it idyllic and wild, and while Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is littered with such beauties (some far more verdant and with coral reefs in much better shape), the allure of Lizard Island lies in its being so very far away. Reaching its national park-protected shores is an adventure in itself, ensuring very few people converge on Lizard’s 24 shimmering white sand beaches at any one time. Those who do make the journey — by plane, charter boat or private yacht — amount to an incongruous bunch of castaways: five-star resort guests, adventurous grotty…

Breath is a powerful tool. In yoga philosophy, prana, the Sanskrit word for life force, has become synonymous with breath because it is the physical manifestation of our prana. When we breathe in, we take in prana that flows through our body. Although breath comes naturally to us, we are able to control and improve the quality of it and, as an extension, control the vital energy within and around us. This is why pranayama (breath and control) is such an essential part of daily yoga and meditation practices. You can practice pranayama wherever you are. In fact, try this simple breath exercise now. Breathe in through the nose for four seconds Hold for seven Exhale through the mouth for eight seconds Repeat this four times. Picture the worry, stress…

Stillness can arrive at any moment. It can be welcomed through an awareness of mind, experienced between thoughts or cultivated from a deep place of reflection. Stillness can also appear seemingly out of nowhere. You might experience a rush of stillness as the rain starts to fall, after a long exhalation or as you drift out of the thinking mind. No matter how you reach stillness, try to prolong those periods; it is there that your deepest rest will come. Invite moments of stillness into your life as much as you can, whether that be through a breathing or meditation practice, a spa or retreat experience or a dive in the ocean. Stillness of mind and body will be your tool for an integrated, mindful and conscious life. Seek and…

As far west as you can get on Australia’s mainland, in a place so thirsty it has to make its own water, a stunning marine wilderness flourishes. World heritage listed and wild, with overlapping marine and coastal sanctuaries that safeguard 10 per cent of the world’s dugongs, more than 6000 loggerhead and green sea turtles and wild Monkey Mia dolphins, Shark Bay’s credentials are phenomenal. But what takes your breath away, long before the wildlife encounters begin, are the gin-clear lagoons and opalescent seas that wash over cockle shell beaches and carve shell middens from arcing crimson dunes. By anyone’s imagining this place is remote. It’s hot and dry and incredibly far away, but that’s precisely why I’ve come, to paddle a sea kayak from Denham to Monkey Mia and…

There are many things to discuss at the end of a long hike over northeastern Tasmania, but our group of 10 urban trekkers is seated in a circle of reflective silence. Clyde Mansell, one of the Aboriginal visionaries behind the wukalina Walk, is telling a story. It’s the story of his people — the traditional custodians of the land over which we have roamed for four days — and the decades-long campaign to create the very first Tasmanian tourism venture initiated by the Aboriginal community. “The creation story has been handed down for thousands of years, but anybody who knows Tasmanian history knows that our ancestors were removed from country,” Mansell says. “It took about 27 years for a cultural structure that had existed on country for at least 60,000…