TREAT YOURSELF
Seek ultimate relaxation on your hard earned days off by booking into a retreat. Whether it is by yourself, with your family or with a loved one – a wellness and health retreat is the perfect way to nourish your health and wellbeing. With most retreats scattered in remote locations, surrounded by nature and with a secluded sense of serenity, there is bound to be one near you.
We have done the hard yards for you, and found these retreats:
The Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat offers a space to breathe, relax and nourish your body and spirit, located in the Gold Coast Hinterlands. The retreat offers innovative wellness programs with a selection of activities, tips and wellness seminars on how to live a healthier life and reduce stress. Choose from a two-day wellness weekend through to the full seven-day detox, or combine retreats for an extended stay. Men’s retreats are also available at Gwinganna.
KalyaaNa Spa and Wellness Retreat, located in Bridgetown, Western Australia, has a philosophy to provide a holistic balanced approach to fitness, health and wellbeing. The award-winning retreat has bragging rights as number one in Western Australia’s Top 10 Spa and Health Experiences. Health and wellness retreats are aimed at strengthening your vitality, providing mental, physical and spiritual relaxation, and they offer custom retreats taylored around your specific needs and desires.
The Gaia Retreat, nestled in the hinterland region of Byron Bay, New South Wales, offers packages just for blokes. Their Gaia Man spa packages includes 4.5 hours of massages, skin and body treatments, and pure relaxation. Whether your intention to lose weight, detoxify, de-stress or get fit, the retreat provides an indulgent and peaceful haven to achieve your goals.
FAMILY TIME
When you are away for weeks at a time, no one misses you more than your family. Chances are there is a calendar somewhere with numbers scrawled in the boxes, counting down the days until you arrive. As usual, the time spent away from family always seems to drag, and the time spent with your loved ones speed by.
After the tiny arms are pried away from around your neck and the welcome home cuddles are over, there is no better way to spend time with loved ones with some good old fashioned fun.
Whether it be your children, your siblings, nieces and nephews or close friends, soaking up quality family time on your days off is worth every second.
Top ideas for family fun: Whether you are lucky enough to be breathing that coastal air at home, or even just a short drive, a day at the beach is ideal for catching up with the family. Pack a picnic, cast out a line and try your luck catching some dinner, and soak up the sun with a splash among the waves.
Australia has some of the best theme parks in the world, and they are perfect for a family outing with something to excite those of all ages. The Gold Coast is always a favourite, home to five of the wildest and fun theme parks in the country.
Become one with the wildlife at a zoo near you. The kids will absolutely love feeding a koala, petting a giraffe and admiring some of the world’s coolest animals. Most capital cities have a zoo, with the Australia Zoo (Sunshine Coast, QLD), Dubbo Zoo (Dubbo, NSW), Taronga Zoo (Sydney, NSW), Melbourne Zoo (Melbourne, VIC) and Perth Zoo (Perth, WA) as our top picks.
Check out the local newspaper for familyfriendly activities – chances are there will be a festival, fete, markets or even an outdoor movie screening in your area.
Go sightseeing in your town. Whether you live in a small country town, or in the big city, there will always be something new to explore. Pack a picnic, or sizzle up some snags on a barbecue at a local park, creek or lake.
STAY AT HOME
Often, retreats and outdoor adventures tend to exhaust people, rather than relax them. Sometimes, the best way to relax is to not leave the house and just soak in some much-needed ‘me’ time. There is no shortage of de-stress activities in your own home:
Disconnect
Turn off your phone, unplug the TV and if the mood suits, ditch the lights and let the candles burn bright. Take time without technology to read a book, do something you have always wanted to do (such as, learn to play guitar).
Bubbles
To completely indulge yourself in the comfort of your own home, nothing is better than a warm bath, with bubbles and a book to boot. Dig out your old CDs to set the soundtrack to a relaxing few hours soaking away stress.
Breathe deep
Clear some space in the lounge room for a touch of yoga or meditation. Meditation is the art of focusing 100 per cent of your attention to one area – with health benefits including increased concentration, decreased anxiety, and a general feeling of happiness.
GET ACTIVE
Sometimes the best way to really recharge your batteries after a long tiring shift away at work, is to get your heart racing and adrenalin pumping. While you can go for a jog, pick up some weights at the gym or go for a long, vigorous hike, we have found some fun alternatives to get you going:
Treeto p Challenge
Hang out among the tree tops in Australia’s first Adventure Theme Park, located at Mt Tamborine, on the Gold Coast, or at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. At Mt Tamborine, there are more than 100 adrenalin-pumping challenge spread over six courses, spanning through nine acres of natural bushland. The Currumbin course features 80 challenges, ziplining along a flying fox above a croc-infested creek. The challenges will see you walking along a tightrope 30m above the ground, swinging Tarzan-style from tree to tree, and climbing from tree to tree – and is sure to get your heart racing.
White Water Rafting
Nothing gets the blood pumping like racing down white rapids in an inflatable raft. Take in the nature around you, as you bounce around the raft and steer yourself around huge boulders in the water – while it may seem like a leisurely river cruise, there is nothing easy about white water rafting. One of Australia’s best rafting locations is in Tully, North Queensland, where you are guided down the mighty Tully River. The rapids in Tully are a favourite with tourists and locals alike, who also get a chance to float down the rapids, glide underneath waterfalls and every now and then, bounce out into the rapids over a high cliff. Penrith (NSW), Hinnomunjie (VIC) and Glaziers Bay (TAS) also offer spectacular white water rafting experiences.
Skirmish
Get a group of friends and family together, and splatter each other with a rainbow of paint. Skirmish is not only a great way to team-build and bond, but it is a fun way to get outside and get the adrenalin pumping. Don camouflage and dart around the battlefield avoiding the painful sting of being struck by a paintball from the enemy. Experience the rush and exhilaration of the battle with special effects, forts, trenches and obstacles, and release the stresses and tension of work. If paintball skirmish isn’t your thing, try laser skirmish for an equally fun and family friendly experience.
Fitness Retreat
For a workout like no other, head to a fitness retreat. The Chiltern Lodge, located in the Manning Valley, NSW, offers health and fitness retreats, aimed at making participants sweat it out in a tranquil bushland setting. Fitness packages are available and includes a personal mentor, passionate about helping people reach their fitness goals. Retreats also include healthy food and snacks, and training tailored to your fitness needs. Learn to eat well, exercise and be healthy in beautiful natural surrounds. If the Chiltern Lodge is too far – participate in a local boot camp to get your heart racing.
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