Looking for a tranquil sanctuary where you can escape from the stresses of modern life?
With a focus on holistic healing, wellness retreats are a chance to relax, reconnect, recuperate and rejuvenate. Australia has some internationally awarded luxe retreat offerings as well more unique, boutique wellness escapes.Â
Looking for all-inclusive packages focused on health concerns such as stress, weight-loss, detoxing, or specific health and fitness goals or something more unique, offering true transformation when you walk out the door?
Queensland and Northern NSW is the hot spot for some of Australia’s most well-known wellness retreats, but we have searched further afield and discovered a range of options for all budgets and wellness goals.
Some wellness retreats will take you out of your comfort zone, challenge the way you think and offer personal growth you may not even expect!
Whether you prefer a rigid or relaxed approach to your retreat days, lots of free time or a timetable packed full of wellness offerings, there is something for everyone in our best wellness retreats in Australia list.
Booking a wellness retreat for a weekend (or longer!) is truly a gift to your mind, body and soul.
1. Eden Health Retreat
Nestled deep within the breathtaking Gold Coast hinterland of Currumbin Valley, it is impossible not to discover the magic of disconnecting from daily life and connecting with nature at Eden Health Retreat.
Enjoy a stunning range of powerful healing therapies, beauty treatments, and personalised health and wellness programs. Heal your body from within, with standout wholesome food mindfully created by their team of chefs. Rest, relax and recharge in their luxurious lodges, overlooking breathtaking views of Currumbin Valley.Â
Eden offers an unforgettable five-star luxury experience where you can connect with nature, pause and reset and return home inspired and enlightened.
2. Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat
Gwinganna is Australia’s most decorated wellness retreat including winner of Best Eco Retreat and Best Wellness Retreat at the Spa&Wellness Awards. Set in the beautiful hinterland over looking the stunning Tallebudgera Valley and sparkling Gold Coast, it is not just an experience, but an education as well.
Do not let the Eco-tourism Certification fool you to thinking it is void of luxury or state-of-the-art facilities. It’s bursting with both. And the programs vary from DNA testing to equine therapy and everything in between.
Let food be thy medicine is not just a mantra, but the premise of the daily menu. Every meal is designed with healing in mind.
And the Spa! Set among the tall gum trees, it has the most comprehensive spa menu ever. From the usual suspects to EFT and spiritual awakening.
A stay at Gwinganna combines organic living, spa, movement and relaxation with delicious nutritious food and vital wellness seminars in a dedicated low tech environment. This is an Australian retreat experience you don’t want to miss out on.
3. Gaia Retreat
Surrender to the beauty of this boutique lifestyle wellness retreat nestled on 25 acres in the breathtaking Bundjalung Country, the hinterland of Byron Bay –Â often referred to as the healing heartland of Australia.
You have complete freedom of choice and flexibility to tailor and personalise your experience. Check in any day, select an accommodation retreat package that suits, choose from a wide range of holistic specialised Day Spa treatments and let Gaia’s exceptional team of wellness professionals offer sage advice and a diverse range of inspiring revitalising activities and services for you to enjoy.
At Gaia Retreat the focus is on your wellbeing in an oasis of rest, replenishment and rejuvenation.
4. Elysia Wellness Retreat
Just one hour drive from the hustle and bustle of Sydney, Elysia is set in stunning Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, surrounded by rolling hills, vineyards and abundant wildlife.
Pop away for a weekend recharge or stay for a week (or two!). The accommodation is spacious, the views spectacular, the food delicious and nutrient-dense, and you can do as little or as much as you want.
A memorable start to your day is  tai chi atop Meditation Hill, or enjoy a walk through bushland alone or with your fellow retreaters. Injected into your day you can choose from over fifty therapies and treatments at the Elysia Day Spa to work in with your own personal wellness goals.
There is plenty of free time to go for walks and talks, play tennis, or simply spend time in the spacious villas or by the retreat pool. Don’t miss their wellness workshops with lots of health inspiration to take home.
It’s perfect the mother and daughter, or friends wellness getaway – just try and avoid the local vineyards if you want a true detox!
5. Soma
Soma, is a stunning property 10 minutes from Byron Bay in Northern NSW. You can book one of Soma’s in-house retreats but it’s also available at times for take overs of this entire 10-bedroom luxurious hideaway, complete with chef who specialises in Ayurvedic Cuisine.
Soma’s luxury retreats unites ancient wisdom with contemporary space. Co-founders Gary Gorrow and Peter Ostick offer a powerful blend of widespread knowledge and teachings in Vedic Meditation, Ayurvedic health, mindfulness, higher consciousness and well-being.
Guests who attend a luxury retreat at Soma can expect more than a relaxing escape. Their retreats offer complete immersion into mindfulness practices, delving into ancient and modern teachings to reach deep enlightenment, balance, and vitality.
Soma’s Retreats focus on treating the body as a whole from inside out, taking guests on an unforgettable wellness journey which makes Soma retreats truly unique.
6. Samadhi
Samdhi is nestled in the Daylesford & Macedon Ranges region, a short drive from the healing waters of Hepburn Springs in Victoria. It offers luxury accommodation, healing treatments, meditation and a wide range of wellness workshops and gourmet cuisine.Â
If you are looking for a bespoke retreat, Samdhi’s Wellness Retreat Programs are holistically designed healthy holidays within an environment curated for healing.
A true sanctuary in an environment purpose-built for healing, personal reflection and self-discovery, you can choose from exclusively designed 2,3, 4 or 7 night retreats.
The wellness retreat offerings are programs to help to energise, nurture and transform. Embark on a healing journey to wholeness, inner peace and self mastery which you can share with like minded others, embracing the joy of community connection.
To compliment your retreat experience, enjoy peace and tranquility within their Feng Shui-designed wellness sanctuary nestled in lush gardens and a purpose-built forest. Here they offer a comprehensive and integrated menu of well-being and beauty therapies.
7. Wild Wellness
​​Feeling anxious or burnt out? Not connecting with your true self but too busy to notice? Wild Wellness is about hopping off life’s highway, examining limiting beliefs and tapping into what matters. This isn’t a few-day fix but a lasting recalibration.
The Wild Wellness Method is an Australian first – a merging of wellness professionals, decades of experience and global thought leaders – delivered through retreats, Tasmanian Walking Company partnered walks and online courses.Â
Founder Alice Hansen and her team take no ordinary approach, with their retreats benefitting both those dipping a toe into improved wellness through to individuals ready to create massive life shifts.Â
Their retreats are for anyone looking to optimise their wellness through a science-backed, wholistic approach. They also offer alcohol-free retreats designed specifically for those who’d like to shift their relationship with alcohol.
Wild Wellness is based on 3 Pillars: connection, care and commitment. Think ocean plunges, practitioner-led fireside sessions, powerful journaling and guided breathwork served up with nourishing Tassie fare.Â
Their team spans a cold water guru trained by Wim Hof himself, doctors, psychologists, mindset coaches, an NLP Master Practitioner, authors, yoga instructors, personal trainers and more.
If you are seeking an antidote to modern life stress, these retreat experiences in nature are about a lasting life recalibration.
8. Billabong Retreat
Billabong Retreat is great short stay retreat getaway for Sydney-siders that caters for all budgets, offering mixed accomodations ranging form shared cottages to deluxe cabins overlooking Australian bush and the billabong below.
With a focus on yoga, meditation, mindfulness and nutrition programs, their retreat offerings are inspired by ancient wisdom and grounded in modern science.
Just 45 minutes drive from Sydney, their themed retreats lasting from 2-4 days, can assist with stress management, physical strength and flexibility, addictions, mindful leadership, gut health, emotional intelligence, increased longevity, successful relationships, disease avoidance but perhaps most of all, cultivating peace of mind and happiness.
Many people stay longer and choose to back to back packages. Therapies offered at their spa include massage, facials and reiki, plus private consultations in yoga, meditation, mindfulness, hypnotherapy and kinesiology.
One of the longest operating retreats in Australia, Billabong is an eco-retreat that has a relaxed and intimate environment perfect for a solo escape or a relaxing weekend for a group of friends.
9. Harmony Hill
Harmony Hill Retreat is nestled in Tasmania’s beautiful bushland in the tranquil southern mountains. A small wellness retreat with only three guests each week, this retreat is for those seeking the ultimate in pampering and relaxation.Â
One of Australia’s premier mental health retreats, the focus is on your healing and stress relief. Relax and relieve stress in your own private villa with a mountain view and spa bath.
Each day includes daily guided meditations, sessions of healing and natural therapy treatments such as Ayurveda, Moxa, Sound Healing, Quantum Healing, Chakra Healing, Organic Facial Treatments, and Body Detox.
Packages include weekend couples retreats, 5 night stress release and 6 night detox retreats.
Wondering what the difference is between a wellness and rehabilitation retreat? Discover HERE.
Discover more wellness retreats HERE
