Haven on earth

Gwinganna's nurturing experience provides respite from life's

Stop the world, I want to get off. Just for a day, so I can catch up with the chores at home, and pay some bills, and plant out the vegetable garden which I have been meaning to do for ages, and...

Actually, a week would be better. To really unwind, get off the treadmill of routine, give myself some time to think about the bigger picture, or not to think at all, some time to start listening to my body, some time to make some changes...

Do you know the feeling? In the fast-paced world we live in, there's just always something to do.

Now, friends of mine had talked of Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat with a knowing and blissed out smile. So when the opportunity came for a week's stay in this Queensland resort, created to "soothe your soul and inspire you towards healthy living", I jumped to it. Went into overdrive. Did two weeks work in one. Delegated everything on the home front. And jumped on a plane to Brisbane.

By the time my limousine taxi had cruised down the highway to Burleigh Heads and turned inland, meandering through the countryside up into the hills to the gates of Gwinganna, I was starting to unwind. Set in 200ha of bush and rainforest, the resort buildings spread out to maximise the space. My spacious villa is decorated with an Eastern feel and, cantilevered out over a billabong, feels miles from anywhere.

It is quiet. Too quiet. I drop my bags and head to the spa complex for a 50-minute aromatic relaxation massage. The last bit of stress is gently eased from me and I purr at the decadence of it all as I slip into my cushy white robe.

Before dinner, I have been booked for a fitness assessment where my posture is analysed. There is also a zinc test - most women are lacking in this - and then mealtime. This is where I get to meet some of the 60 other guests booked in for the week. At my table there's a mother who is escaping her young family for a week; a chap who runs one of Sydney's leading modelling agencies; and two sisters who have decided they want a week of bonding and pampering. Our dinner is near-gourmet standard and incredibly healthy - beautiful fish is served with copious vegetables. For dessert, there's herbal tea.

I head to bed at 8.30pm. So early, but there's really nothing else to do. I lie listening to the night sounds of the bush, my mind racing. I wish I'd come with a friend so we could chat and gossip. And then, I remind myself, I'm here to get away from outside influences and distractions. I'm here to just be me. I fall asleep in anticipation of what the next day will bring.

There is a gentle call at my door at 5.30am. Everyone has been invited for a session of t'ai chi and to watch the sun rise over the distant ocean and shed it's glistening light over the misty valley. Before breakfast, as is the case each day, there is also the option to go for a power walk through the forest and up the steep surrounding hills, take a more gentle walk through the nearby trees and gardens, or join a water activity in the outdoor pool.

Every activity at Gwinganna is divided into the ying (gentle) or the yang (more active) and I am immediately drawn to the yang. I want to get the maximum results, fast. Go hard out, like I do when I workout at home. Interestingly, my equilibrium changes as the days pass and the need to push myself physically diminishes. I'm all yanged out, I decide, and opt for the gentle, more slower walks for the rest of the week. Our guide is Johnny, the resident nature guru, who leads us on more meandering tracks where we stop regularly for Johnny-isms - observations about nature, philosophies on life, even the odd poem. Another morning I join a group for aqua jogging, where laughter outweighs technique.

Each day, the group meets back for breakfast invigorated and ravenous. There is always plenty to eat: fresh fruit, muesli, porridge and a cooked meal - pancakes with berry coulis, scrambled eggs with spinach - and more herbal tea.

As will be the pattern of the week, we all head off after breakfast for a gentle stretch class, before joining an activity which will take us through until morning tea. I find myself in the outdoor pavilion in a yoga class one day, another with tears pouring down my face from laughter as we let loose in the belly dancing/wild women session. My favourite is the tribal dancing as Steve leads us on a journey of free movement inspired by the didgeridoo and world music and the encouragement to "get in touch with our passion, and what sets us free". There's a lesson in alignment taught by a former dance teacher and based on a traditional Japanese technique. Another day, I don't join a class at all and choose instead to float in the cool clear pool with the sun on my face and the knowledge that I am in the right place, at the right time.

After all this activity (and it's amazing how much you can get done if you get up at 5.30am) there's still time for morning tea - gluten-free biscuits, bliss balls, smoothies - and then a talk before lunch. Dr Karen Coates takes a seminar on how to achieve optimum wellness, general manager Sharon Kolkka, who positively radiates with wellbeing, inspires with a discussion about the effects of stress and what we can do to minimise it. Another morning, nutritionalist Caroline shares her advice and Karl Ostrowski gives us tips on the importance of movement and correct posture.

After lunch - one day it's fish and prawns on the barbie, another it's soup, salad and avocado on home-made chilli cornbread - it's Dreamtime. The best time of the day when the focus turns to nurturing the body and soul with treatments at the spa or sessions with the various therapists and experts available. Each individual's experience at Gwinganna is unique. There are those who go purely to pamper and have their nails done, while for others the experience can prove far deeper. As you let go of the day-to-day distractions that fill your life, it can give room for other things to rise to the surface, or fresh new thoughts to explore.

For me I spent time with Nick the naturopath and had an iridology reading. After an in-depth discussion, Caroline the nutritionalist formulates an eating programme designed especially for me and a Transformational Therapy session inspires me to set some exciting new goals in my life.

The biggest stress of the week is trying to pick from a spa menu which has more than 75 different treatments to choose from. I love the sound of Goddess Wisdom training and healing, and the Soul Search reflexology, while just saying Deep Peace Ayurvedic massage makes my body relax.

The practitioners at Gwinganna are all at the forefront of their fields and with each experience I learn more about my physiological and emotional wellbeing. An afternoon spent Tribal Dreaming with dancing teacher Steve adds a spiritual dimension. We walk deep into the forest, where I make an intention about my life, thank the Aboriginal people and burn incense and herbs. Steve and I return to the treatment room where we share tea and discuss tribal symbolism, before he gives me a deep Kahuna bodywork massage and paints my body with ochre clay.

Another highlight is the award-winning Sound and Stone treatment where the more you allow yourself to let go, the greater the experience. The therapist moves and dances around the bed as you are taken on a visual journey through sound and touch. From the busy sounds of an urban street to the gentle ringing out of Tibetan prayer bowls, and the uplifting energy of Spanish guitars my body sinks, deeper and deeper in the bed.

By the end of the week, I am so relaxed it's joyous. I lie in the sun on the balcony of my villa and notice the colourful yellow of the lily pads in the billabong, draw inspiration from the shadowy shapes of the tall trees, and tune in to the sounds of the birds.

I can't stop writing and my diary is overflowing with ideas and new thoughts. Half of me never wants to leave this paradise, the other can't wait to see how all I've discovered and learned will enrich the rest of my life and those I share it with.

* For more information go to gwinganna.com

* Getting there:
Amanda Linnell flew to Brisbane with Air New Zealand. Air New Zealand offers non-stop flights every week from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to Brisbane or from Auckland and Christchurch non-stop to the Gold Coast, with connections available from all around New Zealand. For more information go to airnewzealand.co.nz