Checking into Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat for a two-night Wellness Weekend, Karryon founder Matt Leedham sat down with Retreat Sales Manager Matt duBois to uncover the magic and the enduring pull behind this uniquely Australian sanctuary.
Perched high in the Gold Coast hinterland and set on 500 lush acres, Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat is unlike any hotel, spa, or resort I’ve stayed in before. It’s not just about massages, saunas or delicious organic food. This place operates on an entirely different rhythm, one that strips away the noise of modern life and invites you to reconnect with yourself.
Sitting down with Gwinganna’s Retreat Sales Manager, Matt duBois, to find out more, it became evident why the retreat has not only survived but thrived over nearly two decades.
duBois is himself well-travelled in the industry, having spent 27 years in the field, working at Corporate Traveller, Helloworld, Contiki, AAT Kings, and Anzacro, to name a few.
As duBois notes, guests don’t just come here once; they come back again and again.
“Repeat guests make up around 60 per cent of any given program, which is an incredibly high number for a retreat,” duBois explained. “One of our guests has been 67 times, another 47 times. You put 67 times into 20 years… It’s a different number.”
What is it, then, that’s in the air (or maybe the water) here that keeps people coming back for more?
To start, the day at Gwinganna doesn’t begin with alarms, coffee, or a breakfast buffet. It begins with the sun.
“The day begins with Qigong at 0600, to re-engage our body and minds energy, allow the blood to flow and the neural pathways to engage. We follow the circadian rhythm which follows the sun: awaken with sunrise, lean into the day, rest around midday, re-engage and slow down toward the afternoon, rest after the sun sets. The gentle Qigong session is about half an hour. You’ll then enjoy a yin (gentle) or yang (more engaging) exercise until eight o’clock [choose from a leisurely or energetic walk, for example]. Breakfast is at eight, lunch is always 12:30, dinner six o’clock.”
In between, guests choose from activities including walks, yoga, pilates, talks, swims in the two pools, downtime, or one of over 100 different therapies, ranging from massage to immersive experiences and technologies, aromatherapy, spa, equine therapy, physical, emotional, stress-related wellbeing, personal coaching or mind mapping. It’s important to note that this is all optional. You will receive an included massage with your reservation, and additional therapies are available at your discretion and at an additional cost.
However you choose to spend your day is guilt-free, outside standard meal times and take time for yourself.
The best part? You don’t plan any of it.
“At breakfast, your seat presents your name and another tag advising which therapies or treatments you have booked in for that day. You literally arrive, enjoy and relax. No decisions need be made outside, which choice will I make for dinner – absolute bliss,” says duBois.
Phones are left in guests’ rooms (you can still use them in your accommodation if you must), stimulants are off the menu, and the nervous system gets a chance to truly reset.
“Decision detox… there’s no coffee here for the five and seven-day retreats. The food is exquisite, succulent, highly nutritious and absolutely delicious. No dairy, gluten-free, organic, and with supporting naturopaths, there is always a lending hand to ease any detox symptoms.”
And, he adds firmly:
“No vaping, cigarettes, drugs, caffeinated drinks and alcohol. We have to ask people politely to depart, purely because it undermines everybody else’s experience, which also means no walking around the retreat with the phone.”
A home, not a hotel
Unlike uber polished resorts that can sometimes feel sterile, Gwinganna leans into its sense of place with a mix of heritage and contemporary stay options.
“It’s more like coming home, because many of the accommodations are Queensland-style homes… heritage-listed properties literally lifted and removed from nearby.”
After driving up a private road and gated entry, guests arrive at a setting far from everyday life, complete with wallabies and joeys grazing nearby, and koalas in the trees, thanks to a partnership with Currumbin Wildlife Hospital Foundation and Land for Wildlife. Numerous rescued Koalas have been relocated to Gwinganna in recent years thanks to a Wildlife Survival Program.
Even the infrastructure reflects the ethos.
“Everything is tank water from the mountain… pools are magnesium. It’s about an eye for detail and a personal touch. And that’s the expertise across the retreat; all the specialists are experts in what they do. They’re not just here for a job.”
“The tenure here is long, which is fantastic,” Du Bois adds. “Even for the casuals within my team and others, they’ll often work across multiple areas, including the stay-overs, because we always have someone on site. There’s always someone here, catering to guests’ needs.”
Gwinganna has around 65 spa and wellness practitioners, part of a wider team of around 220 staff in total across the retreat. The spa is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, offering 33 treatment rooms, along with a Crystal Steam Room, a Cold Plunge, and a Whisper Lounge. It’s also a gorgeous spot to sip on some botanical Gwinganna tea and marvel at the enormous trees flourishing in the spa’s circular garden.
Food philosophy centres around seasonal, local, and organic whole foods, with much of the produce harvested daily from the extensive on-site gardens. There’s also a focus on eating mindfully, which means slowing down [including chewing more], being in the moment, and being truly aware of the food you are eating and its impact on your health and wellbeing.
Who comes — and why
The guest mix is surprisingly diverse, ranging from 18 to 80-year-olds, with most falling within the 33–55 age bracket. As there were more men than I’d anticipated here for the weekend, I wondered if this was a growing trend.
“Guests are made up of about 85% women and 15% men,” says duBois. “But absolutely, [men] are growing in number as more and more take care of their health, considering their home, work and family. There’s a real movement out there toward the masculine self-care, with men stepping forward more as a manager, leader, husband, father and friend, making better decisions from an authentic, self-regulated space.”
Couples and mother-daughter pairs are also a strong presence, as are Kiwis, who surprisingly make up around a quarter of the guests, alongside a solid base of Australians, Brits, and Americans.
Before stepping into his role at the retreat as Head of Sales & Partnerships, duBois first experienced Gwinganna as a guest, spending a week immersed in the environment he now shares so passionately with the travel trade.
“When I was here for my seven days, I befriended a man who had been here for nine weeks. After I finished my retreat and began working here, he was still here. I find that remarkable and yet it is a regular occurrence.”
duBois goes on to tell me that one guest even stayed for three months, and I wonder how they felt after returning to normality.
Always evolving
As wellness has gone mainstream, Gwinganna has expanded its scope while staying true to its roots.
“There’s a real shift toward a personalised approach” duBois says. “It’s not about creating your own retreat anymore, but rather receiving expert guidance that helps people reconnect with themselves and one another. There remains a strong following toward genetic health, mental neurosciences and nutrition-based programs, particularly for example gut and brain health. That is where Gwinganna continue to lead the way, remaining loyal to their foundations, focused on health & wellbeing”
Educational seminars covering the gamut of optimal wellbeing are also a daily (optional) fixture, featuring some of the industry’s biggest names, including Dr Libby Weaver, Dr Karen Coates, and Sharon Kolker, who run specialist periodic retreat programs.
It’s not just individuals who benefit. More corporates are discovering the retreat too.
“We are hosting a Wellness Summit comprising of 110 people. Their entire program is customised to suit both their needs and aligns to Gwinganna’s organic and health oriented values. Companies are seeking to move away from the traditional hotel, conference space model and provide their delegates and guests a combination celebrating both the organisations achievements and the individuals value. Whether a company is seeking a spa treatment included space, providing optional treatments or simply enjoying the property and our 500 acres, we can make it work.”
What luxury means at Gwinganna
Despite its high-end positioning, Gwinganna doesn’t flaunt chandeliers or designer fittings.
“It’s not over-the-top luxury. It’s not flawless perfection. There is a rustic quality about it that feels incredibly appealing and comfortable.”
All of the accommodation options have been carefully considered and designed to be screen-free, understated, and generally distraction-free (except for the surrounding spectacular nature) in their approach.
For duBois, and for many guests, luxury is defined more by absence.
Even duBois himself felt it when he first arrived.
“I brought a laptop, thinking, Okay, I’ll check in every now and then. I didn’t. I thought I would read a book. I didn’t. I kept my watch on purely so I knew when the meals were coming. That is freedom.”
“I brought a laptop, thinking, Okay, I’ll check in every now and then. I didn’t. I thought I would read a book. I didn’t. I kept my watch on purely so I knew when the meals were coming. That is luxury, isn’t it?”
The advice for first-timers
As I prepared for my own stay, I asked him what advice he’d give me to get the most from the experience.
“Follow what your body feels like. Qigong in the morning is well worth doing. Participate in the walks and wander around the space. There are 15 trails throughout the bush area. It’s not about needing to get out and about; there’s a lot to do, but you don’t need to.”
Ultimately, he says, Gwinganna is about turning down the noise and turning up your presence.
“Gwinganna reflects the essence of ‘you’ time. It’s not the beach holiday. This is more about returning to your own values, self-care, self-regulation, emotional, physical and mental wellbeing in a safe, nurturing natural cocoon environment. By default, you let go. It’s an absolutely beautiful experience.”
And that, in the end, might explain why Gwinganna remains here, still full, and continues to draw people back after 20 years.
More info: www.gwinganna.com
Located in the Gold Coast hinterland, 30 minutes from Gold Coast Airport, Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat offers multi-day programs designed to restore balance and vitality. Packages range from two-night Wellness Weekends to five- and seven-night programs, including Triple S (Sleep, Sugar, Stress), Women’s Discovery, Burnout, Mother-Daughter, and Detox retreats.
Two-night Wellness Weekends start from $1,610 per person twin share and include 2 nights accommodation, one classic massage, all organic meals and snacks, morning coffee, herbal teas and an evening glass of organic wine, a key wellness seminar, access to all facilities and scheduled activities, a chance to try the ancient art of Qigong, yoga, hiking, some dynamic exercise options and complimentary transfers from Gold Coast Airport at set times.
For travel advisors, Gwinganna offers commissionable packages and tailored wellness group options.
