Get Down Under and Spa

It's incredible. I found a place where I recovered from sleepless nights, woke up stress free, enjoyed beauty and relaxation treatments and savored the most delectable menu offerings...at a spa in Australia!

Solar Springs Health Retreat is accessible by CityRail or car from Sydney. Take the train - it's a comfortable two-hour ride through the countryside to this quaint little village of Bundanoon. The accommodation ranges from basic to deluxe and it's all-inclusive, except for the spa treatments.

Originally a country club, the retreat is a tranquil respite from city life. No radio or television, no telephones or cell phones. I'm here to rest, revive and welcome the chance to indulge myself.

Solar Springs offer a selection of skin and bodycare therapies, naturopathy, diet and health and fitness services. Guests focus on their personal goals with the assistance of a co-ordinator of the healthy lifestyle program. Optional activities include bushwalking, cycling, tennis, swimming, aquaerobics, pool volleyball and basketball, aerobics, weight training, tai chi, yoga meditation and archery.
The lushly landscaped garden surroundings of the property begin the relaxation process for me, continuing as I check into my ensuite accommodation and don the robe provided before heading off for a bust treatment.

Barbara, my therapist, says the firming treatment prevents premature loss of natural skin elasticity in the bust tissues. Her soothing voice relaxes me as she explains the method of treatment - a cleanse, a peel, an ampoule (treatment serum), a mask, and an invigorating toner. I am in seventh heaven for the finale, a gentle massage with a highly concentrated bust cream, my inhibitions completely disappearing with each stroke I feel on my body.

I must confess that I look forward to spa meals and activities with anticipation and some trepidation, but there's no cause for concern here, this is no deprivation diet nor is there a fitness regime. "This is not a strict fat farm, wine can be served with meals," says the retreat's Kathy Cupitt. "Solar Springs is just the place for a healthy holiday. Guests do as much or as little as they like."
And Kathy was right. My choices were endless. I could sit by the fire and read a book or sit under an umbrella on the deck and do absolutely nothing. Or try my skills at archery, listen to a body care talk or attend a cooking demonstration or self-defense workshop.

My greatest enjoyment was to get up very early and wander onto the deck to gaze at the tranquil surroundings, the myriad of greenery, a cow grazing idly in the fields below, all a soothing balm to my city-weary mind. Or if I got lucky, I would see a family of kangaroos emerging from the nearby woods just before daybreak.

Mealtimes are a food lover's dream, fresh and tasty. Among my favorites were tandoori chicken, Thai fish cakes, caramelized spinach and onion tarts, oven baked whole snapper and minted carrot cakes, but don't miss the homemade chocolates and cookies or the succulent fresh fruit trays. And don't forget to try the warm damper (Aussie bread). The dining room is a great meeting place for guests - this is where I met Danna, Bob, Margaret, Kim, David, Lauren and Tony.

I opted to spend an hour in the flotation tank because I heard it was great for jetlag and I was seriously jetlagged! Stripped down to nothing, I climbed into the huge tank of water, more like brine, and found myself floating in total relaxation, the tension in my body slowly melting away to the strains of a musical interlude. This prepared me for the Bowen therapy, a technique developed by Tom Bowen in Australia and billed as 'state of the art' in remedial therapy.

Remaining fully clothed, the treatment begins with a series of gentle, rolling connective tissue moves on my body, followed by regular pauses in between moves. The technique balances and stimulates energy flow which promotes total relaxation and aids stress release, two reasons for my visit to Solar Springs.
But it was my rendezvous with nature that was yet to come that would leave me with a longing to return to Solar Springs - the bushwalking trip to Fitzroy Falls.
A bus ride away is Morton National park where the trek begins. Nothing prepares me for the spectacular scenery that greets my eyes at almost every turn. I stand and stare at the wonders of nature, the waterfalls plunging magnificently off the sandstone plateau and into the rainforest gullies below. The vegetation is thick and dense, stretching to infinity, Mother Nature at her best. At one outlook point a veil of fog lifts to reveal the lush surroundings, and I am amazed at the feeling of invigoration that envelops my being.

Along the way I am carried away with the exhilaration, I miss my footing and I am tumbling backwards into a shallow pool of water. Reassured that my camera remained intact, Karen, our guide, arrives to find me still collapsed in a fit of giggles with my feet sticking upwards in the air, my only problem being a wet bottom!

I am relaxed on the return trip, ready for the deluxe eye treatment that promises nourishing and refreshing relief for the delicate eye area. This, I needed desperately and so I readily succumb to being exfoliated, massaged and double-masked (one a collagen fibre, the other using a special eye cream) so that I would be relieved of the telltale signs of sleep deprivation. The result? I emerged bright-eyed, cheery and refreshed.

Throughout my stay, relaxation remained my goal, and so I was off for a session of Stretch and Relaxation with Sarah and I came away with these words embedded in my memory, "I'm getting stronger and healthier every day/I have everything I need within me/I remain calm and relaxed even when under pressure/I give thanks for the challenges that make me stronger/Life is a joy and I'm glad to be here."

My last indulgence was a marine algae body wrap. Imagine falling into a swamp and you'll get the picture. I welcome the results, my skin is toned, my body no longer retains water and I'm not dehydrated, but with a sensitive nose like mine, I couldn't scamper fast enough to the shower to rid myself of the algae. The essential oils leave my body soft and supple, and it felt  wonderful.

My final evening was a fun one - a table tennis tournament. I hadn't played for many years, and although the ball stayed on the table sometimes, I was eliminated in a flash. The prizewinner, David, got a bag of marshmallows!
This is one escape I would readily embrace without hesitation, and when I return to Australia, I'm heading straight for Solar Springs.

For more information or reservations, contact editor Pamela Campbell  at editor@travel-travel-travel.com