Where in Australia have you gone to relax and spoil yourself?

Question

As part of my job with Channel 7's The Great Outdoors I have travelled all over Australia to see what this country has to offer.

Now I want to hear from you - where do you go when you want to unwind and get away from it all for some rest and relaxation?

- Shelley Craft

Check out Yahoo!7's great new travel site My Australia - www.yahoo7.com/my-australia

Check out Yahoo!7's great new travel site My Australia - http://www.yahoo7.com/my-australia

Answer 1

Hi Shelley,
I live with my partner at Redcliffe, Qld overlooking Moreton Bay. Whilst Redcliffe is a beautiful place to kick your shoes off, sit back with a nice cool drink and enjoy the view; the place we both enjoy so much is across the 'Bay' at Tangalooma. A fabulous place where you can still sit back with a cool drink enjoying the view from another angle,... but there are dolphins to hand-feed at dusk, scuba diving and snorkling around the 'wrecks' just 500 metres North of the Resort, quad-bikes to ride over the sand-hills, fishing, swimming, bush walks and 4WD to the surf-side of the Island. A wonderful place to rest, recuperate and re-charge your batteries.

Answer 2

If its all about getting away from it all and R&R and unwinding, then the absolutely last place is one of those ridiculous overcrowded, expensive, noisy resorts with all those worthless, supposedly pampering facitlities. I fail to get relaxed or unwound by having some pneumatic and badly trained blonde halfheartedly wipe some 'magical' and 'rare' product over my skin with the false promises of ancients cultures. Ummm, hello? Ancient cultures were too busy chasing down their next fleeing meal than to worry about beauty and relaxation therapy.

Instead, find me a nice quiet (no children under 21 - no - make that 25) deserted deckchair at the high water mark with a fully stocked library, a self service bar with ice cold alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks in reach and a menu of anything edible I may fancy that I just need to push a button to be silently, mysteriously delivered. I want no phones, no fax, no television sets, no radio or any sound generating devices within 100km of me.

Hrrm - this is starting to sound suspiciously like my own beach front shack in an unknown and off the beaten track location - all I need is the food and alcohol and a 20 metre walk from the front door to the high water mark. Ahh what the hell, can just sit on the front verandah with the cold drinks and the books and the food and an uninterrupted 180degree beach and ocean view without the sand and the bugs and the sunburn.

The other good thing about this deserted spot is there is great fishing right out the front and bushwalking and birdwatching right out the back door.

Answer 3

LMAO, it is your job! you tell us???

Um the beach!

What beach, oh any beach, just so long as there is surf, sand, cliffs rocks and waves gentlely lapping on the shore! What? That is Australia? No no no, what about the out back, or the snowy mountains, the sheep graziers country, the foothills of the blue mountains, or a really neat Double Bay Cafe where you can quaff the finest muffins and most pretentious teas?

What about Flinders Street Melbourne, Adelaide Entertainment Centre, the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Freemantle Yaught Club where they hosted the Americas Cup, or Darwin, the Birdsville races, when they aint on due to horse flu, who showed up from OS anyway, and what did they do? Freak, the Melbourne Cup this year without the Sydney Jockeys, APEC, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Surfers, tell ya what, I have never been to Tassie!!! Take me! We'll have a ball! It would be such fun seeing where the Hobart Fleet dock from both Melbourne and Sydney Boxing day races, the Launceston, Port Arthur, on the way in Bass Straight Islands where they make incredible cheese, the Port Phillip Penguins filmed in Happy Feet, where to spoil ya self???

SURELY YOU CAN NOT BE SERIOUS!!!!

IT HAS TO BE AUSTRALIA, ANYWHERE, JUST SO LONG AS THEY PLAY THE MUSIC LOUD AND DRINK THE BEER COLD??? OKAY?

Oh, and leave ya money on the fridge?

Answer 4

Hi Shelley. Well it all started back in 1965. My mum and i decided to have a weeks holiday at the Gold Coast.in June of that year When we arrived it was blowing a gale and raining very heavy .After 3 days we decided to come home as the weather was so terrible we could not do anything.Also my mum wasn't feeling very well.I was taking some annual leave from work and i had one week to go.I thought i might be able to spend the last week of my holidays some ware different from the Gold Coast. Then it struck me .to get warmer weather in the winter i had to go further north in Queensland .Then i thought about the Barrier Reef Resorts.I went into the City to visit the Queensland Government Tourist Bureau to see if i could stay at a resort.At first there were no vacancies as they were all booked out.So i was very disappointed. Then the guy from the bureau mentioned Dunk Island which had been closed due to renovations. So he contacted them to see if they were finished renovating. They were nearly finished so he asked them if i could go up there and stay on the island which they said was ok. When i got to Dunk i couldn't believe how beautiful it was ,and the 7 days i spent were perfect.So that's how i discovered Dunk Island.Of course today it is totally different but it is still one of my favourite places for a holiday.

Answer 5

I have many places I go to relax especially through the summer hols. Walkerville Beach Victoria is a great place to take the family. There are so many things you can do there. For example rock pooling, swimming, checking out the caves, camping, Fishing, hiking, even swiiming in the gorgeous blue pool, beach combing. Its such a family friendly beach. There is even the old lime kilns there and if your a history buff, there's the old cemetry. Really good to take people up to at night, and play tricks on them. LOL.
Seriously its worth a Visit. Besides your not far from the Prom and all the other Nat Parks that make this area magnificent.
My second most fave relaxation is to go shopping in the best shopping city in Aus, of course being Melbourne. As I am from the country there is a Bus shopping tour that picks you up from your destination and takes you to all the shopping outlets around Melbourne. You get to sit back and relax whilst you get driven around, you also get Lunch supplied and champagne. Not to mention the social interaction you get with other ladies on the tour. Retail Therapy is the best way for a woman to relax, I say. Although Im thinking the husband would disagree, especially when he sees the bank balance.LOL

Answer 6

Well, the day after i separated from my husband i asked my mother to look after my son as i needed to get away and clear my head. I packed my bag and took a cab to the Adelaide airport, not knowing where to go, i asked the airline consultant... 'where's the next plane out of here going?' The travel consultant said "Cairns" and i said perfect! I'll have a ticket please!.
When i got to Cairns,'BTW i had never been to Cairns before', i went over to the hire car lady and asked her 'what's the best place "5 star" to go for some real R&R, she said ' 'Port Douglas' either the Sheridan or the Raddison Royal Palms Resort'. So i took a bus to the Sheridan Port Douglas and when i arrive i thought i was in holiday heaven!
It was the most beautiful place i'd ever seen, just perfect after a hell of a separation ordeal.
I ended up staying there for 2 weeks. 1 week at the sheridan and another week at the Raddison Royal Palms resort because it was a little cheaper.
I came back home a different person after my little excape to paradise!
Port Douglas has a big part of my heart!

Answer 7

Living up here in the top end there are as you can imagine a number of beautiful hot spots to soak up the sun and sit back and relax. So it is rather difficult to choose just one however if it's pure relaxation and tranquillity that I'm after then I needn't look any further than literally right at my doorstep here in Darwin at the wonderful Mindil Beach. You can come here at anytime of the year and be assured of some fantastic weather, whether it be the spectacular electrical thunderstorms of the wet season or just the divine radiance of the gorgeous sunsets in the dry. When I need to get away from the everyday life , this is where I can be found, you just take your essentials find a quiet spot for one or maybe two and soon enough you will forget about the hustle and bustle of everyday society and enjoy the finer things that nature has to offer you!

Answer 8

If you want to get away from everything without compromising your comfort then you can't beat EAGLEREACH WILDERNESS RESORT. My husband & I spent our honeymoon there & found it to be relaxing & private but with all the luxuries of a big 5 star "conglomerate" resort. It also has the benefit of being an eco-resort so you can relax knowing that your "footprint" won't be any bigger by staying here!

Eaglereach is very private & a little isolated so if you don't want to be completely away for towns & other people & also want to take your dog, then maybe you should try TUSCANY WINE ESTATE RESORT. It is a small family run resort with great rooms, a fabulous a la carte restaurant (The Mill), a bar with casual dining (The Brokenback Bar), in room massages available, cellar door & cheese factory on site plus they are PET FRIENDLY & all right in the heart of Hunter Wine Country.

If you prefer a beach holiday that is "kid friendly" but still offers a little luxury then check out the spa lodges or spa cottages at LANI'S ISLAND in FORSTER. They have budget tent sites right on the lake right through to luxury spa cabins for couples & spa lodges for families. We like the spa cabin near the swimming pool but once we have kids we will "graduate" to the lodges! It is within walking distance of a few fast food outlets & a supermarket. BBQ facilities on site. Two swimming pool areas (one with a shallow toddler pool). There are some great restaurants in Forster that are a quick drive away or a long walk (20 minutes I guess). It really is a great family holiday destination.

These are the only three places I would ever consider holidaying from now on. My husband & I have only ever had good experiences at them & we are planning to return to each every year! Eaglereach for our wedding anniversary, Tuscany for my birthday & Lani's for Christmas!

Answer 9

Recently I travelled to Port Maquarie and it was wonderful. I spent every day relaxing by the pool, swimming at the beach, snorkelling and doing other relaxing activities. It was great to be able to get away from the city life for a week.
As well as Port Maquarie, I love going to locations that are romote, with a small population. I love going to resorts near Forests and staying near National Parks. Soon I will be travelling up to the Goldcoast and I can't wait!

Answer 10

Earlier this year I spent 5 days at Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat in the Gold Coast Hinterland. I didn't know what to expect as I had never been to a retreat before and it was one of the most therapeutic and relaxing experiences I have ever had. As well as spa treatments, there are information sessions on diet and well being and lots of activities such as bush walking, yoga, sessions in the gym and the pool. Nothing is compulsory - you can be as busy or as relaxed as you want and each afternoon is 'dream-time' down time. The organic cuisine was divine, the bushland setting so serene and best of all, no phones, TV's or newspapers. Highly recommend it for a sanity...and reality... check.