Candles flicker as I stretch out on a yoga mat and draw a blanket over my body. It’s after dark at Queensland’s Eden Health Retreat, located in the Gold Coast hinterland. Members of the small group assembled here are full, and satisfied, having just dined on spiced Scenic Rim cauliflower, organic wild rice risotto, and wild-caught mulloway.

In the purpose-built pavilion located a short stroll down the hill from the dining room, Rachelle, a Hawaiian bodyworker, is leading us through a chakra meditation as part of a much-anticipated ‘Soul Sanctuary’. There are soft incantations, hints of sage. It’s one of many soothing, inspirational sessions which form the foundation of a seven-night stay at Australia’s longest-running health retreat.

As her husband plays the sitar, Rachelle performs reiki upon members of the group. I feel her hands, firm but gentle, alight on my ankles. Carried by the lilt of Rachelle’s voice and the strains of the sitar, I feel a deep sense of peace. I’m transported to a place which feels at once primal, but perfectly safe.

A trip down memory lane to Camp Eden

I first visited Camp Eden, as it was then, in 1991. Back in the day, it was run like an army-style bootcamp. Upon arrival, there was a weigh-in and a body fat assessment conducted using calipers. Our bust, waist, hips and butt dimensions were all measured and weighed.

A loud pre-dawn bell summoned campers from their dormitory beds and sent them on a forced run along a rainforest trail. A tai chi session followed. After breakfast, a jam-packed program of physical exercise and group therapy filled every minute of the day, leaving us all exhausted by bedtime.

All meals followed strict low-fat, high-fibre Pritikin diet principles. No caffeine, no meat, no dairy, no nuts (“too oily”) and – most definitely – no refined sugar. I remember tallying, with some horror, the number of different ways the kitchen staff could serve raw carrot.

Back then, people were looking for a guru to show them the way back to health. People often visited Eden to kick their drug, alcohol, or nicotine addictions. For my part, I developed a caffeine withdrawal headache by Day Three and spent 24 hours vomiting into a bucket.

All activities were compulsory. Dissent was rare and, when it occurred, it wasn’t tolerated. I still remember the telling-off I got when another camper and I snuck off from a hike to smear our bodies in mud and bask in the sun at ‘Camp Mud’.

Camp Eden has mellowed in her middle age

Eden Health Retreat, as she is now, has matured in the decades since she opened in 1986. She is now more yin than yang, more soothing than stimulating, more restful than forceful. Guests, many of whom are now craving a digital (rather than substances) detox, are given free rein to choose their own path forward.

Camp Mud is still there – except guests now slather their skin with imported mineral-rich clay rather than mud from the lagoon. Many of the original buildings are there, but they’ve been repurposed and upgraded. The morning bell still rings, yet my luxurious new accommodation is located far enough away that I can ignore it.

Fragments of Eden’s early philosophy linger. For example, there’s still a booze ban, although some other retreats (like nearby Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat) are introducing alcohol in a limited way. You still won’t find televisions, newspapers, or magazines. Despite the advent of wifi, you’re still largely disconnected from the outside world, because there’s only one spot on the 400-acre property where mobile phones reliably pick up a signal.

Eden retreat is no longer uptight about portion control (“Want more eggs? Just ask.”) The zero-tolerance stance on caffeine has also softened, with low caffeine plunger coffee and English breakfast teabags available. Refined sugar is still a no-no, but you can sweeten your morning cuppa with honey.

Guests are now very much in charge of directing their own retreat experience. You can do as much or as little as you like.

Each evening, the full schedule of activities for the following day is delivered to guests’ rooms. There are at least eight different options, which might include circuit classes, aqua fitness, boxing sessions, guided bushwalks and an inventive hybrid sport dubbed ‘frisbee golf’. So if you’re at Eden Health Retreat to lose weight, or improve fitness, you can still get a workout.

But it’s easy enough to fill a week (as I did) with gentle, cortisol-reducing, stress-relieving activities such as guided journalling, cacao ceremony, meditation, yoga, mindfulness, breathwork, pottery, sound bathing, tapping, forest bathing, naps, sleep-ins, and much more.

Your Eden adventure starts amid pristine rainforest

Eden Retreat is located at the end of a long, winding road flanked by lush rainforest in the Currumbin Valley. The name Currumbin is believed to come from the Bundjalung language (Ngaraangbal dialect), which means high trees.

The drive towards Eden allows guests to set intentions for the week ahead. Unlike my 21-year-old self, who was wholly focussed on slimming down and shaping up, my current wish-list involves catching up on sleep, sleeping in a bed I haven’t had to make, eating healthy food that I haven’t had to prepare, and savouring some pampering.

Set amid 400 acres of paradisical rainforest in the Gold Coast’s Currumbin Valley, it’s easy to imagine that this retreat was named for the Biblical Garden of Eden. But, I later learn, the moniker comes from settler Henry Eden, who came to the area in 1860 to clear the land for dairy farming.

Eden’s rubs shoulders with Springbrook National Park, to which the “joys” (facilitators) sometimes lead morning walks. Night owls, meanwhile, can venture out to view the colonies of glow worms which populate the area. The Cougal Cascades offers a popular swimming hole and waterfall views.

The retreat is hunkered behind a locked gate, which glides open when guests announce their arrival. An ‘Eden Walks’ map reveals the layout of the property, on which is marked intriguing placenames which invite exploration, including Labyrinth, Flying Fox, The Grassy Spur, Waterfall, The Rainforest, Ocean View and The 3 Ponds.

Spa cuisine reaches new heights at Eden and cutting-edge therapies are available in the new Vitality Spa.

Casual luxe accommodations at a range of price points

I’m led to Eden Health Retreat’s premium new accommodation – one of two Cascade Lodges bearing the unassuming name of cabin 49. I walk through a breezeway which leads to a spacious back deck overlooking the valley, furnished with a lounger and other comfortable seating.

I open the unlocked door – there are no keys, I’m told, because past guests have become frustrated after leaving them behind at the pool, or the spa, or the tennis court. I enter a split-level room which is all blonde wood floors and walls, with a sophisticated palette of white, grey and black.

On the lower level lies a sprawling lounge, floor to ceiling glass, and a pendant-style suspended fireplace which I’m told is “just for aesthetics”, given that the reverse cycle air conditioning keeps the room toasty warm in winter.

The bedroom space, fitted with a king-sized bed and casual seating, and anchored by a chunky textured rug, is located on the higher level. An oil burner fragrances the room with a delicious citrus scent. Eden’s gift bag containing a water bottle and journal is positioned to one side. A kettle and selection of herbal teas awaits.

The bedroom leads into a striking, light-filled charcoal bathroom divided into three parts. The first oversized space contains a a freestanding bath and dual rain showers. The second contains a double basin stocked with Eden’s custom products; the third is the toilet.

Dotted around the hillside are the other matte black and timber ‘lower valley’ cabins Eden Health Retreat constructed during a 10-month pandemic closure. These are located within easy walking distance of Eden’s dining hall, pavilion and other facilities.

The ‘upper valley’ accommodation is made up of Camp Eden’s dorm rooms which have been renovated in Hamptons style for single or double occupancy. They require a more gruelling climb up a steep hill than the newer cabins, but this all falls within Eden Health Retreat’s ‘incidental exercise’ ethos.

Heading home

There’s a lot to love about the ever-evolving Eden. The most restorative thing at Eden Health Retreat is the balm of the natural world. On my final morning, I skip across stones over a small babbling stream. The sun through the trees throws dappled shade. Kookaburras and currawongs wheel overhead. I close my eyes, breathe it in, and prepare to re-enter the outside world. Down the road at Currumbin Valley Harvest, I reckon there’s a coffee with my name on it.

Eden Health Retreat is located 30 minutes from Gold Coast Airport. Single rates begin at $2,950 in an upper valley cabin (three nights). Spa treatments are at additional cost.

Denise Cullen was a guest of Eden Health Retreat.