Travelogue: A New Luxury Wellness Precinct Is Coming to Lorne

Hotels and places to stay: news, deals and openings

Australia

• Sunseeker in Byron Bay has extended its winter sale offer to September 17. The reimagined ’80s brick motel is offering 50 per cent off stays of two nights or more. Book here and use code WINTER2026 at checkout.

• Crystalbrook Collection Hotels & Resorts’ first hotel in Adelaide is now available for bookings ahead of its opening in late December 2026. Book before December 17 for its Warm Welcome offer, which includes complimentary Martinis for two at the rooftop bar, late checkout, a $25 food and drink credit and more.

International

• IHG One Rewards members can stay three nights and pay for two on bookings at IHG hotels across Asia-Pacific. The offer applies to premium rooms and suites at select Regent, Intercontinental, Kimpton, Vignette Collection and Hotel Indigo properties across Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore, China, Japan, the Maldives and more. Book before September 30 for stays between September 4, 2026 and June 30, 2027.

Flight deals

• Qantas’s USA and Canada sale is on now, with fares to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Honolulu and Vancouver. The sale includes seats on the airline’s nonstop Sydney to Las Vegas service, starting at $1249 return, while flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to Honolulu start at $939 return. Book before September 14 for travel between October 2026 and June 2027. 

Destination dining

Australia

• Grand Saddles Lodge, a new luxury accommodation, dining and wellness destination set to open in spring, has tapped former Brae chef Jason White to be executive chef. White will head up the Lodge’s new restaurant, The Hawkesbury, and Art Deco-inspired piano bar Ned’s, as well as in-house dining. Expect a menu spotlighting locally grown produce, including from the Lodge’s on-site herb and vegetable gardens, and an emphasis on fire-driven cooking.

• After closing his Surry Hills restaurant at the beginning of the year, chef Dylan Cashman is opening a 24-seat restaurant in the mid-north coast town of Bellingen, New South Wales. Housed in a heritage-listed former bank, The Blue Door Bellingen will stay true to the ethos established by its Surry Hills predecessor, focusing on seasonality, locality and whole-animal cooking across a seven-course tasting menu. A more casual experience will be available at the diminutive Blue Door Wine Bar, with just 10 seats and a snack-focused menu – walk-ins welcome. The restaurant opens on September 18.

Wellness and retreats

Australia

• Linnaeus Collection, located in Berry on the South Coast of New South Wales, is hosting its first wellness retreat in October. Hosted across its architecturally designed homes, the retreat focuses on rest and recovery, improving sleep quality and supporting physical and mental health. Food comes courtesy of chef Alex Prichard, formerly of Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, alongside a program of sleep diagnostics, yoga, breathwork, somatic healing, sauna and cold therapy.

• A new wellness precinct is set to open at the Lorne Sea Baths in January 2027. Operated by Wildsoul Wellness, the precinct will bring together outdoor contrast therapy, Pilates, sauna, magnesium pools, red light therapy, a gym and a year-round calendar of wellness events and retreats, set against the backdrop of the Great Ocean Road.

Outdoors and adventure

• Highlander Adventure, the global hiking group built around accessible, self-sustainable hiking experiences, is running three single- and multi-day group hikes across Australia. On December 5, join a one-day Mount Macedon hike in Victoria, ideal for first-timers, or choose from multi-day hikes in Mount Hotham and Bouddi National Park in New South Wales, in March and April respectively.

• Goboony, a peer-to-peer motorhome and campervan marketplace founded in Europe, has launched in Australia. The platform works in a similar way to Airbnb, allowing travellers to rent motorhomes and campervans from private owners and professional operators on a short-term basis.