15 Years of Transformation

This March, Gwinganna celebrates its 15th birthday.

“As we begin to emerge from a very challenging period, one of the positives to come from this is the heightened awareness of what is important in life. As we all know, our health and wellbeing are ultimately what matters most. Gwinganna has been at the forefront of delivering life-changing experiences as well as continuous ‘top-ups’ to give people the tools and information to facilitate optimum health and wellbeing.”

- Tony de Leede.

The inspiration to develop such a property began after Tony de Leede’s father passed away from heart disease at age 49. Tony's mother decided to change her sedentary life to embrace healthy eating, daily ocean swims as well as tai chi, yoga and meditation. She also started visiting the predecessor to today's health and lifestyle retreats, often known as "fat farms".

Tony watched his mother transform her lifestyle and decided early in life that he would one day create his own retreat.

"Gwinganna is a very special place that I discovered many years ago. The first time I stayed at Gwinganna, I found the serenity and soul of this hidden mountain retreat captured my desire to live a better life". 

For more than 50 years, the property was owned by Kevin Weldon. Then, it was a venue for people to absorb Tallebudgera Valley’s natural beauty and take time out to see, study, explore and relax together.

Tony fell in love with the retreat and offered to purchase it off Mr Weldon with a commitment to preserve its original charm. This included retaining most of the distinctive pieces he thought to be fundamental to Gwinganna. Continuing with the environment in mind, the development of Gwinganna has seen older buildings renovated and new buildings constructed using reclaimed timbers. 

Enormous water tanks have been placed around the property, installed to collect rain and provide the only source of water on site. Continuing the dedication to the environment, waste is moved to a treatment site and greywater is used for watering the extensive grounds.

Gwinganna was designed to provide a sanctuary where all creature comforts are met without the distraction of daily habits and tasks. 

As Gwinganna is purpose-built, the facilities have been designed to provide a venue for guests to experience as much as or as little as they desire. With a wide range of facilities to utilise, it is hard not to become a part of this wonderful experience. 

A wonderful property and incredible facilities are nothing without brilliant staff, who give the retreat it's heart and soul. 

At Gwinganna, we are thrilled to meet this special milestone and we look forward to spending another 15 years facilitating optimum wellbeing.