Dargan Springs Retreat

Arrival and departure times are loose, so I was the only guest at lunch that day - a fresh tomato and cannellini bean soup with warm bread, and a green salad with camembert, beetroot, walnuts and apple.

Miranda and her husband, Mike, each sat down for a brief chat to see what my aims and interests were. The couple emerged from corporate careers to open their retreat last August. Mike, a New Zealander with degrees in physical education and theology, leads activities such as tai chi, meditation, bushwalks, rock-climbing and fitness consultations. English-born Miranda is trained in hospitality and natural therapies.

They are keen to explain that while they offer natural health advice and treatments, they are not dogmatic. There are no timetables (except for meals), no gym equipment and anyone who wants a bottle of wine with dinner is welcome to bring it. Although the food is low-fat, you won't lose weight here unless you make a determined effort. If you want to sleep and read that's fine, but both hosts have a quietly enthusiastic manner that encourages even the worst lazybones to get moving.

I wanted to make the most of my two-night refresher. For an hour I strolled around the hilly five-hectare bush garden, following a map along trails to wombat holes, a rather muddy spring, log benches and a circular stone labyrinth, which can be used for play or meditation. The labyrinth as a symbol appears all over the retreat, from stationery to tablemats.

An aromatherapy massage with Miranda seemed the best way to end the afternoon. She chose a relaxing combination of lavender, bergamot, ylang ylang and other herbs for an all-over gentle rub and refreshing peppermint and camphor for my feet. There was time to read and nap in my plain, comfortable room, where lemon myrtle oil scented the air and a strong shower with mint-scented soap woke me for dinner.

Another guest had arrived and we shared a table, both decompressing from busy working lives. Dinner was a delicious and generous three courses, prepared by Miranda and Mike: smoked salmon on black bread, chicken tagine, and oranges in ginger syrup.

After a deep sleep on my king-size latex and wool mattress (no innersprings to emit electromagnetic radiation), I was ready for Mike's wake-up-well session at a civilised 8am.

"Put your hands on your tantien," he said, guiding us to a spot two finger-widths down and two finger-widths in from our navel. In tai chi, this is the body's energy centre and in all the simple exercises we did over the next hour we concentrated on breathing and drawing strength deep into the abdomen.

"Now let's give our tantien some food," said Mike. Muesli, yoghurt, scrambled eggs from the family's chooks, fresh juice and frothy espresso coffee made my tantien very happy. Taking another clear map, I set off alone for a 90-minute walk into bushland beyond the property.

Another tasty lunch of soup and sandwiches, followed by a nap, and I was ready to walk in a different direction along the railway line, to a gorge where a dam has created a swimming hole with swinging ropes and diving rocks. Too chilly for me to swim even now, and I didn't spot the resident platypus, but the late-afternoon solitude and still water were soothing.

A group of three women arrived in the evening for a conference, bringing the bustle of work with them, which broke our spell a little. After a few deep breaths and dinner around the red-gum table - cashew nut pate, cajun fish, lemon and coconut tart with berries - they had almost slowed to our pace.

My last morning was slightly elegiac as I prepared to leave. But first I exercised my tantien, gave it some blueberry pancakes, lay in the ozone-treated outdoor spa staring at the sky, and surrendered to an aromatherapy facial.

I held off my return to the city with a visit to the Old Lithgow Pottery, where Cameron Williams turns out huge platters, urns and fountains (like the one at Dargan Springs); then a late lunch at Solitary, the restaurant-kiosk overlooking the Jamison Valley; finally, a chocolate-hazelnut cake to take home from Hominy Bakery in Katoomba. My tantien absolutely demanded it.

FAST FACTS

How to get there: Take the M4 to the Blue Mountains. At Mount Victoria turn right, at Bell turn left towards Lithgow and at Clarence turn left into Petra Avenue, then left into Donald Road. Dargan Springs is at the end of the road. About two hours' drive from Sydney.

Children: No.

Wheelchair access: Yes.

Smoking: Outside if you must.

Pluses: Environmentally sensitive lodge in a bush setting; attentive, multi-skilled hosts; activities from massage to abseiling.

Minuses: None unless you expect five-star luxury or sanatorium rigour. A full house could feel more like Scout camp than a retreat.

Rating: 17/20

Establishments featured in Weekends Away are visited anonymously by Herald writers, who pay their own way.