The best restaurants, hotels and happenings coming to Victoria in 2026

Melbourne puts on a show, the Great Ocean Road shines, The Bellarine Peninsula becomes a wellness hot spot, and a glut of new diners whet the appetite - Australian Financial Review, January 2026

Ocean therapy from Bellarine and beyond.  Lon Retreat & Spa’s hallmark is the mineral-rich spring that wells up through limestone caves beneath the Point Lonsdale boutique hotel. 

RETREAT FROM THE EVERYDAY

Tucked away in a serene part of the Bellarine Peninsula, the award-winning Lon Retreat & Spa is all about giving guests back the luxury of time - Cam Ward writes, GT Magazine, January 2026

The Bellarine’s Lon Retreat Just Revealed What Modern Wellness Hospitality Really Looks Like

Lon Retreat’s new open-air contrast therapy space signals a major shift in wellness-driven luxury travel. Here’s how this Bellarine Peninsula hideaway is setting new standards in design, ritual, and restorative guest experiences.

Spa & Wellness - Where the Land Meets the Sea

Perched where Victoria’s rugged coastline meets the calm of Port Phillip Bay, Lon Retreat & Spa at Point Lonsdale is a sanctuary of coastal calm and refined simplicity. Once a family farmhouse, it has been reimagined by Claire and Robert Gemes into a luxury escape that blends nature, design, and deep relaxation.

A Solo Reset by the Sea: My Slow Stay at Lon Retreat

'Lon Retreat & Spa is a place so peaceful and calm that you’re relaxed before you even arrive.'

KIP&CO - HOME LIFE SERIES

'The antidote to busy life - experience Lon Retreat, a coastal wellness retreat and spa over 250 acres on the Bellarine Peninsula.'

Conde' Nast Traveller - Hot List

'A switched-up, big-sky homestead by the sea, family-run, in one of the country’s emerging food destinations.'

est - exceptional living

'All of the seven suites at Lon offer their own kind of personal sanctuary, and are named after a type of cloud – think Alto, Cumulus, Cirrus, Stratus, Pileus, Nimbus, and Arcus – you won’t be disappointed in any of them.'

Being Magazine

Restore and Reset your Mind and Body with Lon Retreat

Domino

'This Rural Australian Spa Retreat Is the Ideal Place to Recharge'

ELK - In their space

Meet Claire, a source of warmth and light to all who know her and co-founder of Lon Retreat, an oasis hidden amongst coastal views on the Bellarine Peninsula.