Next up on the wellness agenda, sleep – and the sleep retreat

SPOTLIGHT / And so to bed

“Sleep wellness” is on the menu at Peninsula Hot Springs, south-east of Melbourne.Credit: Alarna O’Connell

From red-light therapy and blue-zone diets to gut health and psychedelics, the world has surely explored every possible wellness trend, right? Wrong. There’s one area of our daily (OK, nightly) health that hasn’t yet been given the full tourism treatment: sleep. Enter the new, “restorative” Eco Lodges at Peninsula Hot Springs ($1350 a night for the Peninsula Suite), one hour south-east of Melbourne, where “sleep wellness” is built into each stay, starting with relaxing views of the wetlands outside and a calming colour palette inside.

The room temperature is set to a sleep-conducive 19 degrees (you can change it), while underfloor heating keeps your feet warm. The food is tailored, from herbal teas to an organic menu high in the amino acid tryptophan, which is also nap-friendly. Intentional “circadian lighting” offers soft, ambient hues; there are lock boxes for your electronic devices, and no TVs or alarm clocks. “Looking at the clock during the night activates the neural networks that wake you,” explains Dr Stan Rodski, Australian author of The Neuroscience of Excellent Sleep. “Why do you need to know the time? It’s dark: go back to sleep!”

Meanwhile, meditation, yoga, mindfulness and breath-work are part of the included “Signature Sleep Ritual” designed to help guests unwind. “The industry has been flirting with the importance of sleep for a decade, but only just starting to pay real attention,” says Queensland-based wellness advocate Sharon Kolkka. “If you’re a wellness hospitality service now, sleep has to be part of that offering. We’re on the cusp of that wave.” Konrad Marshall

SEE / Come into my parlour

Large-scale portraits of tiny Maratus spiders are the focus of Maria Fernanda Cardoso’s exhibition.Credit:

Vivid, large-scale portraits of Australia’s Maratus spiders (aka peacock spiders), in real life each just 3-5mm in size, burst with vibrant colour in Maria Fernanda Cardoso: Spiders of Paradise, touring nationally (free). These striking images, each created using more than 1000 microphotographs, capture the spiders’ dazzling courtship displays and jewel-toned abdomens in stunning detail. Accompanied by videos of their intricate mating dances, the exhibition blends art, science and nature to showcase the creatures’ extraordinary beauty. The show ends at Cairns Art Gallery this weekend and can be seen at Bunjil Place, Melbourne, from November 27 and galleries around Australia next year. Frances Mocnik

READ / Woman on the edge

In the Margins is based on the true story of a 17th-century female English book collector – at a time when reading was mostly a male pursuit.Credit:

If you loved Hannah Kent’s Burial Rites and Pip Williams’ Dictionary of Lost Words, Scottish-born Gail Holmes’ debut novel, In the Margins (Ultimo Press; $35), is likely to hit the spot. Set in England in 1647 after the First Civil War, it’s based on the true story of Frances Wolfreston, a passionate reader and book collector at a time when female literacy was at only 10 per cent. As the rector’s wife, Frances is given the task of recording the names of those who don’t attend church, which in those Puritan times led to severe punishment. A compelling, beautifully written story of a spirited, principled woman ahead of her time. Nicole Abadee

LISTEN / The final frontier

A new podcast interviews everyone in an elaborate early-2000s reality-TV hoax that had contestants thinking they would be sent into space.Credit:

In 2005, a British TV reality show called Space Cadets aired. In it, 12 ordinary people who’d passed a series of tests and auditions took part in a cosmonaut training program in Russia before four of them would be chosen to go into space. However, they were unaware of one crucial fact: the entire thing was an elaborate hoax, a TV take on The Truman Show that had taken months to prepare with actors, sets and simulators. On the podcast Split Screen: Thrill Seekers, Nick van der Kolk (of classic, long-running podcast Love + Radio) interviews everyone involved in the project, from the people behind the show to the contestants who took part. In the process, he reveals not only how on earth the producers pulled it off, but also offers telling insights into human behaviour and the dubious ethics of reality TV. Barry Divola

SIGN UP / Better together

Proceeds from sales of a special kit with an apron designed by Alémais and two cookbooks support women at risk of homelessness and domestic violence. Credit:

This stone-washed, cotton denim apron, which features an exclusive pattern designed by ethical Australian fashion brand Alémais, is part of a special kit that includes copies of Two Good Cookbook Two and Change the Course, resources to help the home cook transform every meal into something both heartfelt and impactful for the community ($225). How so? Fifty per cent of profits support the Two Good Foundation’s programs for women living at risk of homelessness and domestic violence. Food as love? You’d better believe it. Frances Mocnik

CARRY / Size matters

One-size-fits-all leather “envelopes” for prescription glasses and sunnies.Credit:

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that the size of a girl’s handbag is inversely proportional to the amount of fun she intends to have on any given occasion. Which is why she hates the idea of ceding valuable real estate to bulky specs cases. Understanding this, Fox and Leo has created a range of compact, one-size-fits-all premium-leather “envelopes” for prescription glasses and sunnies, enabling stylish, super-slimline toting as party season approaches. Open the flap, slide the lenses into the protective pockets, snap it shut and fold in the arms – deliciously simple. Available in more than a dozen gorgeous colours ($90). Sharon Bradley

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