Something we quickly learned from travelling in Australia is that this is a country of extremes and contrasts. We had seen cold and rain and hot and sunny, sometimes all in one day. We left the dry outback behind us for a short drive down the coast. Well, that’s short by Australian standards, eventually it would take us several days and more than 1000 kilometres before we got to our next destination. Hidden in a lush green rainforest, we found Twin Falls Naturist Retreat.
How to get to Twin Falls Naturist Retreat
Twin Falls is located in the north of New South Wales. If you’re planning to fly in, the nearest airport will be Port Macquarie, which is about 1.5 hour drive from the resort. This is a local airport, so if you’re arriving from outside of Australia or from somewhere on the other side, like Perth, you may need a layover in Sydney or Brisbane.
Arriving by car, at one point you’ll find yourself on the A1, either driving north from Sydney or south from Brisbane. In Port Macquarie, you head on the B56 West passing by Wauchope (stack up groceries and gas) and Bago. Just past Long Flat, you turn into Toms Creek Road, from where you’ll need to start using the detailed instructions that you received when you made the reservation. If at some point you think “This can’t be the right way”, trust us, it is.
Getting to Twin Falls by public transport is not an option. You may try a combination of buses and taxis, but it will probably cost you a lot more than just renting a car.
Where to stay at Twin Falls Naturist Retreat
Twin Falls has about 25 campsites, if we remember correctly, that are spread over different areas on the domain. Because the campground is surrounded by forest, you’ll most often find your site to be sometimes in the shade and other times of the day in the sun. If either is important for you, you may want to mention this upfront.
Rentals come in the form of “The Chalet” and “LillyVan”, which are both upgraded caravans. The larger “Rustic Cottage” has a full kitchen and living room and has two separate bedrooms. What makes Twin Falls different from the average Australian naturist resort is that they also offer a B&B service with two rooms in the main building. Obviously, this includes a complimentary breakfast, as well as the use of amenities inside the house like the BBQ, sundeck, etc.
What to do at Twin Falls Naturist Retreat
As the name suggests, Twin Falls promotes itself as a “retreat” rather than a naturist club. Yet, the atmosphere we found during our stay was very club-like. And we mean this in a very good way. It was obvious that many of the other guests weren’t first-timers at Twin Falls and invited us for talks and drinks.
In the central hall are a variety of books and games, but during the hot summer afternoons, the pool area was much more inviting. As soon as we arrived at the resort, everyone started telling us about the naturist hiking trails, which appeared to be the highlight. Now we’ve done our fair share of naked hikes before and aren’t that easily impressed. But these are some really neat trails. Very well maintained with different sceneries and some wonderful views. The waterfall after which the resort is named was dry when we got there, but that’s rather a good thing because it meant we were in the dry season.
Some evenings, Yolanda, the owner, prepares Chinese meals for the guests who like to join. This is definitely a recommendation. The food is amazing and we had several late-night conversations at the dinner table.
Around Twin Falls Naturist Retreat
We spent the little time we had completely inside the resort, so we can’t give you much first-hand information about what to do around Twin Falls. The natural area is definitely great for hiking or cycling, especially the Manning Valley just south of Twin Falls. This is also home to Ellenborough Falls, the tallest single-drop waterfall in New South Wales.
In about an hour, you can find yourself at the coast. Unfortunately, there are no nude beaches in the Port Macquarie area. The nearest ones will be North Smokey Beach (2 hours) in the north or Samurai Beach (3 hours) in the south. If you are willing to hike a bit further than where the bathing suits reside, you probably can get naked on a beach nearby Port Macquarie too.
Staff & Guests of Twin Falls Naturist Retreat
We introduced Yolanda earlier as a great chef, and together with her husband Ian, they make wonderful hosts. Throughout our stay, it regularly surprised us how they find the time to keep the resort in order, cook meals, maintain trails, and still have drinks and long talks with their guests as if it’s the only thing they do. If it would one day turn out that they have a hidden army of minions, it wouldn’t surprise us a single bit.
For most of the other guests, it was not their first time at the resort. Many seemed to know each other, although it could be that they met somewhere else. Australia is a huge country, but the naturist community is a well-functioning network. If you’re looking for someone to chat with, the clubhouse and pool area are the place to be.
Twin Falls is certainly a great destination as well for those who just prefer to get away from anything that’s social. Because the domain is over 100 acres (40 hectares) large, there’s plenty of space where you can be alone with nature as much as you want.
Book at Twin Falls Naturist Retreat
The best ways to book at Twin Falls are:
✅ E-mail: [email protected]
✅ Phone: +61 40 040 6650
Summary
Twin Falls is quite unique in the sense that it manages to cater to many different needs. If you like a social setting or rather a quiet natural setting, you’ll find it here. If you like to rough it in a tent, stay comfortably in your own camper, or get pampered in a B&B, it’s all on the list of possibilities.
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Such an awesome place! Nude forest walking, happy hour by the fire or a dip in their beautiful pool. Perfect combination of getting back to nature and meeting lovely people. Been going here for 8 years and still can’t get enough. The owners care about sustainability and promoting a safe social environment. Perfect for newbies to nudism or seasoned pros. Take your fridge or esky and your favourite book. They have a massive shelter with bbqs and plenty of powered sites if you aren’t self sufficient. I usually car camp with a little tent and an esky. Rainforest, waterfalls and lots of cool birds. Heaven!
I get a chuckle out of the fact that you have very different opinions about water temperature for swimming. As usual, you visit some very interesting and beautiful places.
Thank you Nick and Lins for the awesome review of our place. Alas there are only 2 “minions” (us!) and we try our best to maintain the retreat. Speaking of minions we will mention we are after a couple to help with things around the place… We hope you enjoy the rest of your journey “down under” and that the weather is kind! Best regards, Ian and Yolanda
Thanks a lot for having us and for creating such a wonderful place!