In the Zone.

WORDS CRAIG TANSLEY

MUM FUN

Now you don’t have to drop the kids off at gran’s to enjoy some me-time! Spa Vitality is a new luxury day spa on the Sunshine Coast which is revolutionising women’s treatments, thanks to its fully supervised, on-site “Little Groovers” crèche. It’s the first day spa in the area to offer such a facility, so now there’s no excuse not to make those yoga and pilates classes (or the three brand new spa rooms tailored for specific treatments!). 2/81 Sixth Ave, Maroochydore, Queensland, tel +61 (7) 5479 3460

SEVEN IRONS AND SHIRAZ

You can put some Shiraz into your backswing, or cure your slice with a nice Cabernet, or how about just drink some wine and play golf? Spring’s the perfect time to get away to South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula and check out the new luxury golf resort, Links Lady Bay Grand Mercure. Open since July, the 18-hole golf course is designed by Jack Newton and is a quick drive from the McLaren Vale wine region. Tel: +61 (8) 8558 2220 for opening specials.

THE COAST WITH THE MOST

Lazy Gold Coast holidays are a thing of the past thanks to the new Gold Coast Oceanway.

This 36km network of beachside pathways means you can now walk, run or cycle the full length of the Gold Coast – from The Spit in Southport to the Point Danger Lighthouse on the Queensland and New South Wales border.

With orange signposts marking the next stop on the journey and the total distance until the end, it’s a brilliant way to explore the Gold Coast’s renowned beaches.

Although Ky Hurst is a four-time Australian ironman champion, he’s now training for the Beijing Olympics (where he hopes to compete in the 1,500m freestyle event and 10km open water swim). Hurst is happiest when he’s out on the waves. – he tells us about his favourite beaches.

Favourite beach to train on: I used to live on Forresters Beach on New South Wales’ Central Coast and I loved agreat surf. I used to swim out to an island that’s a couple of hundred metres offshore.

Favourite beach to compete on:
Portsea Beach on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula is the best; it’s renowned for being treacherous and you can easily get hurt. One day it’s flat and beautiful, the next day it can be 10 foot and completely out of control.

Favourite beach to relax on:
Currumbin Alley on the Gold Coast. I lived there for years and it’s my all-time favourite beach. The surf is so good, and when you’re not surfing there’s a rock to sit on and watch the waves break.

Ky’s tips for training on the beach:
The warm-up is crucial, but the warm-down is even more crucial when training on the beach because of the uneven surface – I always start with a series of light stretches but finish with even more. It’s so important to stretch before and after as the soft sand shortens your calf muscles. To make it hard for myself I sometimes train with shoes on soft sand. On hard sand, shoes are best to avoid stress on your shins and knees. Always look down for holes left by the tide or kids!