You should definitely consider visiting the region of Daylesford in Victoria. Very serene and beautiful countryside, with gorgeous places to stay at (in all price ranges) and fantastic local food to enjoy at the restaurants. The one place you MUST visit is the Endota Day Spa there. They have gorgeous treatments and literally pamper you from head to toe. They use the region's natural mineral waters in the spa baths, which are divine. At the end of the day you can't walk because your body has turned to jelly from the pure relaxation!

Some hotels/spas offer a girls weekend or spa package, Sofitel in Sydney is offering one at the moment http://www.queenslandhomes.com.au/?product=1290. Watermark hotel, http://www.watermarkhotelgoldcoast.com.au/packages.html#spa, The Sebel in Cairns http://www.cairnsinternational.com.au/Content_Common/pg-cairns-heavenly-spa-package.seo

These are just a few!

http://www.gwinganna.com.au/ is the place to go, more than just pampering, its relaxation and soothing both inside and out, with organic cusine and innovative programs that get you feeling healthy and thinking everything is possible - a complete holistic experience - plus you can bet on Queensland for a good does sunshine with Vitamen D included....which instantly makes you feel chilled and happy :-)lovely

I visted recently Advance Beauty in Leichhardt. I know that they have a few salons,however would like to comment and recommend their Leichhardt Salon which is located on Norton Street. I stumbled across this spa walking past when needing a quick eye lash tint and eye brow shape. From the exterior of this old building one could easily assume that what was inside would be a very basic salon. I was pleasantly suprised to find a relaxing Balinese inspired two level sanctuary. I walked away two and half hours later having enjoyed a facial and Vitamin C treatment. I can recommend their friendly and welcoming service in a peaceful environment, one would normally would not expect to find in the midst of busy Norton Street. A secret find that I hope others can also enjoy.

I have had great wraps on Gwinganna (means "lookout") Gold Coast luxury retreat created by a Sydneysider. A girlfriend went there from Sydney to destress and detox - she loved it and so sent hubby along. He loved it. Now they plan to return together for one week. Apparently everything is first class fab - food - activities - natural bush setting - supportive and enthusiastic staff. A real gem.

Nice event! For those who are in the USA, I’d like to recommend Body Restoration spa. They have a very well-structured and welcoming place where you can enjoy their vast variety of beauty and body services. On their website (http://www.bodyrest.com) you can learn more about their packages and promotions. The price is reasonable and their staff is simply the best to take care of you and give that relaxing, worriless and free of commitments day that we all look for once in a while.
http://www.bodyrest.com

There is an absolutely fantastic place in WA called the Onyesha Day Spa. Its to the North of Perth city and 30 mins from the beautiful vinyards of the Swan Valley. If you fancy a trip to Perth for a long weekend (its a long flight!) then this is certainly worth adding into the trip. Check our the website www.onyesha.com.au. Enjoy, I did!

Thanks Michelle, relaxing at the Day Spa and enjoying the vinyards sounds like the perfect holiday!

I'm not convinced that the number of females on the board is the best gauge of equal opportunity. Equal opportunity should allow either parent to take leave as babies join their family and flexibilty for both parents who may wish to work less and have some time at home or to share more equally in the home front. I would like to see comparison of long term retention of male and female staff and staff feedback on how they rate the companies they work for and the choices that are available to them. This would be more realistic than ticking mandatory boxes on a checksheet to prove EOWA.

If women wanted to be on boards I believe they can get there, perhaps it is not a priority for them! Family is one of the problems here I believe, as women are still seen to be the ones who need to take care of the kids. Childcare facilities don't operate overnight, hence travel overseas or interstate is difficult for women with children. Also if the child is sick they are rejected from the childcare centre, hence "mum" takes time off work to be the sick child, rather than the father. Many men on boards have wives who do not work they stay at home managing the household, not the same for women, though it is politically incorrect to state this. Women often are not so driven about work, work life balance is more of a draw card perhaps. I have many women working for me and would often like to have more men, I know again politically incorrect, but women are often unreliable due to childcare issues and also far more emotionally driven, again reflecting on performance consistency. Not sure what the answer is but we are not there yet, and maybe we need to look at this in a different way? Men have a greater ability to be focussed on a task, women multi task. This is a generalisation but maybe we need to put women into different roles, these positions we are talking about have been set up for men, maybe the whole concept needs to change about how these things operate? Does it really matter if boards have men or women as long as they get the job done?

You raise some really good points and I don't disagree on the importance of EO. The thing about getting women onto boards is that we're more likely to see this sort of change when we have people in the decision making seats (at the boardroom table) who have first hand experience of the impact and issues of balancing work and parenting. At the moment we have a very narrow demographic of board director - usually white men aged 50-65 years, who had very little role in the parenting of their children and even less understanding of why it's so important - on many levels - to get women into strategic decision making roles.