There are 6 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms (4 bathrooms for retreats) There are also two luxury bell tents that can sleep 2 people each. We can accommodate a maximum of 21 for holiday lets or 22 for retreats.

Accommodation pricing is based on a minimum of 2 people sharing a room or tent. There is a single room/ tent supplement if required.

‘Love’ can sleep 5 and has an ensuite. It can be configured as 1 x king and 3 x singles or 5 x singles.

‘Ganesh’ can sleep 2 or up to 3 with a roll out bed. It can be configured as 1 x king or 2/3 x singles. It can have an ensuite or the bathroom can be shared with the house via an external door.

‘Compassion’ has 2 x single beds. No king bed possible.

‘Wisdom’ and ‘Peace’ can sleep 2 each and can be configured as 1 x king or 2 x singles.

‘Harmony’ can sleep up to 3 with a roll out bed and can be configured as 1 x king or 2/3 x singles.

The tents, ‘Fire’ and ‘Water’ have two single beds only. They can not be king beds. They are the same beds and linen as the house (with added hot water bottles) and include electricity, wi-fi and heating. Bathroom Facilities are in the yoga hall a few meters away

For retreats, a single bed is available in the massage treatment room for use of facilitators only, if you want to free up more space in the house.

There are also numerous alternative accommodation options within a 5 min drive of Yanada so additional facilitators or guests may want to consider this option. See details here.

Yanada is in the McDonald Valley 2km outside the historic village of St Albans. We adjoin the Yengo National Park and are 17 minutes from Wisemans Ferry and the Hawkesbury River. This is the southern tip of Darkinjung country with Mount Yengo at its heart. This place is hidden and remote,  known since first European settlement as the Forgotten Valley, yet less than 2 hours drive from Sydney.

The drive itself is beautiful. From Sydney, once you leave the M2 and Pennant Hills Road you will follow the original convict built route north from Sydney. The Old North Road takes you along the Dural ridge with stunning Blue Mountain views, through Marramurra National Park and down into Wisemans Ferry, set on a picturesque loop in the Hawkesbury river system. Cross the free Webbs Creek vehicular ferry, a 4 min ride, then along the McDonald Valley, with steep sandstone cliffs and the meandering river, to Yanada, just before the National Trust village of St Albans.

Yanada is located at 1741 St Albans Road, St Albans, NSW 2775

DO NOT USE GPS OR GOOGLE MAPS TO GET HERE, some systems avoid ferries and take you on unsealed roads. There is no need to use any unsealed road to get here. The directions below include public transport options, and driving from Sydney, the Central Coast or the Blue Mountains.

HAWKESBURY POST: Forgotten Valley’s Yanada Retreat maybe just what we all need after this long year…

Anthony Bendall recommends Yanada: “Amazing place. Peaceful, serene and spiritual. I left feeling nourished, refreshed and energised. Highly recommended.”

Fabulous-lovely space, great communal dining space, divine pool, very comfortable sleeping arrangements and the beautiful setting added to the sense of peace and tranquility.

5/5 We loved our stay at Yanada. I suspect the Yanada has the best pool in the world, certainly in Australia.
Lewis and Curt were lovely hosts – very friendly and communicative. Leanne airbnb

5/5  It was an absolute pleasure staying at this property and I would go back in a heartbeat. The location was stunning and it was the perfect place to unwind with friends and enjoy being surrounded by nature. Lewis was easy to contact and helpful throughout the booking process! Jackie airbnb

5/5 Tranquil setting, Lovely property, Kerrianne H, Stayz

5/5 Such a good place to stay! Thank you to Lewis, he was so helpful and we had such an amazing stay here. Would highly recommend this place for your next holiday! Allana M, Stayz

5/5 Such a good place to stay! Thank you to Lewis, he was so helpful and we had such an amazing stay here. Would highly recommend this place for your next holiday! Allana M, Stayz

5/5 Yanada Retreat was a fantastic place to getaway with a few friends. We booked the entire place and were blown away by the serenity yanada presented. 10/10 would stay there again. Sagar airbnb

5/5 Thank you for an absolutely wonderful stay. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and were able to completely get away from the Sydney rat race for a week. It was a real retreat and exactly what we all needed. Beautiful outlook, spacious, quiet and lovely hospitable hosts! Justin airbnb

5/5 Getting to the house is really easy. Lewis provided us with extra directions which made it a quick and easy journey from Sydney. The house is VERY clean, large and really has everything you can ever need for a weekend away. I stayed at the house with with 19 friends and everyone was super impressed on arrival. Big dining area where you can all sit together and have dinner. Large couch area with a fire. Worth mentioning that the house was lovely warm without the fire being on which was ideal in the colder months. All the rooms are large with comfy mattresses, comfy pillows and fluffy towels 🙂 Toilets and kitchen are also super clean. The location is away from everything and at night it is completely silent (ideal). There is a pool with a cool seating area beside it and lovely grounds to go walking around. There is also a balcony that goes all around the house with big comfy bean bags and chairs 🙂 At night my group sat around the fire pit which was ideal! The roll out beds and the tents are just as comfy as the additional beds in the house. If you are looking for a spacious, clean house where you can relax and enjoy a bit of nature then this is the perfect choice 🙂 Gill airbnb

Nourish The Body with Mathew Bergan

Mathew has been cooking healthy and hearty vegetarian food since the 1980’s, when the seminal vegetarian cookbook titled – The Moose Wood Cookbook landed on planet earth. This cookbook in particular taught regular people the benefits of healthy, nourishing and hearty vegetarian food. Having said this, vegan and vegetarian food has blossomed tenfold in flavour, nourishment and design.

For the past 20 years Mathew has catered for yoga retreats and special events. A former director of his own yoga studio, he learned exactly what kind of vegetarian food is appropriate to nourish the human body without over taxing the digestive system. His food raises vitality and heightens energy levels, without plunging people into a food coma afterwards.

Mathew uses flavours from around the world, be they Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Asian or Indian. His dishes are not too intense in flavour or spice and balanced to keep people’s digestive systems comfortable, especially while on retreat. He will always have optional side condiments available for those that like to dial up the intensity. His catering is inclusive to all including vegan, celiac, dairy free and nut free.

Menu example
A crue de tat upon arrival including: Dips, stick vegetables, olives, fruit, cheese, nuts and seeds. 

Breakfast
Oat or rice porridge with stewed fruits, nuts and seeds, yogurts -including diary free.
Warm sour dough bread and spreads.
Fresh fruit

Lunch
Mediterranean Zucchini pie with a mix of salads including protein salad and green leaf.
Pesto pasta salad, medley of roast vegetables, green leaf salad, dips and fresh fruit.

Dinner
Greek buffet including spanakopita pie, green bean salad with fresh mint, fetta and roast walnut, dolmade’s, dips, olives, fresh fruit.
Mexican buffet including spicey (mild) beans, rice, guacamole, cheese, green leaf salad, salsa, corn chips, chipolata sauce.

Dessert
Apple crumble, yogurts including coconut and dairy
Fresh fruit
Chocolate yogurt moose, with fresh berries, almond and chocolate shavings

Jeevi – The Laughing Chef

Join internationally trained, locally loved vegan chef, Jeevi, for a weekend of amazing food, ultimate relaxation and loads of laughter.

A Nepalese-born third generation vegetarian, Jeevi, is famously known as ‘the laughing chef,’ combing his passion for vegan cooking with his gift for laughing yoga. Jeevi has featured on Channel 9, Living Light Culinary Institute & Destination Happiness.

https://www.instagram.com/laughing.chef/

If you are staying with us soon, go to our experiences page to find out how to book a massage. 

 

Kirsty

 

Kirsty from Sheer Indulgence Beauty & Massage,  is a stunningly unique little beauty centre in Wisemans Ferry. The salon has been established for 8 years and offers a wide range of professional beauty treatments and massage services to cater for all your needs. Swedish or deep tissue massage, you choose your pressure. using therapeutic techniques to help de-stress, release muscle tension and relieve aches.

 

 

 

 

Jo Bloom

Jo from bloomenergy.com.au is a new local Lomi Lomi massuer in St Albans. Indulge in the transporting journey of Lomi Lomi massage with Jo to connect and rejuvenate the body, mind, and spirit, returning to balance and harmony.

This ancient Hawaiian technique combines breath, energy and bodywork to open energy pathways, release tension, and remove blockages. The entire body is massaged with long, rhythmic, and sweeping strokes moving energy through the body leaving you relaxed and restored.

 

 

 

 

 

David Æon Helman

David has over two decades of experience as a yoga teacher and is an advanced KaHuna practitioner and bodyworker. 

If you are staying with us soon, go to our experiences page to find out how to book a massage. 

 

 

 

 

Eshref Eyiam

Eshref has been practicing iyengar yoga for over 30 years and teaching as a qualified instructor for 7 years.

He teaches at Leichhardt Park Aquatic Centre and at the St. Albans School of the Arts. he also teaches 2 children’s yoga classes at Balmain Care for Kids and 4 classes with the Educators at Balmain Care for Kids weekly.

Esh is registered with Fitness Australia to instruct yoga and Personal training. He also runs circuit training classes (regularly at St. Albans on a Saturday morning) and personal training with private clients. He is also a spin and boxing instructor.

If you are staying with us soon, go to our experiences page to find out how to book a yoga class.

Jan Slattery

Yanada would not run without Jan. She manages the housekeeping and coordinates the cleaners. Jan and Bruce live only 1km from Yanada and are much loved active members of our community involved in many local associations including the RFS. Jan also has a self-contained studio flat available for short term let if Yanada is full.

Adjoining Dharug Land and the Eora nation, it is told that Darkijung people led visitors along tracks (‘Bulgas’) towards the sacred Yengo. These tracks later became roads, including the original line of the Great North Road.

It is told  that Mt Yengo is the place where Biamie departed to the skies after finishing his creative tasks during the Dreamtime. The mountain top was flattened when he stepped on it. Biamie’s son, Daramula is believed to have created the smaller flat rock peaks in the area. You can walk up to one of those above the house at Yanada.

Settlers, mostly escapees, emancipated convicts or their freeborn sons, began arriving “unofficially” at first. The first “official” Grants along the Hawksbury River were not allocated until 1794 to James Ruse and Charles Williams who simply added their number to “the list of those already established”. By 1796, in an official survey, had 400 “white” people along the banks of the Hawkesbury. It is well documented that there were many people living up the narrow valleys who were not counted and many indeed “up the Branch”. By the time the river flats were surveyed in 1833 the “First Branch” had been renamed the Macdonald after John Macdonald of Pitt Town, an early bushman, explorer and settler .

Initial relations between the settlers and original convict population in the area was reasonably harmonious with many known intermarriages. The Dharug and Darkinung people treated the newcomers as welcome guests, teaching bush skills and assisting in the planting of crops. The British army later put a stop to this with horrendous brutality.

This rich and dark convict and indigenous history is immortalised in Kate Grenville’s novel, TV series and play, ‘The Secret River’, set in the McDonald Valley.

Yanada adjoins the Yengo National Park, a rugged landscape of steep gorges and rocky ridges, just waiting to be explored by 4WD, mountain bike or foot.

Part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, Yengo has spectacular views, remote wilderness and sacred heritage. There’s an abundance of  sacred sites and rock engravings to discover.

The historic, convict-built Old Great North Road in the south-east of the park is also a reminder of the park’s more recent colonial history. This convict trail can be easily visited from Yanada.

Other walks close by include the Jacks Track and the Womerah Ridge Trail:

Built by convicts in chains between 1826 and 1836 this is one of Australia’s most significant engineering structures. It was listed as a UNESCO world heritage item in 2010. Starting in Five Dock, Sydney, most of the road is still in use but one section near Wisemans Ferry is closed to traffic and makes for an easy and interesting attraction to visit from Yanada.

The Wiseman Ferry section of the Old Great North Road saw in excess of 700 convicts working on the road at any one time – clearing timber, digging drains, blasting & shaping stones. Convicts who committed another crime after arriving in the colony worked in leg irons – weighing up to 6kg these could only be put on or removed by a blacksmith. Edwards (1996:89) states that the Old Great North Road deviates around certain sacred Aboriginal sites, suggesting that the local Darkinjung people purposefully diverted the European trail-blazers to avoid these sites.

The Old Great North Road is also home to the Thomas James Bridge, at St Albans, built in 1830 it is the oldest bridge in mainland Australia.

• From the Sydney – Newcastle Freeway
• Take the PEATS RIDGE exit on left towards Peats Ridge/Central Mangrove
• After 8 km turn Left at Wisemans Ferry sign then turn right onto Wisemans Ferry Rd
• Stay on this road for 56 km until you get to Wisemans Ferry car ferry
• Here you can either;

(A) avoid a short section of a gravel road or

(B) avoid two ferries

Option A

• To avoid two Ferries: Keep straight onto Settlers Road. Follow this for 20km into St Albans
• Cross the bridge
• Turn left onto St Albans Road towards Wisemans Ferry
• In 2.5 km we are on the right.

Option B

• To avoid gravel road: Take the Wisemans Ferry across the river
• Drive 1km along Old Northern Road
• Take The Webs Creek Ferry back across the river again
• After Ferry stay on ST ALBANS ROAD towards St Albans for 17.6km.
• We are on the left, soon after the Sae Soon Conference Centre and 2.5 km before St Albans village.

Do not follow Google or GPS Bicentenary Road route, unless you want a scenic drive on steep and windy gravel roads.

• Take Bells Line of Road B59 through Richmond to Windsor
• Turn Left at Macquarie Street (A9 / Tourist Drive 14)
• In 1.2km Turn right onto A2
• In 1.4km turn left onto Tourist Drive 15 (signs for Pitt Town Road/Wisemans Ferry)
• Follow Tourist Drive 15 through Pitt Town
• In 35km turn left onto Old Northern Rd towards Wisemans Ferry
• After steep hill down into Wisemans Ferry, turn left towards St Albans and take the Webbs Creek Ferry (NOT Wisemans Ferry) across to St Albans Road.
• The Ferry runs 24 hrs a day and takes about 5 mins.
• After Ferry stay on ST ALBANS ROAD towards St Albans for 17.6km.
• We are on the left, soon after the Sae Soon Conference Centre and 2.5 km before St Albans village

Wisemans Ferry is served twice daily on school days only by the 672 bus from Windsor Station (1hr trip from Windsor).  We may be able to arrange pick up / drop off to Wisemans Ferry if arranged in advance.

The following public transport options are between 40 and 60 mins from Yanada. There is an express bus to Dural from Sydney CBD and there are busses to Glenorie from Castle Hill. Pennant Hills or Windsor are the nearest railway stations.

Maxi Taxis can be arranged from Windsor Station.