River Island Nature Retreat

River island would have to be one of our most visited venues over the years. This is primarily due to its close proximity to home. To the best of our knowledge River Island is Australia’s largest and best known nudist venue. The accommodations on offer range from simple campsites by a river to vans and cabins. The facilities are reasonably well maintained especially those around the main building and swimming pools. While the venue is listed as family friendly we have noticed over the years that it has been less welcoming towards children. This is primarily around access to swimming pools. It is hard to explain to a five year old child that they must stay in the unheated pool rather than access the warm one right next to it. This reduction in the acceptance of children, read our grandchildren, is one of the reasons we have been less frequent visitors over recent time. The access road is often reported as difficult though we have never found this to be the case. In fact while it is a dirt road it is well-maintained and the views of the venue are quite spectacular on the way in. Its location alongside Wollondilly River makes it an ideal location for those with canoes and other non-powered watercraft. There is also a number of trials throughout the property which, if you’re feeling energetic enough, will reward you some spectacular views from a ridge overlooking the resort and local area. The resort is run as a business, this of course is not an issue, however it does mean that there will be some who are there for a look rather than being there for the naturist experience. Perhaps this means it’s not ideal as a first time experience. However this limitation can be compensated for by it’s size meaning there will always be a quiet spot for those new to social nudity to acclimate to the experience. Whilst there is a check against the restaurant field it should be noted that this is a simple restricted takeaway menu and only operates on weekends during peak times. So if you’re going pack as much as you can, well as much as you’ll need. If you are planning to head down on a long weekend or public holiday prepared to be meet with a large number of visitors and a considerable surcharge. The signposted access road to River Island on the Wombeyan Caves Road at location -34.3509°,150.1157°