Lorna Jane founder buys Byron Bay 'SOMA' wellness retreat for $10.98 million

Lorna Jane founder Lorna Jane Clarkson has purchased the SOMA wellness retreat in Byron Bay for AUD 10.98 million, acquiring a 21‑acre estate that served as the backdrop for the Nicole Kidman series Nine Perfect Strangers.

The purchase, announced by Clarkson in an interview with the Australian Financial Review, set a record for the Ewingsdale hamlet near Byron Bay. "It's a magical place," Clarkson said. "I feel like it's the perfect space to relax, rejuvenate, and reconnect. Wellness is growing, and when we found out SOMA was on the market, we just jumped at it." She added that she has no plans to change the sprawling estate and will maintain its current operations while exploring the possibility of corporate retreats, conferences and podcast recordings.

The property, listed as roughly 21 acres (about nine hectares), was developed as a wellness centre by former owners Peter Ostick, a technology businessman, and Gary Garrow, a meditation expert. They purchased the land in 2016 for about AUD 1.8 million and completed the SOMA centre in 2019. The complex was designed by architect Rieky Sunur and features concrete and timber styling, floor‑to‑ceiling windows with hill views, vertical wooden slatted walls on the second floor, a chef‑style kitchen, and dining areas overlooking the countryside.

SOMA's on‑site amenities include a geodesic yoga dome, an infrared sauna, an ice bath, a freshwater heated infinity pool and landscaped Zen gardens. The centre markets retreat packages on its website; a three‑night full retreat package with a king bed was listed at AUD 3,390 per person, and the owners previously advertised single‑day rentals for AUD 6,820.

Clarkson, who runs the Lorna Jane activewear brand and has an estimated net worth of about AUD 303 million, has made several property investments in the Byron Bay region. In 2021 she paid about AUD 14 million for a separate Byron Bay estate previously associated with the wedding of actress Margot Robbie. She and her husband, Bill Clarkson, sold two Los Angeles homes for a combined AUD 22.6 million approximately one month before acquiring SOMA. The purchase marks Clarkson's third investment in Byron Bay and adds to other local holdings including a beach house.

The sellers, Ostick and Garrow, built SOMA with a focus on meditation and wellness programming. The property's association with the television series Nine Perfect Strangers, in which a fictionalised wellness retreat forms a central plot element, raised its public profile.

Clarkson described the acquisition as both a personal and business decision and said she would keep the retreat operating under its current model while assessing additional corporate applications. The transaction underscores continued investor interest in hospitality and wellness properties, particularly those with established brand recognition or media exposure.