Make the most of your retreat with us
Retreat offerings
Book a retreat space
We have two retreat spaces available for you to hold your own self-directed retreat.
Mentoring
Our mentoring sessions are a way to help you develop a spiritual practice based on silence and contemplation. Through support and practice we will explore ways to help you enter into this aspect of the spiritual life, and develop a foundation for a continuing practice in your daily life.
Spiritual direction
Spiritual Direction is a one-on-one session where you explore part of your daily experiences in order to become aware of your inner life and deepen your relationship with God/Spirit/Divine.
Active Hope workshops
We offer Active Hope workshops based on the Work That Reconnects that help people ‘face the mess we’re in without going crazy’.
Facilitated Retreat Days
We can design a Retreat Day program to suit your group, drawing on elements from our other workshops such as nature connection, Active Hope activities and contemplation.
Retreat guide
A retreat guide can support you during your retreat in the hope of having a deeper, more intentional experience.
Writer’s residency
We offer writer’s residencies in David’s cabin for up to 2 weeks, with options for independence or integrating with the community rhythm of work, prayer and meals.
Spiritual direction
Spiritual direction is an opportunity for you to sit with a guide and reflect on your daily life experiences. The guide helps you to explore your inner life and deepen your relationship with God/Spirit/Divine. The session usually lasts for 50 minutes.
At Gembrook Retreat you can book in for spiritual direction with our long-time resident Jane Hope. This can be done as a one-off, or as regular monthly sessions. You may also like to have a spiritual direction session while you are on retreat in the Cabin, or during a Day Retreat. This way you can accompany your session with time to reflect on the land, or join us for our daily prayers at 10am or 6pm.
Jane is a qualified spiritual director/companion through the Wellspring Centre. While Jane herself is a Christian Quaker, she welcomes anyone to her spiritual direction sessions whether you have a particular spiritual practice or not.
“Jane waited and journeyed with me to process some stuckness in me. She was so gentle and such a good listener.” Irene
“Highly recommend Jane as a spiritual director - she is warm, relaxed, down to earth and non-judgmental. As someone new to spiritual direction and companionship - I found her very supportive in helping me find my own words and language for my experiences and to listen to them more deeply.” Claire
Sliding scale fee: $30/$45/$60/$75/$100 per session
Contact us below to find out more.
Retreat guide
Having a Retreat Guide is a great way to be supported during your retreat. You will meet with your Guide at the beginning and the end for one-on-one sessions. During these sessions you will reflect on your intention for the retreat, and what your soul needs. A retreat could include many different spiritual practices, such as contemplation, nature connection, fasting, meditative walks or sitspots. With the help of a Guide we often find we are able to better commit to these practices and delve deeper into what they offer, regardless of whether we are a beginner or well practiced.
As your Guide, Jane comes with ten years of intentional retreat experience on the Gembrook Retreat property. She has been practicing Contemplative Prayer Weekends on the land every few months with fellow community member Samara. She knows the difference that support can make in achieving her intentions for a retreat rather than struggling on her own. During these retreats she has deepened her own spiritual life more than she could have imagined through practices of contemplation, silence, fasting, praying in the middle of the night, as well as being apprenticed by the flora and fauna of God's very own Creation. She has discovered that mysticism is not just for some interesting folk who lived long ago. The wild spiritual practices that can deepen our connection to land and the Divine can be practiced here today. We often just need a bit of guidance and support.
Jane is incredibly interested in your spiritual life, whether you feel you are a beginner, well experienced, or somewhere in between. She would love to hear where you are in your life's journey and what is drawing you to be on retreat. At the end of your retreat she will be eager to hear your adventure story and help reflect on what your experience is telling you. While Jane identifies as a Quaker who seeks to follow Christ she welcomes people of all walks of life regardless of spiritual beliefs.
Sliding scale fee: $60/$90/$120/$150
Contact us to find out more, or book a Retreat Guide with your retreat accommodation below.
Mentoring
Our mentoring sessions are a way to help you develop a spiritual practice based on silence and contemplation.
Through one on one sessions with our long term resident Jane Hope, you will explore the spiritual practice of contemplation and silence. Developing an understanding of your purpose and approach can help you to have a deeper experience through your practice as well as be able to sustain it longer. The mentoring sessions will also help look at your own experience of silence and contemplation and design an approach that is specific to you and your needs.
In the first session, Jane can help you get started in your practice, or offer support and suggestions for an existing practice. Ideally at least four sessions, either fortnightly or monthly, would help to establish a good foundational practice. Our community’s daily rhythm of prayer and work will also be a great way for you to continue your practice if you would like to return for a Day Retreat.
These sessions could be booked for an individual but also for groups of up to four people if you have others you would like to develop a practice with.
Sliding scale fee: $30/$45/$60/$75 per session
Contact us below to find out more.
Active Hope workshops
These workshops are based on the Work That Reconnects which was created by the eco-philosopher, Joanna Macy, to help people ‘face the mess we’re in without going crazy’ (Macy and Johnstone, 2012).
The workshops are suited to people who are trying to face the various crises of our times or who are working for the dramatic change that is needed in how we relate to our world. We will use spiritual practices such as nature connection, deep listening and sharing, singing, storytelling and community building. These practices will help us to feel confident and clear about our participation in addressing the big issues our world is facing. They will also give us a grounding to keep going and feel encouraged, as well as provide an experience of being part of a larger collective working together.
See What’s on for upcoming workshops.
If you want to organise a workshop for your group, either at the Retreat or a venue of your choice, we’re happy to talk about this with you! You can make a workshop booking inquiry for your group here.
Day Retreats
The residents at Gembrook Retreat follow a rhythm of work and prayer that helps us to live a soulful life.
Join us in our rhythm of work and prayer for a day, or several! You are welcome to bring your own work to do during the work times (we can provide a space), or use the work time to be on retreat on the land, and gather with residents two to three times a day for prayer in a Christian Quaker contemplative tradition, and to share food together.
This is generally available on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
We suggest a donation of $10/$25 for the day, $5 extra per meal if required. Accommodation booked separately.
9:30am - arrive
10am - morning prayer
10:30am - morning tea
11am - 1:30pm - work time
1:30pm - peace prayer
1:40pm - lunch
2:30pm - work
5pm - afternoon tea
6pm - evening prayer
7pm - dinner
8pm - close
Facilitated Retreat Days
We can design a Retreat Day for your group, drawing on elements of our other offerings and workshops, and incorporating whatever you want to focus on for the day. We can run a half or full day for you.
Retreat Days are suitable from a group of 6-20 people. They take place in the Meeting House and on the land. You will need to self-cater, we can provide tea and coffee.
Sample Retreat Day
10am Arrive, cuppa
10:30am Nature connection experiences
12:30pm Lunch
2pm Active Hope - introduction to the spiral
4:30pm Arvo tea
Writer’s residency
We offer residencies of up to 14 days to writers who need a beautiful and affordable space to focus on writing.
Writers can book David’s cabin, our simple cosy 2 room building, and you will have access to the main house for additional facilities such as hot showers, computer charging, use of laundry and access to wifi.
Writers can be independent during their residency, or they can join in with the community rhythm of work, prayer and meals 5 days a week.
Cost
Writer’s residencies are offered on a sliding scale.
David’s Cabin 14 day independent residency $140/$350/$700
David’s Cabin 14 day integrated residency $140/$350/$700 + $100 for meals
Shorter residencies may also be possible, contact us to find out more.