Wominjeka (Welcome)

Gembrook Retreat is a 22-acre property given in trust to be run as a place of spiritual retreat and renewal.

The Retreat is maintained by Jane and Steve Hope and their children, a Quaker family who are residents of the Black Cockatoo House of Welcome. There is also a wider volunteer community governed by the values of hospitality, simplicity, community and care for the land.

We welcome individuals, couples, families and small groups to run self-directed and self-catered retreats.

Accommodation is in a self-contained cabin. Further accommodation and group activity buildings are on the way – stay tuned!

Whether you come for an afternoon or for a few days, it is our wish that you experience the abundance that this land has to share.

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Quick run! Weeding to do! Jump to it! #FRoGR #friendsofgembrookretreat #kidswhoknowhowslowmoworksonyourphone

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Monks for a month is completed! Thanks to everyone who joined us and encouraged us along the way as we prayed, sang, cooked, did dishes, hosted, watched the smoke, worked on the Meeting House and built a new deck, plays games, rested. We refined the rhythm of work and prayer as we found out what worked best for us. If you missed out on being a Monday Monk, you can still book a retreat in the cabin, or become a FRoGR member and join in the rhythm on Fridays. #monksforamonth #workandprayer #retreat #gembrookretreat

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We are still looking for an empty gas cylinder for a bell, hard to find! The right size is usually used for argon, helium, hydrogen, nitrogen or carbon dioxide and needs to be high pressure, 230mm diameter, and 600mm long to make a good sound. We can potentially pay something for the cylinder and we need to find a way of cutting it in half as well. Please contact us if you can help!

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Working on the Meeting House. Contact us if you’d like to lend a hand- thanks to Barb for cleaning the windows! #workingbee #monksforamonth #workandprayer #gembrookretreat

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Guest book at David’s Cabin. To book a retreat, email us: info@gembrookretreat.org.au #meditation #gembrookretreat

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Question: Do monks celebrate birthdays? Answer: yes they do! Welcome to our ducklings! #ducks #monksforamonth #gembrookretreat

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Samara writes: Yesterday at church we heard the story about Jesus being baptised. John didn’t want to do it, he didn’t think it was appropriate, but Jesus said something like, let’s just do it anyway. And then the Spirit came down like a dove, or in the laughingbird paraphrase, like a kookaburra, and Jesus heard God saying that he was the beloved child of God. I was thinking about all the encounters I’ve had with creatures on the land in my time up here. People here are open to the possibility that these encounters might be saying something to us. I do know that when they happen, some of the quibbling in my head about what’s the right thing to do can hush up for a moment. I found this frog on the edge of the spa at Blue Tongue House. It was so still, I’m still not sure whether it was alive, but the next time I looked it was gone. #monksforamonth #gembrookretreat #friendsofgembrookretreat #FRoGR

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Today we dug up bricks to make space for a new deck. Alongside the heavy work was the scents of honeysuckle, mint and roses. #monksforamonth #workandprayer #gembrookretreat

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Made pasta from scratch! No tagliatelle packaging required, just semolina from the bulk food shop. #monksforamonth #workandprayer #gembrookretreat #vegan

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Jane writes: On Monday nights we have Vespers at 6pm. We use the Evening Prayers from Macrina Wiederkehr’s book ‘Seven Sacred Países’ and during the 10minutes of silence we ponder the Examen questions. One of the questions is: ‘Will I choose to relax in some way this evening?’ So here I sit, outside, a little before dusk, just looking out at the view, listening to the buzzing of insects and light rain on the roof.
Slow down and just be.

Thoughts of the day go through my mind. Due to the ‘Extreme’ fire danger rating we enacted our fire plan today which meant that I left early with the kids. While we were out a small fire began nearby but we are thankful it didn’t amount to anything. I think of friends in Garfield and Mill Park, both with fires nearby. I pray that they can find some rest tonight, and that they are ok.

Breathe, be still. Back to the view.
The kookaburras have begun.
I spent a lot of time in the bush over the past year, learning how to rest. Every time, the trees whispered back to me.
Be.
Be still. And I would remember.
Be still and know that I am God. (Video is of the sprinkler system being tested during the heat of the day). #monksforamonth #day5 #workandprayer #gembrookretreat

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Jane writes: Sunday is my full day of rest. I still do the prayers in our daily rhythm but the plan is to be restful, still, silent, maybe read a book or do a small enjoyable task like bake some biscuits for afternoon tea.
Because my work during the rest of the week is on the land, my rhythm often needs to change, depending on what the weather is doing. With tomorrow’s heat coming, I knew it would be wise to water the orchard. So, with a readjustment to my rhythm on Monday so that I still get some rest in, I went outside today to work.

One might ask though if I was working or resting. If I was working, then I had a hose running and for 2 hours I moved it from tree to tree, watering each for 2-5 minutes. If I was resting, which is how it felt, I was sitting under a shady plum tree with my journal and book. I sometimes wrote, I sometimes read. Most of the time though, I looked out at the yellow flowers, watched branches sway in a gentle breeze, I looked at bunches of peaches and plums and I sat still. Every couple of minutes I got up and moved the hose to the next tree.
During my year of rest and renewal I discovered different levels of rest, and this meant at times I felt like I was deeply resting in the arms and comfort of God. I recently discovered that St Augustine had a similar experience. Martin Laird in his book ‘Into the Silent Land’ says that St Augustine said that ‘the discovery of the various levels of silence is what it means to ‘enter into the joy of your Lord.’ I realized that the main type of rest we all currently do is lie on the couch and look at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. If you’d like to get out of this kind of rest, then take your ‘skills’ outside. Put the screen down, go outside and find somewhere comfortable to sit, and just stare at what’s around you, just as you would at a screen. #monksforamonth #workandprayer #gembrookretreat

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Monks for a month day 3. Our first break for prayers is at 10:15. Sometimes it feels like we’ve hardly started our work, but when I sat there today in the Meeting House, I could hear the world outside - the wind, the birds, the insects- busily doing its own work and remembered that we are not working alone. It’s not all about our own effort and strength. #monksforamonth #workandprayer #gembrookretreat

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Jane writes: During the work times of our monastic rhythm I am either growing food or cooking the food. Our food is primarily from the garden, unpackaged and uses no animal products. We live as if we are in a climate emergency. My Christian tradition, and my particular mob the Quakers, has a proud history of speaking Truth to Power. These days with climate and vegan activists, it seems that the Truth is being spoken to us. We have the spiritual disciplines to respond well when being on the receiving end, but will we have the courage? I went vegan just over 12 months ago, primarily in response to climate change. Has it done much for climate change? Who knows? I hoped it also might help my health. Surprisingly, I can’t tell if it has. The biggest change though is a deepening of my connection to God and God’s creation. Maybe listening to the Truth that is pouring out at the moment will help us with the spiritual renewal we so desperately need. My greatest thanks goes out to those who are speaking the Truth. #monksforamonth #workandprayer #gembrookretreat

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Monks for a month day 1. Hanging whiteboards, gardening, cooking, installing electrics, cleaning filters, mowing, meeting, eating, praying. #monksforamonth #work&prayer #gembrookretreat

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It’s important for monks to have newly painted walls! Jane and Samara getting the worship room and office ready for Monks for a Month, starting December 26. Come and join in our daily rhythm of work and prayer as a Monday monk! Contact us on info@gembrook retreat.org.au for more info. #monksforamonth #gembrookretreat

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Jane and Samara are becoming Monks for a Month! From 26 December we will be living out a rhythm of work and prayer between Gembrook Retreat and the new Blue Tongue House down the road. You might like to join us on Monastic Mondays where you can do your own work and gather for prayer throughout the day. Or join the FRoGR working bees on Fridays, followed by our Community Night. Contact us to find out more! info@gembrookretreat.org.au #monksforamonth #FRoGR #friendsofgembrookretreat #gembrookretreat

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Not a bad collection from the vegie patch yesterday! Plenty going on in the gardens this month, feel free to join FRoGR and witness the abundance of early summer. #FRoGR #friendsofgembrookretreat

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A potential resident perhaps? Or just after the food? Who’s next? Find out about residency at Gembrook Retreat! gembrookretreat.org.au #gembrookretreat

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We’re getting ready to welcome retreat guests with our new guest entrance, undercover and looking pretty schmick! To find out about working bees and gardening with FRoGR, or to book a retreat in David’s Cabin, see our website gembrookretreat.org.au or link in bio #FRoGR #friendsofgembrookretreat #gembrookretreat

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The Christian season of Advent begins tomorrow, when we prepare for the coming of Jesus. It is a helpful reminder for us on the land that we need to clear the way at this time of year: to mow, to burn off, to prune, to get ready. Some of us here are also preparing our minds and bodies by fasting, giving up alcohol or chocolate, and reading the parables. As society speeds up at this time of year, we find that these Advent spiritual practices help us to slow down. Image credit: Chris Booth. #advent #gembrookretreat

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Recent Posts

Residency at Gembrook Retreat, June 2019 newsletter

July 1, 2019 by Samara

What are we looking for as we seek new residents to join the community at Gembrook Retreat? Read about this and further updates in our winter newsletter.

Chestnut Harvest coming soon! Gembrook Retreat news March 2019

March 28, 2019 by Samara

A community of work and prayer Over summer, we have been experimenting with a rhythm of life at Gembrook Retreat that combines the work of hosting and looking after the land and buildings of the Retreat, with regular times of prayer. This connects us with the spiritual practices that we want to invite our guests to experience. We have started thinking about … Continue reading Chestnut Harvest coming soon! Gembrook Retreat news March 2019

Newsletter Sept 2018

November 15, 2018 by Samara

A space to feed heart, soul and imagination… Guests have been finding their way to David’s Cabin over the winter months and here’s what they are saying: “A lovely property to ramble about on – the guiding values of this space for rest and renewal are of hospitality, simplicity, community and care for the land… so think woodfire … Continue reading Newsletter Sept 2018