Cultivating Creativity: women writers’ retreat (November 2026)

A weekend retreat of writing and rejuvenation

Next dates: 13-15 November 2026

Welcome to our weekend writing retreat: Cultivating creativity.

This exclusive experience is focused on supporting your ongoing creative practice with craft masterclasses and activities. Not only that, it’s designed to acknowledge the essential role of rest, play, support and space in the work of the imagination.

This intensive retreat for women and nonbinary writers is fully residential in a delightful rural guesthouse, and features masterclasses with Dr Kelly Gardiner, author of Goddess and many other acclaimed books, and an experienced creative writing teacher and mentor.

The retreat is designed to support your growth as a writer and embed a sustainable creative practice. It’s suitable for aspiring, emerging and established writers of fiction or creative nonfiction.

You’ll build on what you already know, and each day features writing craft masterclasses, writing exercises, activities, and discussion. But this retreat also offers you the chance to relax into greater creativity and to build frameworks for planning, time management, and writing techniques that support your creative life and work.

Let’s take the opportunity to energise our writing practice, make progress on our current projects, and celebrate our creativity – together.

Also: pampering!

Find out all about the weekend, what’s included, and what’s not, here.

In this residential masterclass we’ll focus on:

• Creating and maintaining a writing practice that suits you
• Taking your writing project to the next stage
• Techniques and strategies to support your creativity
• Taking time to enjoy deep rest and rejuvenation
• Getting words down on the page
• How to establish and embed sustainable writing habits
• Tips and tools for the craft of writing
• Celebration and relaxation.

These retreats book out months in advance, so don’t miss out!

What will it be like?

On this retreat, you’ll experience:

• Four masterclasses on different topics of craft and creativity
• Writing exercises you can use in future
• Discussion with your fellow writers
• Evening salon around the fire pit
• A yoga class each morning
• Shared and free writing time, including group ‘sprints’
• A guided meditation focused on creativity
• A guided walk/place writing exercise
• Sessions in the Continental’s gorgeous Turkish steam bath
• Handouts and resources.

It all happens in Continental House, a renovated heritage guesthouse in beautiful Hepburn Springs, with locally-sourced meals from an award-winning caterer. We’ll have the run of the house and gorgeous gardens, set in the glorious bushland of spa country.

You can read all the details here: what the retreat includes, who it’s for, what we’ll focus on and how.

You’ll also receive an invitation to our private online writing community to keep in touch with each other and stay up-to-date on writing and publishing opportunities.

On this retreat, you don’t have to think about anything but your writing, and making your work as good as it can be. We’ll take care of everything for you so you can focus on your writing, your learning, and creating a community of supportive writers.

Take this opportunity to lift your writing practice to the next level.

Ready to join us? Reserve your place now.

Details

Date & time: 5pm, Friday, 13 November to 4.30pm Sunday 15 November, 2026.

You can check into your room from 3pm on the Friday, with the welcome session before dinner. The retreat runs through to late afternoon Sunday.

Closing date for bookings: 12 October 2026, unless booked out earlier.

Venue: Continental House, 9 Lone Pine Avenue, Hepburn Springs,
Victoria, Australia.

Payment plan

Bookings are essential. 

Class size is limited: this is intentionally designed as a small-group experience to allow us to focus on you and your writing.

(Be warned, the last Cultivating Creativity retreat booked out many months in advance.)

You can pay a deposit now to secure your place.

Deposit: $150.

Fee: $1340, including expert tuition, two nights’ accommodation, activities, Hammam spa session, yoga classes, refreshments and all meals. See the full list here.

You can choose to either pay the full amount now or a deposit (with the balance due by 12 October 2026.)

Book with a friend or partner:

If you wish to share a room with a friend or partner who is also attending, we can arrange that too, at a lower rate per person. Please contact me.

Read the outline of the weekend retreat here. Full details of the weekend’s program will be sent out closer to the date. You can read some FAQs here.

If you have any other questions, please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.

Hope to see you there.