Bloom in Sydney

A 5-Day Retreat for Later-in-Life Lesbian, Queer & Questioning Women

4–8 March 2027

Have you spent years watching Mardi Gras on TV, wondering what it would be like to be there?

Maybe you watched from the sidelines when you thought you were ‘straight’. Maybe you were curious. Maybe you never imagined one day you’d be celebrating as part of the community.

Now it’s your turn.

Imagine dancing through the streets of Sydney, watching the sunset over the harbour with a cocktail in hand, covering yourself in glitter, laughing until your cheeks hurt, and celebrating alongside 36 incredible women who simply get it. For many of us, Mardi Gras is so much more than a parade. It’s a celebration of finally choosing yourself.

Whether it’s your first Mardi Gras or your fifth, I’d love to celebrate this milestone with you.

Limited to just 36 women.

Bloom in Sydney is a five-day retreat created for later-in-life lesbian, queer and questioning women who are ready to experience the magic of Sydney Mardi Gras surrounded by women who simply understand.

Together we’ll celebrate one of the world’s most iconic Pride festivals with glitter, dancing, rooftop cocktails, a beautiful Sydney Harbour dinner cruise, the famous Bondi to Coogee coastal walk, and a visit to Qtopia, Australia’s national centre for queer history and culture. It’s the perfect blend of celebration, connection and unforgettable experiences.

More than a Mardi Gras getaway, Bloom is about finding your people. Whether you’ve spent years watching the parade from afar, are newly out, or have celebrated many Prides before, you’ll be welcomed exactly as you are.

Many women arrive knowing no one, but leave with lifelong friendships, renewed confidence and memories they’ll treasure long after the glitter has washed away.

BLOOM IN SYDNEY: MARDI GRAS

4–8 March 2027 Sydney, Australia

5 Days • 4 Nights

Group Size

Limited to just 36 women.

Choose from a shared dorm room or book one of our limited private twin/double ensuite rooms if you’re travelling with a friend or partner.

Investment

From $2,899 AUD Early Bird. Afterpay available.

Or $500 Deposit to secure your spot

(Final Payment Due 1st November)

If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be hosting retreats for women from all over the world, I honestly wouldn’t have believed you. Because Bloom didn’t start as a business. It started from a place of loneliness.

When I came out later in life, I remember thinking, Where are all the women like me? Women who had been married. Women with kids. Women who were questioning everything they’d always believed about themselves. Women who felt like they were starting over while everyone else already had their community.

I longed to find my people. The kind of women I could sit with over coffee, laugh until my stomach hurt, cry without judgement, and never have to explain why this chapter of life felt so big. So, I created the thing I wish had existed for me.

Bloom isn’t just about travelling to beautiful places. Yes, we’ll explore incredible destinations, eat amazing food and have adventures together, but that’s only part of the story.

The real magic is the women.

It’s the conversations that begin over breakfast and somehow continue until bedtime. It’s the belly laughs, the vulnerable moments, the feeling of finally being surrounded by people who simply get it.

Most women arrive feeling nervous. Many are travelling solo. Some have never met another late bloomer before. Others are newly out, quietly questioning, or simply craving genuine friendships with women who understand this season of life. Then something beautiful happens.

The nerves fade. The walls come down. Strangers become friends.

By the end of the week, the group chat is already buzzing, hugs last a little longer, and women leave with so much more than memories. They leave with lifelong friendships, renewed confidence, and a reminder that they were never as alone as they thought.

If something inside you has been whispering, Maybe I should go…, I hope you’ll listen. I’d absolutely love to welcome you into Bloom.

Petria x

There are plenty of retreats where you’ll visit beautiful places, enjoy incredible food and have amazing experiences.

What makes Bloom different is the women.

Most women arrive on their own. Some are newly out, some are still questioning, and many have never met another late bloomer in person. Within hours, strangers begin feeling like old friends.

The moments you’ll remember most aren’t always on the itinerary. They’re the conversations over morning coffee, the laughter around the dinner table, the vulnerable chats that somehow end with, “Me too.” There’s something incredibly healing about spending time with women who simply get it. Women who understand what it’s like to discover yourself later in life, and who remind you that you’re not alone.

And when the retreat ends, the friendships don’t. The group chat keeps buzzing, coffee catch-ups are organised, birthdays are celebrated, and many women return for another Bloom together.

Bloom isn’t just a retreat. It’s where many women find their queer community.

❤️Questioning or newly out

❤️You’re craving genuine friendships

❤️You’re travelling solo

❤️ Wanting community

❤️You’re ready to prioritise yourself

❤️Wanting adventure

❤️You want to experience Pride with safe people

WHAT’S INCLUDED

✔ 4 nights’ accommodation

✔ Welcome rooftop drink

✔ Welcome dinner

✔ Sydney Harbour dinner cruise

✔ Bondi to Coogee coastal walk

✔ Friday breakfast at Bondi

✔ Entry to Qtopia, Australia’s national LGBTQIA+ museum

✔ Chinatown group dinner

✔ Professional glitter artist

✔ Entry to the Sydney Mardi Gras Glitter Club

✔ After Party Ticket

✔ Sundaylicious recovery party

✔ Two pre-retreat Bloom Zoom catch-ups

✔ Private Bloom group chat

✔ Bloom goodie bag

✔ Welcome & Closing Bloom Circles

✔ Welcome gift

✔ New friendships

NOT INCLUDED

Flights

Travel insurance

Some meals

Personal spending

Alcohol (unless stated as included)

Hi, I’m Petria,

A few years ago, I came out later in life after being married and raising four children. Like so many women, I spent years wondering why something didn’t quite fit. When I finally found my truth, I also discovered how lonely that journey could be.

So I created the community I wish I’d had.

Today, The Late Blooming Lounge connects thousands of women around the world through honest conversations, resources and retreats designed to help you feel less alone. Bloom Retreats are an extension of that dream. My hope is simple: that you arrive as strangers and leave feeling like you’ve found your people.

I can’t wait to meet you.

Petria x

A Few Fun Facts About Me

• Virgo through and through (yes… I absolutely have a colour-coded spreadsheet somewhere).

• Human Design: Manifesting Generator.

• I love electronic music and a dance floor just as much as I love a sunrise meditation or yoga class.

• Hot chips are my weakness. I will absolutely steal a few off your plate.

• I spent over 27 years as a florist before creating Bloom Retreats.

• I came out later in life after being married… twice.

• I’m a solo mum to four amazing kids.

• My favourite moment of every retreat is watching strangers become friends.

• My favourite conversations happen over a really good coffee… or a cocktail.

• Home is Brisbane, Australia.

My hope is that one day you’ll look back at this retreat and realise it wasn’t just a holiday, it was the week everything started to change

YOUR BLOOM JOURNEY

DAY ONE

Thursday | Welcome to Sydney

• Check in to our accommodation in the heart of Sydney

• Meet your fellow Bloom women

• Our first rooftop Bloom Welcome Circle & cocktail

• All-inclusive three-hour Sydney Harbour dinner & drinks cruise

• Drinks, incredible food and breathtaking harbour views

• Watch the sun set over the Opera House and Harbour Bridge as strangers begin becoming friends

  

DAY TWO

Friday | Beaches & Queer History

• Guided Bondi to Coogee coastal walk

• Breakfast together at one of Bondi’s favourite cafés

• Time for beach swims, coffee and relaxing by the ocean

• Free time to freshen up

• Visit Qtopia, Australia’s national centre for queer history and culture

• Group dinner in Chinatown

• Optional drag show for anyone wanting to continue the night

DAY THREE

Saturday | Mardi Gras Magic

• Slow morning and breakfast together

• Relax and get ready on our rooftop

• Cheese platters, music, cocktails and plenty of laughs

• Professional glitter artist to get everyone parade ready

• Head to a pub on the Mardi Gras parade route before making our way to Glitter Club for parade

• Entry to the WLW After Party included for anyone wanting to keep celebrating

DAY FOUR

Sunday | Recovery & Celebration

• Sleep in after a big night celebrating

• Sundaylicious Lesbian recovery party

• Relax, dance or simply soak up the incredible atmosphere

• Optional dinner as we celebrate an unforgettable weekend

DAY FIVE

Monday | Until Next Time

• One final rooftop chats and hang together

• Lots of hugs (and probably a few tears!)

• Exchange numbers, make plans and head home with lifelong friendships

WHERE WE’LL BE STAYING

We’ll be staying at the YHA Sydney Harbour, right in the heart of The Rocks, one of Sydney’s most iconic neighbourhoods and the perfect base for Mardi Gras.

With incredible harbour views and Sydney’s biggest attractions right on our doorstep, you’ll be perfectly placed to soak up everything the city has to offer.

Our accommodation includes:

• Shared dorm rooms or limited twin/double ensuite rooms

• One of Sydney’s best rooftop terraces with harbour views

• Walking distance to Circular Quay, the Opera House and Harbour Bridge

• Modern shared spaces to relax and connect

• Café and restaurant precinct just outside our door

• Easy access to public transport and all Mardi Gras events

Simple, comfortable and in an unbeatable location, it’s the perfect place to come together, celebrate and create lifelong memories..

FOOD

Great food, great conversations and a few cocktails… it’s all part of the Bloom experience.

Here’s what’s included:

• Welcome snacks and sweet treats in your room

• Welcome rooftop drink on arrival

• A three-hour Sydney Harbour dinner cruise with an all-inclusive dinner and drinks

• Breakfast at a local Bondi café

• Cheese platters while we get ready together on the rooftop before Mardi Gras

• Dinner in Chinatown

• Dietary requirements are happily catered for, just let us know when you book.

Not included:

• All meals not mentioned

• Personal spending on food and beverages

There’ll be plenty of opportunities to share meals, discover some of Sydney’s best cafés and restaurants, and enjoy the kind of conversations that somehow always seem to happen around the table.

Maybe you’re…

• The woman who’s spent years putting everyone else first and is finally choosing herself.

• The woman flying overseas alone for the very first time.

• The woman who’s been in The Late Blooming Lounge for years but hasn’t met anyone in person yet.

• The woman craving genuine queer friendships.

• The woman who’s newly out and excited to experience her first Pride, first girls’ trip or first queer adventure.

• The woman navigating a divorce, separation or a whole new chapter of life.

• The woman who’s always wanted to travel but didn’t have anyone to go with.

• The woman who’s nervous about arriving alone, only to discover almost everyone else is too.

• The woman who’s been saying, “Maybe next year”… and is ready to make this her year.

• The woman who’s ready to swap “what if?” for “I’m so glad I did.”

• The woman who wants to come home with lifelong friendships, unforgettable memories and a little more confidence than she left with.

If you saw yourself in even one of these… Bloom was created with you in mind.

Come exactly as you are.

We’ll take care of the rest

Your Investment

Whether this is your very first Mardi Gras or the first time you’ve chosen yourself in a long time, I hope Bloom feels like an investment in you.

Founding Release

$2,899 AUD

Second Release

$3,099 AUD

Final Release

$3,299 AUD

Secure your place by paying in full or take advantage of Afterpay if you’d prefer to spread the cost.

Or $500 Deposit to secure your spot

(Final Payment Due 1st November)

What’s Included

Your Bloom experience includes:

• 4 nights’ accommodation in the heart of Sydney

• Choice of a shared dorm room or private twin/double ensuite room (subject to availability)

• Welcome cocktail

• Welcome dinner

• Breakfast Friday morning at Bondi

• Bondi to Coogee guided coastal walk

• Entry to Qtopia, Australia’s national centre for queer history and culture

• Sydney Harbour dinner cruise

• Professional glitter artist before the parade

• Entry to the Sydney Mardi

• Sundaylicious recovery party

• Welcome Circle & Closing Circle

• Bloom goodie bag

• Private Bloom group chat

• Pre-retreat Bloom Zooms

• Lifelong friendships (the best part)

Flights, travel insurance, lunches, some breakfasts, dinners and personal spending money are not included.

What Happens Next?

Once you’ve booked, you’ll receive a confirmation email with everything you need to know. You’ll then be invited into our private Bloom group chat, where everyone can introduce themselves, ask questions and start getting excited.

One week after registrations close, we’ll host our very first Bloom Zoom, giving everyone the chance to meet before arriving in Sydney.

Ready to Bloom?

There are only 36 places available for this retreat, and registrations are open for just four weeks.

Once doors close, they’ll stay closed while we prepare for an unforgettable Mardi Gras together. If you’ve spent years watching Mardi Gras from afar, wondering what it would be like to be part of it…

This is your invitation.

I’d love to welcome you to Bloom in Sydney: Mardi Gras 2027.

Whether you’re travelling alone for the first time, looking for lifelong friendships, or simply craving sometime where you can be completely yourself…

There’s a place for you here.

I’d love to welcome you to Bloom.

Petria x