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A 3-day retreat for women and children, held on a private 40-acre sanctuary on Awabakal Country in the Watagans.

Accommodation and all meals are included, with shared indoor spaces, beds prioritised by need, and additional room for air mattresses, camping, or van stays.

This is a non-profit, community-funded gathering. Your contribution supports accommodation, food, cultural exchange with the Awabakal People, and accessibility for mothers and children.

Children are actively welcomed and centred in this space.

You are encouraged to attend with your mother, friend or family member in your life, as this space is designed to be experienced in relationship.

What we're creating

Many of us consciously and unconsciously dream of a future where we feel held by community. Our collective is not willing to wait around for that future to arrive.

This event is how we nurture that seed into a legacy. To build a culture we are proud of, we must start now.

The Red Thread Retreat is a gathering held 3 times year, where women’s wisdom flows across the generations from elders, to mothers, sisters, to children and all the way back. We are specifically calling in our older wise women and grandmothers to share their experiences and stories with us.

Here grandmothers, mothers, daughters, sisters and maidens come together to give and receive in balance. At this gathering, we will practice the Law of Reciprocity in action where our currency is wisdom, devotion and service.

Our Journey

Same tree, different story. At the first Red Thread Retreat we noticed this beautiful tree and it became a symbol of the connection between a woman's body and the land.

At Red Thread Retreat II, this connection deepened as we were guided to SEE Country through the eyes of Awabakal women. They guided us to this exact same tree, this time with the awareness that the layers of the paperbark provide an antiseptic for cuts. Nature's band-aid.

One of our primary aims is to be guided by the women of the Country that we gather. They way they care for and relate to Country is something we are eager to learn and grow into slowly and relationally over time.

You can expect our retreat to be very different to what a standard retreat offers. We are flexible, organic and spontaneous. We work with the energy of the group and adapt to its needs.

We will always be child centred, culturally aware, and have decentralised leadership.

Your role in attending is not passive. Please register as early as possible to ensure that you are actively creating this community with us before we meet on the land. If you are attending but cannot purchase your ticket yet due to financial constraints, please email charlotteowen33@proton.me.

The commitment we are seeking expands beyond the confines of the retreat into long-term care for each other and the land on which we gather.

Activities

Some specific activities may include Smoking Ceremony, Awabakal Bush Food/Medicine/Land Management/Storytelling/Weaving, Matriarch Circles, SCI MAA Sacred Linguistic Dance, Ritual Silk Botanical Dyeing, Somatic Movement Practices, Nature Playspaces, Voice Activation and Singing, Massage (Lympathic Drainage, Lomi Lomi, Zen Thai Shaitsu), Surprise Performances and much more...

As always we are interested in remembering the old ways of wisdom sharing, beyond workshops, panels and experts.

We seek to spend much of our time crafting, weaving, cooking, singing, dancing, sweating, praying.

Location

A private 40-acre mountain sanctuary on Awabakal Country at the edge of Watagans National Park, surrounded by ancient trees and stone boulders. Three dwellings sleep up to 19 women, and there is flexibility within the indoor spaces to accommodate more women if needed, alongside camping and van options.

All women attending will have access to bathrooms, fully equipped kitchens, outdoor decks, spa and firepits. The property is accessible with all vehicles (with a few bumps more comfortable in an AWD).

What your ticket includes

Your contribution supports access to accommodation for 19 women and all shared meals. It also contributes to the cultural exchange with the Awabakal Peoples of this land, and supports accessibility for mothers attending with children.

You will receive a ritual silk piece, be held in a deeply nurturing and healing community, and take part in the shared creation of this space together.

Accessibility

The desire for this movement is to remove/reduce the need for a financial exchange every time we seek to access healing and community. This is why we offer a tiered contribution model, where those with more capacity help support those with less access to financial wealth.

We want women from all backgrounds to be able to share and learn from this experience. If you are restricted by any means, please reach out to charlotteowen33@proton.me. We will be raising funds to support those of you who cannot yet afford to invest in this vision, but desire to be present.

What to bring - Packing List

What comes after…

Over 2026, a core group of approximately 30-50 women will come to form a collective that is matrilineal, matriarchal, non-hierarchical and co-created. Everyone who contributes time, energy, facilitation, art, or organising will share in the retreat’s profits, and all outgoing costs are reimbursed.

What we learn within the container of the Red Thread Retreat will form what we share at the annual large-scale Red Thread Festival. We will share our blueprint for developing and sustaining a chosen family of women with the broader community. This event aims to provide the foundation and funding to ensure that the entirety of our Red Thread Retreats for 2027 will be free to attend for the core group.

Those who consistently contribute energetically, emotionally, physically and financially will be those who are rewarded with the wealth of community that is currently unknown in our western lives.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is this different compared to other festivals?

While at other festivals you are paying for a ticket to access various experts and experiences, this retreat is an investment into a collective wealth that you share in. It extends well beyond the experience of just one retreat, and the wealth of our village will permeate your life in ways we all cannot yet fathom.

Does that mean facilitators have to pay?

Yes. You can think of 2026 as our investment stage. We are investing to create a sustainable alternative to the system that always requires financial exchange for community and healing. This is a not for profit space where everyone attending is an investor.

Our ultimate aim is to offer free and accessible community to our core collective in 2027.

How do you decide who gets to access the beds?

This will be decided on a needs basis first, followed by first comes first served. Primarily we are seeking to offer these beds to our elders and wise women first, followed by those who have accessibility needs.

If you would like to request a bed, please specify this on your ticket. There are 2-6 beds per room.

There is flexibility within the indoor spaces to accommodate more women if needed, alongside camping and van options.

What if I can no longer attend?

If you are no longer able to attend, we will usually offer you a place at a future retreat. Any difference in ticket price will need to be covered.

Cancellations within 7 days of the retreat are non-refundable and cannot be transferred, as your place has been confirmed and costs are already committed with the venue.

If this vision resonates with you, then please join us. If you would like to speak to someone about this vision or gathering before committing, please contact charlotteowen33@proton.me.

Wisdom keepers. Lived experience. Beyond capitalism, patriarchy, and consumerism. Rooted in silence, circle, and deep listening.

This is where we build the new, guided by the wisdom of the old.

Lots of love,

Charlotte

Contact the host of Red Thread Retreat III