Join us for a dreamy Writers' Retreat in beautiful Toolangi, just one hour outside of Melbourne.

All levels of writing experience welcome, with time to write, relax, explore, and follow your own creative process.

Your host Amy Han (Words of a Feather) will welcome you on the Friday afternoon, offer two workshops on Saturday (one led by Amy, and one led by guest author Vicki Renner), and lead a workshopping and sharing session with brunch on our final morning. There will also be suggested, guided writing sprints throughout the weekend (our previous retreat participants found these to be the most productive times of all!).

Amy, an experienced writer, teacher, and editor, will also be available to provide feedback and discuss your writing projects on a 1-1 basis (optional).

In between, there will be plenty of time and space to spend the retreat as you please: write, think, daydream, wander, chat with your fellow writers, or go inwards. Find one of many cosy spaces, inside or outside, to set up and write; enjoy the private garden with a view of mountains; wander through the Toolangi state forest; or take a short drive to the shops and wineries around Healesville.

This spacious Writer's Retreat is waiting for you!

Wherever you are at with your writing, whatever you wish to work on, and however you are feeling when you arrive, all of you is welcome.

We cannot wait to host you for an inspired, relaxed weekend with good food and company in our shared writerly home ❤️

*** Use code EARLYBIRD by November 15 for a $50 discount! ***

What's included:

2 nights in our beautiful, peaceful Writers' Cottage
All vegetarian meals (please let us know any dietary requirements)
2 writing workshops + optional feedback session + a final workshop and sharing session

Schedule:

FRIDAY EVENING: Arrive between 5 - 7pm. Settle in before a Welcome Dinner

SATURDAY: Morning workshop - day to self to write and wander - evening workshop - optional 1:1 feedback session

SUNDAY: final workshop/sharing session & brunch. Take your time to write more and relax, and head home when you're ready. We have the cottage until 5pm :)

About the Cottage

The Writer's Cottage is a fully self-contained Edwardian-style house set on a 43-acre private property. It is located in Toolangi, VIC (one hour from Melbourne and 10 minutes from Healesville). It includes four spacious shared bedrooms (see booking page for details), three bathrooms, generous and comfortable common areas, and a beautiful private garden with a view of the mountains. Importantly, there is plenty of room for sharing, but also, the necessary space for quiet and privacy.

Toolangi Writers' Cottage — Garden Table

Feedback from our last retreat (October 2024)

"I found myself writing out of joy again." - Syd

"I managed to unblock some of the stuff that I needed to unblock." - Lucia

"Thank you for reconnecting me with my writing. What I wanted from this weekend, I got from it." - Luwen

"Thank you for creating such a lovely space and vibe. I'm so grateful to have had this time. I'm really happy with how it's gone - I made a lot of progress." - Jess

"It's nice to be by yourself and writing. But this weekend I realised just how nice and helpful it also is to see people, writers, all around me." - Orla

"I think I needed this modelled for me - how to BE in my creativity. I feel like I really shifted something this weekend, in connecting with you all, individually and collectively." - Kelly

About your Host

AMY HAN is a writer based in Melbourne. She writes mostly young adult fiction, creative non-fiction, and her daily morning pages. Her writing has appeared internationally online and in print, and has been recognised in Australian writing awards. She founded Words of a Feather, a creative writing studio for young* writers of all ages, in 2011. She has been focused on supporting, teaching, and providing exciting opportunities for emerging writers ever since. Amy is most recently the author of The Yard Sale at Story House (January 2024).

VICKI RENNER, our guest author and workshop facilitator, writes fiction and non-fiction, with work published in the UK and Australia. Her young adult historical fiction novel, People of the Hammer, won a Varuna Publishers' Fellowship Award and she is now writing the second novel in the trilogy. Vicki has a Diploma of Arts (Professional Writing and Editing) and a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology and English Literature). She is currently completing a Masters of Arts in Creative Writing.