August Residential Weekend Retreat

IN BRIEF

You are warmly invited to The Weekly Service members co-creative residential weekend retreat.

Set in a 400 acre, organic, rustic and working farm, with chickens, goats, turkeys and other wonderful animals, 45 minutes out of Melbourne, we'll spend a weekend together to co-create season 5 of The Weekly Service, spend time in nature, and continue to build our community of like hearted people.

Like all of our retreats, this will be a member curated and created space, where we'll eat, discuss, explore and relax together.

We have an in house cook, Nikki, who will source all the organic ingredients and coordinate the meals (a team of volunteers needed to support).

Whilst camping and 'day trippers' is unlimited, book quickly if you're interested in securing a spot in a tiny house.

Full programme to follow.

(Note, this is a rustic and working farm, and staying over may not be suited to everyone. Have a read of the FAQs below for more information. We've tried to give as much info as possible, and it's worth a read).

FAQs

What's the purpose of the retreat?

The purpose of the retreat is:

• To co-create season 5 of The Weekly Service with members;
• To provide an immersive experience where members can jointly explore and share their gifts and interests;
• To build deeper friendships, and further enhance the strength of the community;
• To provide a beautiful weekend, full of magic, for the people that are the backbone of The Weekly Service.

What does the program look like?

This is being defined, and please help us co-create this by filling in this Survey Monkey.

We'll spend time eating together, campfiring on saturday eve and we'll make time to explore the beautiful property. We'll convene as a big group occasionally and often in small groups. We'll have open time for you to just relax, read a book, be artistic or go for a wander. There'll be time get to know others in open sessions. If you're new to The Weekly Service we'll make sure you feel really welcome.

What's the farm like?

This is on a working farm, with all its quirks, smells and rustic charm. Which is why we love it - it's authentic and real, and being present as a community here is less like consuming, and more like creating. It also enables us to gather without remortgaging - other similar retreats start from $500 for a weekend, heading up to $3,000.

We'll have two main gathering spots. One large heated space at the top of a barn; and hired marquee with heaters, so we're not cooped up in one space. There are also other sheds and gathering spots where we can light fires, sit on straw bales, and create. The Scott's (owners) are opening up their warm, fire heated residence for us to gather too.

Because it's a working farm, we'll get a bunch of volunteers to help make the spaces aesthetically beautiful and sacred.

It's August in Victoria. Whilst the tiny houses and most gathering spaces will be heated, expect outside to be wet and/or freezing. We maybe lucky with the weather, but plan for the worst. Bring gum boots, warm clothes, waterproofs and the like (a 'what to bring' email will cover all this later).

Why have you chosen this farm?

Henry and Harriet worked here for a couple of weeks, looking after 3,000 free range chickens ('Madelaine's Eggs'), living in a tiny house, and getting to know the Scotts. They fell in love with the space, and absolutely adore what the Scott's stand for: producing beautiful food and products whilst regenerating the land through low intensive, permaculture principles. The Scott's haven't set their farm up as a retreat space, but The Weekly Service coming here for the weekend (and maybe more), will directly support the livelihood of this wonderful family.

The 400 acre space is pretty special, with beautiful views, a large creek, and full of loved animals.

There are also 12 or so handmade tiny houses on the property, made by Rob Scott. Which make this space completely unique in Victoria.

What are the Tiny Houses like?

Tiny. And very cute. You can get a feel for them (and the farm/family) here. There's only one studio truck available, but you can see the other tiny houses in the photos. Also check out Em's photos from a recent trip to the farm to scope out the weekend.

What's included in the price?

Here's a link to the budget, if you're interested in the detail. To summarise, it includes:

• A wonderful cook, Nikki, who will buy all the organic ingredients and coordinate the cooking (with a team of vollies on the Friday);
• All food (breakfast, lunch and dinner Friday evening through Sunday afternoon), teas, coffees, snacks;
• A marquee that can fit us all in;
• Use of the farm facilities including the barn for gathering, two indoor hot showers, and one outdoor hot shower (for the brave), the kitchen and sitting room space, and wool sheds and structures for gathering and making bonfires
• Accommodation, with a number of choices available depending budget and what you're up for;
• Organising crew behind the scenes making this happen;

Design, curation and facilitation is given as a gift by the many hands that make this retreat.

Do I have to share a bed/room with a stranger?

To make sure as many people as possible can come along, the costs are kept low, and to ensure the tiny houses can be enjoyed by many not a few, the abundance of accommodation options are designed with sharing in mind.

You'll see in the ticket options what's available, and if you're up for it there are options a plenty to share beds and spaces. Once all is booked up, we'll make sure the sharing is appropriate (e.g. same sex), and where possible when you request it we can get you sharing with a friend.

If that's not your thing, there are a few options available to get a private tiny house or bring your tent to camp on the grounds.

You can of course sort an Airbnb or other accommodation. The farm is about 30 minutes out of Woodend, or 45 minutes out of Kyneton, where there will be a lot of good Airbnbs.

Can I do some glamping?

We know you didn't actually ask this, but it's a great idea so including here. You are welcome to self organise a bit of glamping if you're that way inclined. There's plenty of space on the farm.

So you know, Happy Glamper has availability for glamping bell tents with bed, warmth and cosiness. You could share with others and the price is pretty reasonable (think about $150 if you want to share, all up, for some glamping luxury). Just book the 'camping' ticket via this Eventbrite, then get in touch with Happy Glamper here. They'll deliver, set up, pull down, etc.. Drop Henry a line if you're doing this, so we can let the farm know.

How have you defined the price?

We're attempting to make this as affordable as possible.

It's a not-for-profit event (if there is any surplus from this event, we'll let you know and we can decide as a community how to spend it), and the cash you're paying is less than cost price, due to the many hands that make this happen with no expectation of remuneration.

Retreats of this kind usually cost from $500 (think a shared dorm in a meditation retreat for a weekend) to $3,000 (a heavily marketed purpose and community retreat, with guest speakers).

We're working really hard to keep the cost much lower, and creating a retreat with the ethos: for the community by the community. It's the coming together and creating space and experience that makes the magic. Because of this, we'll rely on a team of people up for helping throughout the weekend - primarily with supporting the cooking and making the spaces beautiful.

We're also exploring how to make this sustainable for the organising team. As you can imagine, the work is intensive to coordinate, and we don't want to go down the route of so many socially minded organisations of burn out. You'll therefore see some administration costs in the budget.

What if I can't afford to come?

Whilst the price is purposefully really low - less than cost price - you may find yourself in a situation of financial dire straights. We'd love to make this inclusive, and so have included in the budget for x2 people to attend at no cost. These places are funded by the community, and if you're finding yourself in a really tricky situation then please let Henry know and we'll happily support you coming. In the scenario nobody takes these places up, we can either refund those who have paid an additional $8; or as a community decide where to allocate the funds.

How many people will be attending?

There are about 60 members of The Weekly Service, and we estimate about 45 people will book onto this retreat (similar to the reflection retreat in June). We're taking care to make sure there's enough space to get away in solitude if that's how you're feeling, and will design the program that ensures we all get to know each other over the weekend.

Can I commute up from Melbourne?

Yes, that's possible. It's about an hour's drive from the CBD, or about 45 mins from Southern Cross to Clarkefield station, which is a 10 min drive to the farm. With a bit of coordination, we can pick you up at the staition.

There will be stuff going on in the evenings and early morning (think Campfire, yoga, meditation, sing songs, etc.), so you may miss out a bit if you do decide to commute. But you'll be able to enjoy the main bulk of it (or all of it if you fancy getting up early/going to bed late).

Can I invite my partner of a friend?

Retreats to date have been extremely popular. and we'll restrict the number to around 45 people. As such, this invite initially is for members only, and we don't have capacity for partners or friends. We'll let you know if there's space down the track.

Can I come just for the day?

Ideally you'll be able to come for the whole weekend. The retreat is curated from Friday evening through to Sunday afternoon, and by attending the whole thing the purpose of the weekend can be met.