Halls Gap Walking Retreat
Dates: May 5th - May 11th 2025
Venue: Halls Gap Baptist centre, 69-71 Grampians Rd, Halls Gap VIC 3381
Based in Halls Gap in the Grampians National Park, this retreat will be a time to freshen our hearts and minds, and to open to the rugged beauty of this ancient mountain range.
This retreat will have a mixture of bushwalking in the Grampians as well as periods of meditation. The plan is to be walking on four days of the retreat and have a full day of silent retreat somewhere in the middle of our time together, depending on what the weather does. On each day of walking, we will start from our venue so there will be no car trips once we've started our retreat.
The walks will not be long, we anticipate about 3 - 4 hours each day of walking, but they will be reasonably challenging at times. We will be following well established paths in the park. You'll need a reasonable level of fitness to participate and it won't be for you if are just starting a fitness regime after a long time of not doing much.
Each day will involve guided meditations and instructions, a dharma talk, and possibly a yoga/movement class of some sort.
Noble Silence
Each day will have periods of silence and times for connection. The walking periods will be in silence apart from necessary communication and pointing out anything in the area or talking about what’s in the area. The lunch period will be a talking period and talking is fine before the walk starts and when people get back to the venue. At other times the teachers and managers will indicate when we are in silence. There will be silence each evening from about 7pm to breakfast the next morning.
This retreat is suitable for beginner or experienced meditators.
Accommodation and Bookings
This is a fully residential retreat. For shared rooms are allocated on a same gender basis only. Even though there are bunk beds, no-one will be sleeping above you and there will be 2-3 people at most in each room. For this retreat, you are welcome to share with your partner or friend. Please let us know when booking if that is what you would like.
Bedding
The venue provides a mattress only. There is no bedding provided, so you must bring your own sheets, blankets/doona and pillow.
Single Room $920 (includes food and shared room) + Dana for the teachings -
Book Single Room
Shared Room $720 (includes food and shared room, sharing with your partner or same gender) + Dana for the teachings
Booked a Shared Room
Camping $720 (includes food and a tent space allocated by the venue) + Dana for the teachings
Book a Camping Place
Retreat Details
Bedding
The venue provides a mattress only. There is no bedding provided, so you must bring your own sheets, blankets/doona and pillow.
Meditation Cushions
Cushions (aka zabutons and zafus) to sit on for sitting meditation will be provided. You don't need to bring them.
Mobile Phones and Computers
Please finish your communications before coming to the retreat. We will ask you to turn off all electronic devices during the retreat so we can respectfully engage with the meditation teachings together. There is no wifi.
Work period ~ Insight meditation retreats are run on a non-profit basis, so in this way we are able to keep the costs down. Therefore In the same spirit we ask that everyone who comes to our retreats contributes one hour of their time each day towards the running of the retreat. This may be anything from washing up, veggie chopping, cleaning or something else connected with running the retreat. We thank you in advance.
Drugs and Alcohol
This retreat is a drug and alcohol free zone. We have no judgement about these things but this is not a place for alcohol or recreational drugs of any description. If you're after that then we recommend you find another event or venue that might suit your needs.
Please note: If you are in the midst of a life trauma, emotional upheaval or instability that might require individual support beyond our scheduled meetings with teachers, this retreat format may not be a good match at this time. Should you have any questions about this, please contact us via email
Cancellations
If for any reason you are unable to attend the retreat please inform us as early as possible, in case someone else may be able to participate.
Refund policy
All bookings are subject to a non-refundable deposit of $150. Please read the cancellation policy below before booking.
All refunds will be processed using the card you paid with. These are the conditions of cancellation that apply for this retreat.
- Cancellation 30 Days or more before the retreat: Full refund minus your deposit of $150
- Cancellation less than 30 Days before the Retreat start date, there is no refund.
Do you have other questions? First read the FAQ's below
FAQ's
Question: What is the cancellation policy?
Answer: This is in the Retreat Practical information document.
Food: To help you make the most of the retreat, we will provide 3 nutritious vegetarian (includes dairy) meals each day and this is included in the cost. Vegan, Gluten Free & Dairy Free can also be catered for and you can indicate this in the booking process. Please note we don't and can't cater for individual preference eg. I would like 2 eggs fried with spinach and sourdough.
Question: I have very specific dietary needs, (eg Fodmaps) can you cater for special diets?
Answer: We can offer a simplified diet that often satisfies most special needs, including Fodmaps. If in doubt, please send us an email to clarify before booking.
Question: I snore and there are only share rooms available... what can I do?
Answer: Please don't go ahead and book a share room and potentially put the other person in a situation where their retreat may be compromised. Thanks for your care about this. On this retreat camping is an option. You will need to bring your own camping equipment.
Question: Do I have to bring all my bedding?
Answer: Yes, this includes sheets, pillow slips, doona or sleeping bag
Question: With meditation, do I have to sit on the floor on a meditation cushion?
Answer: No, there will be more than enough chairs to sit on. We encourage you to find a posture in meditation that allows you to be comfortable and easy.
Question: Will there be sitting cushions and mats provided.
Answer: There will be some meditation mats and cushions available. You will need to bring your own yoga mat.
Question: I've never meditated before & I'm worried it will be too much. Can anyone come along?
Answer: Yes ... Meditation instructions are the same for everyone. We can assist with things from finding the right posture for you, through to clarifying the meditation instructions.
Question: Can I do just part of the retreat or I would like to arrive late.
Answer: No, for all sorts of reasons. Your respect for this is deeply appreciated as late arrivals puts pressure onto the retreat staff and teachers. If you are planning on coming to the retreat, please plan on arriving on time and staying for the whole retreat. If you can't do this please wait for a future retreat.
Question: I'm coming to the retreat with my partner/friend, can we share a room?
Answer: Yes, for this retreat you can. Please send us an email about this when booking
Question: Do you have a rideshare option to get to the retreat and back home again?
Answer: We always attempt to organise rides where needed, we don't guarantee a ride, but it usually works out somehow. It all depends on where you are coming from and where the other lifts are leaving from. When you sign up for the retreat, you can put yourself on the "ride needed list" and we'll do our best to put you in touch with someone who is willing to take an extra. If in doubt, please be in touch and we'll see what's available.
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