Reading Retreat NSW
Tailored for thinkers, pilgrims and solitary types
We need to be able to read, to have something to read — and to have somewhere safe and warm to read it. If these three needs are met, miracles can happen. - Robert MacFarlane
Readers Retreats are suitable for:
Readers who crave quiet and a solitary space
Investing time in yourself & unburdening for a couple of days from the expectations of work or home life
Digital detoxing and disconnection from the daily grind
Hours of guilt-free reading time and escape
Those desiring a space that is solely yours without the distraction of others
People wanting the option of nature walks to complement reading time
Book Retreats
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The Surrounds
Read inside or outside in the elements to soak in birdsong and nature
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The Space
A tranquil, restful space with bushland views and access to starry skies
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Local Walks
Chase waterfalls after dark on a local spectacular floodlit night walk in Katoomba
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Local Waterfalls
Our retreat centre is within walking distance of healing Mini Ha Ha waterfall
Reading Holidays
Testimonials
I was feeling drained and burnt out before a couple of days at this retreat left my soul rejuvenated and at peace. A very interesting experience in a lovely part of the world and absolutely worth your time ❤️
- Bonnie A
It's rare to find a retreat that caters solely for the individual and provides such a calm space.
- Quinn G
I was really impressed with the personalised, varied list of different reading material that was hand picked to meet my interests as well as stretch me.
- Cristina P
Book Reading Retreats
Reader
You come to the books
to take you away, but they
open to welcome you home
and you stay.
~ Imtiaz Dharker
Pre Arrival
You have the option to either bring your own pile of books that you’d like to catch up on or, alternatively, you can engage with our complementary and personalised book recommendation service to find some unexpected gems to read. You can learn more about our bibliotherapy service.
Arrival Day
9:30am
After settling yourself in, the day is yours to begin your love affair with your book(s) of choice. Lunch is generally around 12:30 but we are most happy to work around your preference.
Waterfall Walk (Optional) 4:00 - 6:00pm
Should the weather and your energy levels be accomodating, you can use this time to take in a nearby bushwalk to our local waterfall.
Alternatively, you might indulge in some art activities or enjoy one of the more physical activities we host (mountain biking / stand up paddleboarding).
Dinner 6:30 - 7:30pm
Enjoy a home cooked, organic meal or travel out to try one of Katoomba’s local dining facilities.
Evening (Optional) 7:30pm onwards
There are a range of optional evening activities for you to enjoy, such as listening to or reading poetry, life stories, or enjoying a thought-provoking film or inspiring documentary. Other options include self-guided meditation and yoga.
Subsequent Days
Breakfast 8:30am
Enjoy a homemade breakfast, tea or coffee on the verandah whilst the kookaburras and other local birds sing. Afterwards, the day is once again yours to indulge in reading with your lunch and dinner catered for.
Cost: $590 for a 2 day reading retreat. $50 off for a weekday program.
$850 for 3 days.
Inclusions: Our retreats include accommodation and meals.
Location: Katoomba, Blue Mountains NSW.
Your Facilitator
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Marcus Dabb had been always drawn to personal development before having a turning point when he came across the notion of the hero’s journey.
After reading Jim Styne’s book about it, Heroes: A Guide to Realising Your Dreams, he recognised that working as a public servant for the taxation office was probably not living out his highest potential.
His higher education in teaching was complemented by his time working in employment services, recruitment, outdoor education and the TAFE always with a view to helping people discover and develop more authentic vocational paths.
Finding the courage to walk an alternative career path - one fraught with self-doubt and other obstacles - began a journey that led to his current focuses, A Different Drummer - Career Counselling, Polaris - Soul Blueprints & and Writes of Passage Retreats - Personal Development Retreats.
Having worked closely with many people to help them find their sense of vocational fit and career bliss. While working as a librarian he realised the impact of being able to recommend the right books, fuelling his passion for bibliotherapy.
After running a wide variety of workshops in Australia and overseas he launched his retreat initiative in the belief that contemplation, nature, carefully curated ideas and guidance from someone who has been through the ordeals of the hero’s journey, is the ideal means for people to look at life with greater possibility and unearth their own dormant potentiality.
Writing has been an integral part of his life. After studying creative writing at university and moving into social work, he employed writing activities with clients to help them find empowerment.
In addition to teaching life writing to groups and individuals, he has published a book which incorporates life writing called, The Different Drummer: Follow your own beat to find enlivening work and lead an extraordinary life.
Tired of Getaways.. take a Readaway
Picture yourself immersed in reading without distraction and noise. Imagine what it’s like not needing to break to prepare meals or answer messages. No intrusions, no phones pleading for responses, no temptation to tend to all those should-do jobs around the house. No nagging guilt about just reading and enjoying. For many of us, clutching at moments of holiday reading are no longer enough.
Reading retreats offer a sanctuary for mental health and respite from the daily grind.
With burnout at unprecedented levels, who doesn't dream of stepping away from it all and embracing an opportunity to replenish.
Symptoms can include depleted energy, motivation and mood; feeling isolated, trapped and disengaged with work; diminishing life satisfaction; disrupted sleep; and physical ailments.
Reading holidays respond to the growing demand for digital detoxes and the need to disconnect so as to reconnect.
The Women's Ambition Report found 72% of the 2000 women surveyed in 2025 experienced burnout — a type of emotional exhaustion — in the previous 12 months.
Women often find they get distracted at home or feel guilty for taking time to stop and relax.
Book reading holidays allow people to unburden themselves from the demands of home life and work expectations to invest time in themselves.
The days consist solely of indulging in one of the most pleasurable pastimes free from responsibility and racing thoughts.
As Jeanette Winterson put it, "Books are like doors; when one opens, a new world waits."
Blue Mountains
Book Trail
The Blue Mountains has it’s own bookshop trail. The trail features 11 Blue Mountains bookshops between Glenbrook and Lithgow including new, secondhand and specialty bookshops.
One of the most life changing experiences I have had was entering a bookshop during a time of confusion and hoping that I might discover a book might which would help illuminate my path. I found such a book and it became a real turning point.
Perhaps you embark on our readers retreat with your own pile of books, some we prescribe or take a more adventurous path and bring new books that you discover on your way to see us taking the book trail along the way.
When you open the book, it opens you.
~ Imtiaz Dharker
Blue Mountains Retreats
“Great things are done when people and mountains meet;
this is not done by jostling in the street.”
- William Blake
Take in a local stargazing tour at night
Rejuvenate in the Blue Mountains natural wonders
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7 Seventh Avenue,
Katoomba, NSW
0402959946