The Story Alchemist:
A Creativity Retreat
for Writers

Sunday 18th – Thursday 22nd April, 2027
at the Bundanoon Guesthouse
For more information and to secure your place
at this retreat email:
writers@writersatthewoolshed.com.au

Writers at the Woolshed logo with a feather quill and curved underline

In Partnership with Writers at the Woolshed.
Autumn 2026 retreat SOLD OUT

Indulge your writing self by joining Dr Betty O’Neill at this three-day retreat specially designed for Writers at the Woolshed – this workshop will be offered for the second time in Autumn, 2027.

Most workshops teach craft - this three day/four-night Creativity Retreat for Writers is held in the beautiful Southern Highlands, where Dr Betty O’Neill will ignite your imagination. Participants will arrive on the Sunday afternoon and depart on Thursday morning.

Over three inspiring days of workshops delivered in a peaceful rural village setting with Dr Betty O’Neill, you’ll enter a creative playground to unlock bold ideas, vivid stories, and new ways of thinking.

Guided by the four quadrants of creative intelligence - imagination, intuition, insight, and inspiration - you’ll dabble with playful, research-based practices from neuroscience, psychology, and the arts as your innate creativity meets storytelling magic.

With time to write, reflect, and connect, you’ll leave with fresh tools, confidence, and renewed creative energy for your storytelling.

Smiling older woman with white hair and glasses speaking beside a laptop, whiteboard, and window

This very special retreat was designed by Dr Betty O’Neill following her very successful Writing Family Stories masterclass at our 2025 Winter Writing Retreat.

Workshop Day 1:
Opening the Creative Mind – Awareness & Curiosity

Alchemy – preparation, gathering components, lighting the fire

On this first day we’ll delve into our writing brains and mindsets, exploring the barriers that hold us back from reaching our creative potential as writers. We’ll harness design thinking and neuroscience techniques to breakthrough the barriers, spark curiosity and learn ways of thinking in flexible, original and divergent ways.

Workshop Day 2:
Expanding the Creative Mind – Risk & Imagination

Alchemy – brewing, experimenting with ingredients

Today is a day to experiment with a range of creative tools and processes as we mine the unexpected, dip into our innate creative well and explore writing elements that will fascinate and engage ourselves and our readers. It’s a day to be bold and adventurous as we mix strategies and intuition to shape our stories and characters and find the details that make them vivid and alive on the page. 

Workshop Day 3:
Integrating the Creative Mind – Vision & Flow

Alchemy – bringing it all together – THE GOLD

On our final day, we’ll embody the alchemist, turning our ideas and discoveries into story gold as we play with structure and style, experimenting with various storytelling frameworks. We’ll conclude by using design thinking to determine what will sustain our creative flow and vision for ourselves as writers and leave with a toolkit of creative processes to draw on whenever inspiration runs dry.

Afternoons are free for you to write, rest or enjoy all that the Southern
Highlands has to offer. The Bookshop Bowral and Berkelow’s Book Barn are not to be missed.

Prior to dinner each evening you will gather for what Betty has called a Writers’ Playground.

After dinner you will join a ‘Reflection Circle’ where you will look back on the day – the highlights, the learnings, the challenges plus participate in journalling on all that your creative mind revealed that day.

Evening activities will end at 8:30pm when you are free to chat with other writers or retreat to the comfort of your own room.

All placements are residential and in line with our commitment to provide small quality events, the retreat is limited to 12 participants.

To submit an Expression of Interest and be first to learn more about The Story Alchemist email: writers@writersatthewoolshed.com.au.

Accomodation

Gray cottage-style guesthouse surrounded by a lush landscaped garden with stone paths, flowering plants, outdoor seating, and a fire pit.

Built in 1925, Bundanoon Guest House is a Council Heritage Listed property that still retains the charm and character of yesteryear. Recently restored, the House comprises a generous guest lounge, public sitting room, large games and conference room, a large dining room, private dining room, bar, front verandah and an extensive garden. Bundanoon Guest House is located within easy walking distance of Bundanoon village and railway station.

Elegant dining room with a large wooden table, upholstered chairs, decorated fireplace mantel, chandelier, paintings, and antique sideboard
Elegant open-plan living and dining room with leather Chesterfield sofa, upholstered chairs, stained-glass entry doors, fireplace, and hardwood floors

Enquiries

Elegant bedroom with a neatly made bed, floral wallpaper, patterned curtains, dresser, framed artwork, and two large windows.
Elegant living room with a lit brick fireplace, navy armchairs, antique furnishings, Persian rug, and dining area beyond

Prior to the Retreat, please direct any questions to writers@writersatthewoolshed.com.au,
or phone Lynne at Writers at the Woolshed on 0408 244 016.

Writers at the Woodshed logo with stylized feather quill and curved underline

The Story Alchemist:
A Creativity Retreat for Writers
April 2026 Gallery

The Bundanoon Guest House sign surrounded by white and pink flowers and lush greenery
Workshop participants listen to a presenter beside a whiteboard in a library, with notebooks and art supplies on tables.
Woman presenting beside a laptop with a projected slide about setting writing intentions and examples.
Group of adults crafting with colorful yarn and paper at a table indoors
Woman wearing glasses draws on a whiteboard filled with colorful pictures, including flowers, hearts, a dollar sign, and a smiling face.
Group of adults enjoying a candlelit dinner around a long restaurant table with plated meals and wine
Group of adults participating in a creative writing workshop around tables with notebooks, colored pencils, and a flip chart.
Older woman looking over a green valley and forested hills from a scenic overlook.
Elegant candlelit dining room with a flower-filled table, antique decor, framed artwork, blue-and-white porcelain, and glass-paned French doors.
Two adults taking notes in notebooks while seated in a cozy living room with a fireplace and ornate mirror.
Smiling woman wearing glasses raises a glass of red wine at a restaurant table.
Smiling older man wearing glasses and a striped polo shirt with a Stephen name tag at a workshop, with a woman and whiteboard in the background