About
Join us at Lizzie's homestead on Gadubanud Country in Gellibrand. Set in a beautiful 71 acre bush
setting in the heart of Otway, this small gathering will be a celebration of the longest night and the
return of the longer days of sunshine. The camp includes solstice rituals with African drumming and
dance, storytelling through singing and ukelele, as well as Yoga practices that honour the season's
transition. Whether you are an experienced dancer, musician or yogi, or looking to connect with
others, this Winter retreat offers an opportunity for transformation. Embrace the return of light, celebrate
renewal and leave with joy in your Heart, inspiration for your Soul and a meaningful connection with
a creative community.
To keep it cosy, the camp is limited to 7 particpants.
Date
Friday 20 June 2025 - 5:00 PM to Sunday 22 nd June – 3pm (with an option to stay on until the
morning of Monday 23 June).
Lizzy's Homested
Fry's Rd, Gellibrand Victoria 3239
PROGRAM
FRIDAY EVENING
Arrive between 5.00pm - 6.00pm
7.00pm Welcome Dinner
8.00pm Ukelele and Singing with Lizzie. Enter into our shadow side through beautiful songs of grace
and grief. BYO Uke or guitar (if you prefer) or let us know if you’d like us to provide a Uke for you.
9.00pm Fire drumming and dance ceremony with Jacqui. Acknowledging our sorrow, grief and
releasing our emotional pain to the fire of transformation for renewal and growth.
10.00pm Yoga Nidra with Alita. Bringing our body, mind and Spirit to a restful place ready for deep
slumber through guided deep relaxation.
SATURDAY
8.00am Hatha Yoga with Alita to awaken into the new light of the day.
9.00am Breakfast
10.00am Return of the Sacred Kingfisher through drumming to ground the new light in using sound
and rhythm with Jacqui.
11.00am Welcome back Kingfisher dance to our Stamping Ground ki ki ki kik with Jacqui.
1.00pm Lunch
2.00pm Forest walk and river immersion (optional for the very brave!) for renewal. (Requiring a 20
minute drive.)…. Or option to relax at the Homestead or walk the Beechy line trail.
5.00pm Ukelele and singing with Lizzie. Songs that bring in the love and light for a new beginning.
7.00pm Dinner
8.00pm Moto Wyaka fire burning brightly - drumming and dance ceremony with Jacqui.
9.00pm Music Jam for uplifting Spirits.
10.00pm Yoga Nidra with Alita. Bringing our body, mind and Spirit to a restful place ready for deep
slumber through guided deep relaxation.
SUNDAY
8.00am Hatha Yoga with Alita to awaken the senses into a new beginning.
9.00am Breakfast
10.00am Willy Wagtail drumming to celebrate the balance of the dark and the light.
11.00am Willy Wagtail dance for finding our happy place at the heart centre.
1.00pm Lunch
2.00pm Forest walk along a section of the Beechy Line Rail Trail
4.00pm Afternoon Tea in the forest and Closing Ceremony and farewells
7.00pm Gellibrand Hotel for dinner (optional extra)
MONDAY (optional extra)
8.00am Body Awakening with Jacqui to set you on your way.
9.00am Breakfast
10.00am Forest trail walk
YOUR TEACHERS
Jacqui Dreessens is an ethnochoreologist, multidisciplinary artist and community arts practitioner in choreography and percussion. Her inspiration draws from nature and the environment, exploring the ecology of place and embodied experience through dance ritual at the intersection of sound, movement, poetry and film. She is inspired by Indigenous World Dance cultures and their expression of connection to ancestral spirit and the land and how this connection fosters a sense of place. In 2016, Jacqui received a Stepping Stones Scholarship for the Masters of Arts in Ethnochoreology (First Class Honours) at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick, Ireland. As a Dance, Drama, Psychology graduate from Rusden, Deakin University (B.Ed. Sec. Arts, 1985), Jacqui has engaged in many exciting artist in residency programs in schools, festivals and communities across Australia, Brazil, Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal, India, Nepal and the Netherlands including, Return of the Sacred Kingfisher for CERES Environment Park 1994 - 2023 Return of the Sacred Kingfisher Festival 2000; Where journeys Meet for Gasworks Community Arts Park, to celebrate Australian Federation 2001; the Opening Ceremony for the Deaf Olympic Games at Olympic Park, Melbourne 2005; Children of the Blue Light,
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filmed on location in the Cape Coast Slave Dungeons, Ghana, West Africa and many new works for the Torquay High Tide Festival 2005 - 2013, SwellBeing; Natural Balance; Hidden Depths; Moonahs: Sentinels of the Surf Coast; Circles on Waves and Hoofprints in the Sand. Most recently, Dancing in the Echelons
for Mangroves from the Water Exhibition, Gordon Gallery, Geelong. Jacqui is the Director of Wild Moves International and is based in Wadawurrung Country, Surf Coast, Victoria, Australia.
Alita Trafton
Alita has been teaching yoga since 2010. She is passionate about sharing the many benefits of classical style Hatha Yoga and Yoga Nidra (guided deep relaxation) with anyone from absolute beginners to seasoned yoga practitioners. Her teachings include turning inwards being mindful of the breath and the body to find a balance between comfort and challenge, creating space for the body and mind to strengthen, rejuvenate and relax. During our Return of the Light yoga sessions Alita will also focus the practice on major energy centres Manipura and Anahata chakras to help us connect to the Winter light of transformation in Manipura and renewal through the light & wisdom of the heart in Anahata. These practices can also help to keep the body and mind happy & healthy, leading us towards a more balanced, fulfilling and happier lifestyle free from stress and physical limitations.
Liz Hamilton
I moved to the Otway Ranges in 1990 and around that time I really started getting into learning music starting with percussion then singing, ukulele, guitar and my favourite – the harmonica. I’ve been performing for the last 20 or so years with various bands – currently with Chestnut Street. I love jamming and helping to teach people new tunes and techniques – whether they are beginners or experienced musicians. Our retreat will be held at my beautiful property in Frys Rd, Gellibrand which is close to the forest and has lovely elevated views to the north. We are adjacent to the Beechy Line rail trail and not far from many of the treats that our region has to offer. I started building my off-grid home as a single mother, owner-builder in 1995. It’s been a never-ending labour of love and a lot of work but my home, land and the surrounding forest nourish and reward me in so many ways – it’s a big part of who I am. I’m so looking forward to sharing my home and music with like-minded people again as we celebrate the changing season and bring in the light together through song, dance, yoga and great company.
ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS
Full accommodation, (3 nights), Vegetarian Meals and Program: Friday - Monday morning
$500.00
Friday evening dinner and program. Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner with full activities. Sunday
breakfast, lunch, (Gellibrand Hotel for dinner - optional extra at your expense). Monday morning
breakfast and activities.
Note: accommodation will be either at Lizzie’s home or at a farm stay property ~ 3km away near
Gellibrand township. Participants will have their own bedroom and shared bathroom.
Full accommodation, (2 nights), Vegetarian Meals and Program: Friday - Sunday afternoon
$450.00
Friday evening dinner and program. Saturday breakfast, lunch, dinner with full activities. Sunday
breakfast, lunch and full activities.
Note: accommodation will be either at Lizzie’s home or at a farm stay property ~ 3km away near
Gellibrand township. Participants will have their own bedroom and shared bathroom.
Off-site accommodation, Vegetarian Meals and Program: Friday - Monday morning
$380.00
For those who’d like to organise their own accommodation. Friday evening dinner and program.
Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner with full activities. Sunday breakfast, lunch (Gellibrand Hotel dinner
optional extra). Monday morning breakfast and activities.
Off-site accommodation, Vegetarian Meals and Program: Friday - Sunday full activities
$350.00
For those who’d like to organise their own accommodation. Friday night dinner and program.
Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner at Lizzie's with full activities. Sunday breakfast, lunch and full activities
If you have any dietary or other special mobility requirements, please email Liz Hamilton:
TGl6emllaGFtOSB8IGdtYWlsICEgY29t before you book as the program, accommodation or meals that we are
planning may not be suitable for your needs. If you would like to share your room with a friend,
please let me know.
Outdoor activities may be weather dependent. Please bring appropriate clothing and footwear for the weather conditions.
BYO yoga mat, ukelele if you have one. Drums are available or byo if you wish
We so look forward to meeting you!
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