Sydney Insight Meditators
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High Country Walking Retreat
 24 February - 3 March 2025

This retreat is an opportunity to be out in the fresh wide expanses of the Kosciuszko high country, do some hiking, have a couple of retreat days, be part of a dharma community for a week and explore how dharma teachings might not just be nourishing for us but guide us in
addressing the challenges of our times.

Mountains can be a place for renewal and be far  enough away from our everyday lives to give fresh perspective on how we live and what we do with our lives. 
We'll have walks on four days and two fully silent days of meditation in the lodge. 

On each day there'll be a group meditation period in the morning and evening, a dharma talk each evening and possibly a group yoga or stretching / exercise / balance session each morning. 

On the four walking days, breakfast and all the walking will be in silence but other periods, before we leave the lodge, when we break for lunch, and after we come back, will not be silent.  There'll also be silence period from the evening sit, after dinner to the end of breakfast the next morning. 

We'll be going out on the walks as a group, or at times two groups. Both groups will be going at a medium pace for fit walkers. One group will go on longer walks (up to 22k), and the other group will go on shorter walks (up to 10k). There is around 20% less oxygen at Charlotte Pass.  There may be some short sections with snow. Photos from the 2022 High Country Walking Retreat are here and from the 2023 retreat here.

The retreat is for both experienced meditators and people new to meditation.

About the venue

Picture


We'll be staying in Pygmy Possum Lodge, in the Charlotte Pass village. Everyone will get a small room to themselves unless you want to share a room with your partner or a friend.
This is a Ski Club lodge and it's set up for families and
individuals. You will need to bring your own sheets, pillowslips and towels. The lodge is very original late 1970s style and is air-conditioned.

About the Teachers 
Victor von der Heyde - Click here for information
Suzie Brown​ - Click here for information​​

When: 24 February to 3rd March 2025
Times: Arrival between 3 and 5 pm; departure by 12 noon 
Where: Pygmy Possum Lodge, in the Charlotte Pass village
​Cost:  for accommodation, all meals is $1170 per person for a single room with ensuite. Couples or friends can opt to share a room and the cost person person for this is $950.

Getting there: By car, or by public transport. There is a train from Sydney to Canberra and a connecting bus from Canberra to Jindabyne on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. We will arrange transport from Jindabyne to Charlotte Pass and return. The retreat will end in time on the last day for people who wish to catch the morning bus out from Jindabyne. 
​
We are looking for five people who can drive to the retreat and can offer a lift to others for both: 1) the last 45 minute section from Jindabyne to Charlotte Pass and back again, and 2) for the short trip to the start of one of our walks. If you are willing to do this and your car can take 3 people or more, we will reimburse you the cost of the Kosciusko National Park pass.
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​​Additional cost: 'Dana' The retreat fee covers accommodation and meals only. In keeping with a 2,500 year old tradition no fee has been charged for the teachings. At the end of the retreat you are invited  to give a donation to express your appreciation and to support the teachers to continue their work.

Applications and bookings 

Update - 26/11/24 - the retreat is now fully booked I'm afraid.
There is a waitlist available if you wish to be notified of any cancellations. Click here to join the waitlist
.
Our apologies to all who might have missed out this year.
​We hope to see you at the next High Country retreat. 


If you'd like to apply,  fill out an application form for the retreat. There’s a pdf version of the application form and a Word version. You only need to send in one of these. Please send the completed form to the booking manager at highcountry[at]dharma.org.au  (replace [at] with @).

Soon after the form is sent in - or at least within a couple of weeks - we'll let you know if your application is ready to proceed to the booking stage. If so you'll be sent a booking link.

Please note that a place on the retreat is only assured once a ticket has been booked and paid for.

Please see cancellations terms & conditions below 
Scholarships No scholarships are available for this retreat
For more information 
Email: highcountry[at]dharma.org.au
(replace [at] with @)
Picture
Cancellation Terms and Conditions ​
Due to our contract with the lodge these are the cancellation conditions of your booking.​
  • Cancellation on or before 24th December 2024 - a full refund less $100 admin fee. 
  • Cancellation  between 25th December 2024 and 24th February 2025 - no refund unless SIM is successful in filling your place. In such case the same $100 cancellation fee applies.
All cancellations incur an additional 3% fee, this is a non refundable amount charged by the booking and banking system.
Sydney Insight Meditators acknowledges the Gadigal, Dharug and Dharawal peoples, the traditional custodians of the lands on which SIM is located. We acknowledge their ongoing connection to the land, water, sky, and animals. We pay our respects to the Elders, past, present, and emerging.
  • Home
  • Events Calendar
  • About us
    • About us, AGM & Constitution
    • Membership
    • Committee
    • Our History
    • Newsletter
  • Groups
    • Bondi Junction
    • Illawarra
    • Inner West
    • Newcastle
    • North Sydney
    • Northern Beaches
    • Northern Beaches (Avalon)
    • Online - Sky Sangha
    • Southern Highlands
    • Southern Highlands Inquiring Minds
  • Teachers
  • Resources
    • Inner Rhythm of Being Recording 2025
    • Martine Batchelor Workshop Recording
    • Secular Dharma Recording
    • Guided Meditations
    • Reading list
    • Deepening Into Stillness Recording
    • Audio files >
      • Stephen Batchelor, Sydney 2014
      • Winton Higgins, Four frontiers for Secular Buddhists 2014
      • Other audio links
    • Retreat Reflections >
      • High Country Retreat Reflections 25
      • High Country Retreat Reflections 23
      • High Country Retreat Reflections 22
      • NY Reflections 21/22
      • NY Reflections 19/20
      • DIS Reflections 2017
      • NY Retreat 2016
    • Teachers Reflections >
      • Winton Higgins. January 2018
      • Jonathan Page. May 2018
      • Gawaine Powell Davies. November 2017
      • Jill Shepherd. October 2017
  • Contact Us
  • List of Events
    • DIS 2025
    • Inner Rhythm of Being 2025
    • Mornings of Practice 2025
    • New Year 2025