Varuna was the home of author Eleanor Dark, and when her son inherited it, he set it up as a writers' retreat and it is now a hub of literary creativity that promotes Australian writing and provides time and space for writers to devote to their work.
 |
| The Three Sisters, Katoomba. Image (CC) Adam J.W.C. |
Varuna is set in one of the most beautiful parts of Australia, so expect lots of photos when I take a break from writing and go for a wander!
And how remiss of me not to write about Varuna, after that magical two weeks?
ReplyDeleteIt really is everything everyone says about it. A magnificent sanctuary, an almost sacred place devoted to writing. I was fortunate to meet four excellent fellow writers who were in residence there, Steven Amsterdam, Rachael Mead, Harriet Gaffney and Melissa Manning, and we've remained friends since.
I didn't get as much actual writing done while I was there as I had hoped. I spent the first few days acclimatising, and then angsting that I was wasting my time there, before settling into a rhythm. But when I wasn't writing, I was thinking, and found myself really getting to grips with what my novel was really about.
If you have an opportunity to spend time at Varuna, grab it with fingers and toes, because there is something amazing in the air up there.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6d96d7602bddf5e2f498b1d36f2cb4ae769be0b945b0b5f2ae5f33dc8c0d4af1.jpg