Introduction to Retreats

Retreat Facilities
AHD runs two contemplative weekend retreats for students each term. These retreats also cater for interested people who do not attend AHD. The retreat weekends are held in Warburton at the magnificent Pallotti venue which is approximately 45 minutes drive through the serene Yarra Valley from the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Ample secure parking is adjacent to the building complex. Activities commence at 8.30 am Saturday and conclude at 5.00 pm on Sunday. Accommodation is in cozy centrally heated and carpeted single and double rooms with shared modern and private bathrooms. Bedrooms all have electric blankets, wardrobes, desk and hand basin together with magnificent views of the Dandenong Ranges and the Yarra Valley. Although there is a lift the venue does not have disabled facilities. Main meals are provided in a cafeteria style dining room with small tables seating between 4 and 8 people. Vegetarians are catered for. A large breakfast room is provided for breakfast, morning and afternoon teas. Calories are not counted due to the generosity of Pallotti College and the ladies who tend to bring scrumptious fare. Comfy lounge rooms are provided which are conducive to relaxed discussions amongst students in the generous leisure time between activities. Ample sized lecture rooms provide a comfortable environment for the varied class activities to take place. All aspects of the buildings and the grounds are kept scrupulously clean and maintained by the Pallotti College volunteers. This helps keep our costs to a minimum, whilst providing first class amenities for these retreats. For details of costs and other information see weekend retreat dates.

Format of Retreats
On Saturday morning, after parking, you will be directed to your bedroom. After unpacking enjoy a cuppa prior to the retreat commencing. The first activity is a general meeting of all attendees, during which an address will be given by a senior tutor setting the focus of the retreat. An opportunity will usually be given for questions relating to the address. After this students will be combined into smaller groups, which suit their stage of development, and a tutor will be allocated for the retreat. This process takes approximately 90 minutes and is followed by a refreshment break of 30 minutes.

Following morning tea students will meet with their tutor in their lecture room. From here on groups will participate in practical activities, contemplation exercises and study and discussion sessions. Class duration is approximately 90 minutes with ample breaks given for refreshments and interaction with other students and tutors .

Saturday classes finish at 5.00 pm allowing students time to shower and change prior to dinner. After dinner activities include, reading, music, relaxed discussions, occasional video tapes or an early night. Your choice! An early night is recommended so you will be bright for the activities on Sunday.

Sunday morning commences with breakfast in the breakfast room at your leisure. Students need then to vacate their rooms and load their luggage into their cars; so the cleaning staff can prepare the rooms for guests on the following day. Activities commence for the day at 8.00 am with your group and tutor and will continue until lunch time. In the afternoon all students will attend a presentation connected with the works of the weekend. This will take various forms ie. slide presentation, video tape or lecture. The final activity is a general meeting for all students during which an opportunity is given to share with the whole group, your experiences, from the retreat.

View retreat location

The view before my eyes seems surreal. It is there but does not seem real; it is like a beautiful painting, gorgeous, delicious ever changing but remote. A bird cries with an urgency, compelling; it evokes a response from the heart and a name from the mind.This gives the bird an existence but the intellect is not confused, it knows the bird is no more than a name and a sound. The wind caresses the sense of touch, sometimes incredibly gently and at other times more violently. This experience is incredibly beautiful, sensual and inviting. The textures invite the sense of touch to participate and whenever I do it is as if I disappear and only return when the sense is put down. The air is rich with fragrances basic, earthy and inviting: it is hard work not to lose myself. The forms before my eyes have the most delicate shades of green, each subtly different, which blends into and complement each other, and form a backdrop to the bright yellow daisies gently dancing in the wind. All of this colour tries desperately to force the sight upwards to the sky. The sky, light blue low down and increasing in hue to a deep azure blue at the meridian, holds by some miraculous power white and grey forms which are an incredibly intermixed waffle of coiffured colour from pure white to a deep grey. All these impressions are like strong liquor, intoxicating to the mind and evoking to the heart. The intellect is strong and firm and knows them as no more than a dream. If I drink from this cup I will lose myself. With the intellect as headmaster I just appreciate the beauty without naming it. — Poem written by a student on retreat.

Retreat Location

Pallotti College nestles at the foot of the Great Dividing Range about 4kms west of the tourist centre of Warburton. Slightly raised from the serene Yarra Valley it affords magnificent views to the south and east which provide a contrast to the national park to the north, home to stands of gigantic eucalypts. The dense moist air arriving from the southern ocean ensures a rainfall suitable for ferns, rhododendrons, azaleas and the many European deciduous trees which inhabit the several acres of groomed landscaped gardens within the rustic property boundary. The building was initially a seminary for the Pallottines. They have left behind a serenity in the atmosphere which helps re-juvenate any soul fortunate enough to imbibe this air of peace and tranquillity. This atmosphere coupled with the retreat activities ensure the stress and tension many experience in life is quickly and painlessly cleansed away.