WordFam Retreat 2026
This August, we returned to Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) for our third WordFam Retreat! A dozen eager writers had a weekend of chill island vibes, cool winter temperatures, sandy beaches, great company, and story crafting.
It was a wonderful weekend, and we’re so grateful to everyone who came along for joining us! The chatter, support, and cosy vibes were a much needed break for all of us. We all hit our goals (or close enough) and progressed our stories. Great work all around!
We like to keep what works, so there were the usual goodie bags with some changes to the contents to keep things fun and interesting, because who doesn’t like writery goodies? Enjoy the notebooks, stickers, pens, bookmarks, tiny rubber ducky, and glowsticks!
We also had the usual conference room setup, complete with giant water-heating urn and plenty of coffee. If some of the photos are familiar, that’s because we returned to our favourite venue, Anchorage. Its on-the-beach location for the delightful susurrus of the ocean kept us company.
This year, we added something new to our schedule! We had some writing-related discussion time, where we could get together and exchange information and experience with each other. The attendees voted on the topics, and so we talked about editing and publishing. They were good discussions and we’ll likely be repeating them next time!
We had lots of animal friends this year, too! The whales were active and close in to the shore, so some got to watch them jumping. Humpback whales migrate right past the island and are visible from the shore. We also had a family of ducks that visited us with some very fluffy ducklings, and some wallabies up near one of the lookout spots.
Future Retreats
Which brings me to our plans going forward! We’re currently seeking feedback on the Retreat from those who attended, so we can keep what works and adjust what might be better. We have lots of ideas and plans!
We are looking forward to returning to Anchorage for 14-15 August 2027! Please note that these days are tentative and subject to confirmation. We won’t have firm dates and prices until around February 2027, so keep an eye out for news!
Beyond 2027, our current plans are to move the Retreat to a more steady cadence of every 2 years. So after 2027, the next one will be 2029, then 2031, etc. This gives everyone (including us!) more time to save for the next one, and it gives the WordFam Leaders more bandwidth to tackle other big events in between.
Thank You!
We’re thrilled with how this year’s Retreat went and we can’t thank everyone who came along enough. You make all the work worth it!
Thanks to everyone who helped make the weekend happen, too. We couldn’t do what we do without you.
Write on, wonderful WordFam! May your stories carry us forward.
