Located at the beautifully restored Shearer’s Lodgings of iconic Waterloo Station, just 18 kilometres west of Glen Innes and 50 kilometres east of Inverell in the NSW New England region, the High Country Writers Retreat offers a rare chance to meet working authors and hear about their processes, pathways, and their latest books!
Escape for the day on Saturday October 24. Day passes are FREE and strictly limited, so get in fast! Or join the festival team and stay for two or four nights… accommodation places are also very limited so book now!
- Authors & Experts – Panel sessions and focus groups with traditionally- and independently-published authors, with moderated Q&A to examine approaches to fiction, non-fiction, memoir, family history, and manuscript preparation
- Meals – Enjoy a free lunch, morning tea and traditional billy tea and damper by the creek in the afternoon
- Bookshop – Browse festival authors’ books (bring cash only please!) and have them signed on the spot!
- Getting here – Head to our Location & Stays page for more information about travel and accommodation options
1-DAY ESCAPE
Date: Saturday October 24
Time: 10am-5pm
- Cost: Free!
- Inclusions: lunch, morning and afternoon tea
10am Making your manuscript ready
Drill down into expert tips on how to get the most out of the editing process, with Mary Garden (journalist and author of memoir and family-history memoir) and Michael Burge (journalist and traditionally/independently-published author of fiction and memoir)
11am Morning Tea
11.15am Focus Groups choose from/move between memoir and fiction sessions with Mary and Michael
12.30pm Lunch & Book Signing
Enjoy Waterloo’s stunning views over a light lunch, and witness the announcement of the 2020 High Country Indie Book Award by Glen Innes Mayor Carol Sparks. Browse festival authors’ books and have them signed on the spot!
1.30pm Author Talks choose one session or wander between both
The Armchair Adventurer
Join Mary Moody (The Accidental Tour Guide) and Mary Garden (Sundowner of the Skies) in conversation with travel writer Amanda Woods about capturing the world on the page
The History Buff
Join Nicole Alexander (The Cedar Tree) and Callum Clayton-Dixon (Surviving New England) in conversation with author and journalist Michael Burge about breathing life into historical fiction and non-fiction
3.00pm Afternoon Tea
Billy Tea & Damper by Wellingrove Creek
3.30pm Author Walk
Join author D’Arcy Lloyd and host Deborah Anderson for a tour of Waterloo Station, complete with heritage tales!
5pm Close
MULTI-DAY ESCAPES
3 Days: Friday October 23 to Sunday October 25
Time: 12pm check-in Friday to 12pm check-out Sunday
5 Days: Thursday October 22 to Monday October 26
Time: 4pm check-in Thursday to 10am check-out Monday
- Cost: $340 (three days) or $480 (five days)
- Inclusions 3 days: 2 nights’ accommodation at Waterloo Shearer’s Lodgings; breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday October 24; breakfast on Sunday October 25; linen; all festival events on Saturday October 24; daily walks
- Exclusions 3 days: dinner at a Glen Innes restaurant on Friday October 23
- Inclusions 5 days: 4 nights’ accommodation at Waterloo Shearer’s Lodgings; breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday October 24; breakfast on Friday October 23, Sunday October 25 and Monday October 26; linen; all festival events on Saturday October 24; daily walks
- Exclusions 5 days: dinner at a Glen Innes restaurant on Friday October 23
Join the High Country Writers Festival team at Waterloo Station Shearer’s Lodgings for two nights (or more) and use the spare time to write, plan, dream or explore this iconic rural setting!
- Writing Time – The tranquility and passing life of a working farm in an upland valley is unique… escape into it and get some words on the page.
- Guided Walks – Waterloo Station has many picturesque pathways… let your writer’s heart be inspired by joining a daily walk in this rural heartland!
- Accommodation & Meals – Every room at Waterloo Station Shearer’s Lodgings has been lovingly renovated into quiet, climate-controlled quarters with ensuite facilities and linen. Retreaters will enjoy some catered meals (others can be sought off-site of self-catered using the shearer’s kitchen) and are welcome to join the festival team for dinner at a Glen Innes restaurant on Friday October 24 (dinner and drinks at own expense).
