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The Eco
Retreat
About The Eco Retreat
Founded in 2020, The Eco Retreat (TER) began as a search for a more interconnected, life-sustaining way of being. In early 2026, that dream found its home on the red earth and grey loams of the Boonah farm. Here, amidst the misty foothills of the Otways, we are cultivating a community and space where land-based living and wise action meet.
Meet Marion & Richard
Marion and Richard are the founders of The Eco Retreat project. Their journeys began in the quiet awe of regional farming communities.
Marion has worked as a coach, counsellor, ecotherapist and MBSR mindfulness teacher for over 20 years. Marion is a graduate of the environmental leader program with Port Phillip Eco Centre, and a certified Ecotherapist. Marion is a lifelong student, studying Dharma Teacher Training with the Insight Meditation Institute of Australia and The Work That Reconnects. She's a mixed media, studio artist working with a local collective. Marion draw's from spiritual traditions as an emerging Eco-Dharma Teacher, including the Buddha Dharma, early Western folk-lore and nature- based spirituality for inspiration. You can learn more about Marion's work here.
Richard, Marion's husband, is a leading sustainability technologist and co-founder at a SaaS climate technology company, helping the international built environment transition toward decarbonisation. He is passionate about humanity’s shift to a more sustainable world and advocates for mindfulness and compassion in all aspects of his work. Richard is keen to support green investment, as well as focusing on supporting Marion and TER project with landcare, trail making, permaculture, wood crafting and community building.
“We created The Eco Retreat because we were called to remember how to live in deeper relationship with the earth—not just for ourselves, but to offer our children and our community a future woven back into the natural environment.”
Our Approach and Vision
There is a growing need for climate resilience and localised systems, community mindedness, and wise action. We are grateful to be alive at this pivotal moment in history, to co-create meaningful experiences and ignite projects that connect us and the next generation to hope. The Eco Retreat aims to foster a land-based community by offering support and connection through nature-based retreats, a creative workshop, insight meditation and eco-Dharma to navigate the challenges of our time with resilience and hope. The World Health Organisation has highlighted climate change as the biggest health threat, and the accompanying mental health epidemic among young people is a clear signal that existing leadership model and system is failing. The retreat provides restorative support, tools, practices and knowledge, equipping individuals and communities with the skills to address climate-related anxiety and grief, lead social and environmental projects, and foster the community connections necessary to build a sustainable, life-affirming society. This is a call to action for a new form of leadership based on wisdom, compassion and interconnectedness.
A Shift Towards Reciprocal Relationship
We believe that individual well-being cannot be separated from the health of our soil or our culture. In a time of systemic breakdown, we choose to focus on localised hope. Our project is an invitation to move away from an ego-centric mindset toward one of reciprocity and mutuality. We aim to support a diverse, inclusive community by building caring relationships across generations—honouring ancient wisdom while navigating modern climate challenges.
This shift toward reciprocity is at the heart of the art of slow living—a commitment to re-evaluating our systems and moving toward interconnected, intergenerational approaches that honour the entire web of life. By slowing down and prioritising local food, presence, creativity and community connection, we cultivate a nature-based spirituality that fosters multi-cultural acceptance and care for both the young and the old, and non-human world. We see this transformation as vital for navigating the challenges of our time, creating a sanctuary in the Boonah foothills where wisdom and compassion can ignite a sustainable, life-affirming, and inclusive future for the next generation.
The Heart of Retreat
Our retreat offerings are designed as an "oases"—restorative spaces for those navigating the challenges of our time and to offer the urban community a place to retreat and connect with their nature home. We offer a call to a new form of self-leadership based on reciprocity, compassion, and slow living. Alongside an inspiring network of practitioners, spiritual and Dharma teachers, change-makers and artists, we curate events to help you learn, connect and grow together with nature and community.
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Nature-Based Leadership & Coaching: Our retreats support environmental leaders, creatives, practitioners and change-makers in moving from burnout to resilience.
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Eco-Dharma & The Work That Reconnects: Spiritual nourishment for all rooted in Buddhist ethics and nature-based spirituality to address climate anxiety and grief.
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Creative Workshops (The Art Barn): From painting, printmaking to sculpture and writing, we use the tactile nature of the arts to remember our place in the web of life and to express the human spirit authentically.
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Regenerative Living: Hands-on connection with our organic farm, Landcare, and permaculture—led by our passion for decarbonisation, sustainable living and community building.