RISE THROUGH GRIEF RETREAT
SUNSHINE COAST
We welcome you with an open heart to the
Rise Through Grief Retreat - Sunshine Coast
A Sanctuary for Your Grief
You don’t have to carry this alone…
Grief touches every part of who we are - body, mind, heart, and soul.
In a world that often rushes us to “move on,” this retreat offers something profoundly different:
A sacred pause
A space to be held
A gentle return to yourself
Whether your loss is fresh or decades old, this is a space where you can feel deeply, rest fully, and be supported through the messy, beautiful, and transformative journey of grief.
You are not broken… you are grieving. And you are so welcome here.
Rise Through Grief Retreat
30 APRIL - 4 MAY 2026
(4 nights / 5 days)
Located at the stunning Amara Estate
81 Litfin Road, Verrierdale, Sunshine Coast
Amara Estate is a breathtaking 44-acre sanctuary tucked away in the Noosa Hinterland, embraced by nature’s quiet stillness - inviting deep rest, reflection, and healing. Here, grief is honoured, emotions can soften, and the journey toward renewal begins.
All guests will stay in the rooms within the beautiful and charming main house.
What to Expect
Guided Healing Sessions with Compassionate & Qualified Grief Facilitators:
Explore your grief, thoughts, and emotions in a sacred, safe, compassionate, and non-judgmental space.
One-on-one sessions with facilitators and group sharing sessions to connect with others experiencing grief and loss.
Mind-Body Grief-Informed Workshops and Activities:
Mindful grieving yoga (Hatha and Yin), and gentle somatic movement to shift grief, release emotion, and promote relaxation.
Meditation and mindfulness for grounding, presence, and connection to self.
Art and music therapy to assist in expressing grief and emotions, and to promote a relaxed and meditative state of mind.
Journalling to process emotions and thoughts.
Gentle breathwork to release tension and experience inner calmness.
Sound healing to support balance and restoration.
Aromatherapy essential oils scent creation.
Honouring your loved ones / losses tribute ceremony.
Nature and Outdoor Experiences:
Self-guided nature walks to connect with natural healing powers.
Wildlife - kangaroos (and joeys), and a variety of birds.
Hot/cold therapy - steam room, magnesium swimming pool.
Music around the campfire / stargazing.
Rest and reflection in peaceful outdoor areas (on the back deck overlooking the hinterland, by the lake or dam, or anywhere in nature on the 44-acre property.
Connection:
Share your loved one / loss, your story, and your grief with others who truly understand.
Building beautiful relationships that foster hope and resilience.
Wellness & Practical Tools:
Intuitive massage and Reiki to release tension and emotions, and to promote calm and relaxation.
Learn holistic grief-informed practices to support you in navigating and processing your grief.
Nourishing meals to support your healing journey, prepared with care to bring comfort, warmth, and balance to both body and soul.
Whether your loss is recent or you’ve been carrying it for years, this retreat offers a chance to reconnect with yourself and find hope in a supportive community.
What’s Included
4 nights / 5 days accommodation at the stunning Amara Estate on the Sunshine Coast.
3 fresh and nourishing meals daily (breakfast, lunch, dinner & dessert), plus morning tea and afternoon tea, catering to all dietary requirements.
Welcome gift box filled with thoughtful heart-centered goodies.
Full use of the property facilities, including a magnesium salt pool, steam room, fire pit, and exploration of nature-infused walking tracks on the 44-acre property, including beautiful dams and lake.
Daily and evening grief-informed sessions, including mindful grieving yoga therapy, meditation, art therapy, and music therapy in the beautiful yoga studio overlooking the hinterland and out in nature.
90-minute sound immersion healing session.
Daily sacred group circle / connection sessions.
60-minute relaxing and healing massage / reiki session.
Aromatherapy workshop - create your own scent using essential oils.
Campfire gathering and stargazing.
One-on-one counselling sessions/conversations, and compassionate support through the entire retreat.
Plenty of peaceful spaces for personal reflection, restoration, and solitude.
60-minute post-retreat debriefing session (via video call).
Assistance in planning travel to and from the retreat, and suggestions of where to stay and things to do and see if staying longer on the Sunshine Coast.
The Retreat Venue
Amara Estate is a 44-acre private retreat facility in the beautiful Noosa Hinterland offering stunning 180-degree views to the North across to Noosa. It is only 20 minutes from Maroochydore Airport, 10 minutes to Peregian Beach, and 20 minutes Noosa.
The stunning Queenslander home immediately puts you at ease, offering a homely and nurturing atmosphere with an elegant yet rustic charm. There are plenty of spaces to relax and unwind, both inside the house, on the expansive decks that overlook the hinterland, and throughout the property’s nature trails, tranquil dams, and serene lake.
This retreat space was chosen with deep intention. Nestled in nature, it's a rustic and charming sanctuary that invites you to slow down, breathe deeply, and come home to yourself. There’s a simplicity here that feels grounding, like a gentle return to what truly matters. With its warm, homely touches and comforting atmosphere, this place wraps around you like a soft blanket. It’s real, soulful, and deeply healing. Surrounded by trees, hinterland views, fresh air, and quiet moments, it offers the perfect backdrop for doing the tender, sacred work of grief. It’s a place where time seems to soften and space opens up - for feeling, for rest, and for gentle transformation.
The Accommodation
Accommodation is twin share in charming and rustic rooms, thoughtfully designed with nature in mind. Each space invites warmth and simplicity, allowing you to unwind and reconnect in a serene and natural setting.
This retreat house is a sanctuary for healing, a space where rustic charm meets elegant comfort, wrapping you in warmth and peace. Thoughtfully designed to nurture both body and soul, it offers a haven for those navigating grief. The inviting lounge room, with its cozy fireplace, provides a comforting place to gather, reflect, or simply be. A beautiful indoor dining table overlooks the hinterland, offering moments of stillness and connection over nourishing meals.
Step outside onto the spacious decks, where another dining space allows you to breathe in fresh air and take in nature’s quiet embrace. Scattered daybeds and cozy seating areas invite you to rest, journal, or gently process your emotions, surrounded by the soothing sounds of nature. Here, you are held in a space that allows you to grieve, heal, and begin to rediscover lightness in your heart.
The Facilities
The retreat venue is designed to support your grief journey with spaces that invite rest, reflection, and renewal. Immerse yourself in the healing embrace of nature, whether by taking a gentle swim in the magnesium salt pool, known for its soothing and restorative properties, or allowing the warmth of the steam room to help release the weight of grief held in the body.
Surrounded by tranquil landscapes, you’ll find solace in peaceful nature walks, winding through 44 acres of lush hinterland. Take time to sit in quiet contemplation by the dams or the expansive 4000 sqm sacred lake, where the still waters mirror your emotions, offering a space to simply be.
Throughout the retreat, you’ll discover inviting sitting areas designed for solitude or heartfelt connection, as well as a fire pit where we gather under the stars, sharing stories, warmth, and the collective support of those who truly understand.
Guiding You Through Grief & Holding Space for Your Healing
Meet Melissa – Founder of Holistic Grief Wellness / Rise Through Grief Retreat Leader
Melissa is the heart and soul behind Holistic Grief Wellness, a space born from her own deeply personal encounter with profound loss. After the sudden passing of her beloved husband in 2021, Melissa embarked on a life-changing path of healing and self-discovery. Her grief cracked her open, but it also awakened a powerful calling to help others who are walking a similar path.
As she searched for retreats that honoured the full experience of grief, ones rooted in holistic healing and led by qualified, compassionate professionals, Melissa discovered a gap. She noticed how limited and rare these spaces were. Inspired to help fill that need, she created a supportive, sacred environment where grievers are welcomed just as they are, embraced with compassion, and offered practices to gently nurture the mind, body, and soul.
Melissa brings together lived experience and extensive professional training. She is a qualified Holistic Grief Counsellor, Creative Arts Therapist and Group Facilitator, Mindful Grieving Yoga Therapist and Group Facilitator, Yoga and Meditation Teacher, and Sound and Vibrational Healing Practitioner. With deep empathy and authenticity, she walks alongside those navigating the heartbreak of loss, offering comfort, insight, and gentle guidance.
She believes strongly in the mind-body-spirit connection and in the power of community. Through group storytelling, creative expression, somatic movement, and stillness, Melissa helps grievers reconnect with themselves and others in meaningful ways. She knows how consuming grief can be, and she’s here to remind you that healing is possible.
With Melissa, you’ll find safety, warmth, and understanding. She would be honoured to support you on your healing journey and invites you to join her at the next retreat, a sacred space to express and process your grief and begin the tender process of restoration and inner renewal.
Heart-Centered Support
Meet Misty – Retreat Support & Aromatherapy Facilitator
At the centre of your retreat experience is compassionate, holistic support, offered with deep care and presence. Misty brings over a decade of experience as a palliative care nurse, walking alongside individuals and families through some of life’s most tender moments. Her presence at the retreat is rooted in genuine understanding, both personal and professional, of the many shapes grief can take.
With a background in holistic counselling and aromatherapy, Misty gently weaves together evidence-based care and intuitive support to create a space where you can feel safe, seen, and deeply nurtured. Her approach honours the emotional, physical, and spiritual aspects of grief, allowing you to move through your healing journey at your own pace.
Throughout your time at the retreat, Misty offers a steady, compassionate presence, holding space for your grief, your stories, and your healing. With warmth and wisdom, she ensures that you are not alone, but deeply supported as you reconnect with yourself and begin to gently rediscover a sense of wholeness.
Nourishing Your Body & Soul
Meet Ally – Our Amazing Retreat Caterer
Our retreat caterer, Ally, is passionate about creating wholesome, soul-nourishing meals that gently support your healing. With a deep understanding of how food can bring ease and restoration, she prepares fresh, seasonal dishes that nurture both body and spirit.
Here, meals are more than just food, they are part of your healing journey. When we’re grieving, it can be so easy to forget to care for ourselves, especially around eating well. That’s why the food at this retreat is intentionally designed not only to nourish but also to comfort.
Every meal is crafted with care and intention, using high-quality ingredients that cater to a variety of dietary needs. From warming, grounding meals to light, revitalising dishes, Ally ensures that each bite is both delicious and deeply supportive of your wellbeing.
Throughout the retreat, you’ll be held and nurtured through food that offers warmth, balance, and nourishment, allowing you to soften into your healing, knowing you are lovingly cared for.
Rejuvenating Healing Through Intuitive & Energetic Touch
Meet Amber – Our Intuitive Massage & Reiki Therapist
Through each tailored session, Amber works with your unique needs, offering a compassionate space for emotional release and physical relaxation. Whether you are carrying grief in your body or struggling with the weight of your loss, the therapeutic touch invites healing, allowing you to process and let go in a safe and nurturing way.
The nurturing touch helps you reconnect with your body, creating a pathway for emotional release and peace. This massage is not just a physical experience, it’s an opportunity to honour your grief, acknowledge your emotions, and gently move toward healing.
Amber offers a compassionate, intuitive approach to help you find relief, soothe your heart, and support your healing journey in a truly restorative way.
Where grief is honoured and witnessed with love, healing takes root, and transformation softly follows.
Retreat Investment
Early Bird Price - $2,200
Early bird price available until 31 January 2026 – limited spots available.
Don’t miss out on this special rate. Secure your space today.
Full Price - $2,500
Full price effective from 1 February 2026
Flexible payment plans available, please email to discuss further: melissa@holisticgriefwellness.com.au
Spots are limited to 10 people to allow for a small and intimate group.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the Rise Through Grief Retreat, please feel welcome to book a complimentary video call with Melissa.
This is a gentle, no-pressure space to talk things through and see if this retreat feels right for you.
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SAFE SPACE FOR HEALING
Our retreat offers a sacred and judgment-free environment where you can express your grief and emotions openly and work through your pain without fear of criticism or misunderstanding.
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CONNECTION WITH OTHER GRIEVERS
You will be surrounded by others who are also experiencing a loss which helps to reduce feelings of isolation. Sharing stories and hearing others’ experiences fosters a sense of understanding and belonging.
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SELF-CARE
Dedicated time to reflect, rest and nurture your wellbeing through relaxation, nourishing meals, gentle movement, mindfulness, creative outlets, spa treatments, nature, and connection with spirit.
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HOLISTIC & THERAPEUTIC ACTIVITIES
Our grief-focused retreat includes mind-body practices such as mindfulness, meditation, yoga, journalling, arts therapy, sound healing and eco therapy to help you process your grief.
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RENEWAL OF HOPE
Through reflection and support, you will gain a sense of renewed hope, clarity, and the tools needed to continue in your grief healing journey, learning how to live after loss with meaning and joy.
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TRANSFORMATION
Transform your pain into resilience and purpose by finding peace and a deeper connection to yourself through self-compassion and self-love, and embracing the possibility of growth and renewal.
Photos from the Rise Through Grief Retreat - September 2025
