New South Wales

New South Wales's Blue Mountains and long coastline offer a wide range of settings for writing retreats within easy reach of Sydney, from mountain cabins to beachside cottages further up and down the coast. The state's retreat culture benefits from its proximity to Australia's largest literary community.

Some retreats lean toward structured, facilitator-led programs connected to Sydney's writers' organizations, while others are simply quiet spaces to write and disconnect.

Retreats in the Blue Mountains tend to book up quickly during cooler months, so plan ahead if that mountain scenery is what you're after.