Order/GFR
Women+ National Order Gathering
Thursday 27 February 2025 – Sunday 2 March 2025
The National Order Gathering for Dharmacāriṇīs from around Australia.
3 nights.
Friday 28 March 2025 – Sunday 6 April 2025 at Vijayaloka Retreat Centre in Minto Heights
This retreat is open only to Order members.
All food will be vegan. If you have any allergies that aren't listed on the booking form, please contact us before booking to ensure we can cater for you.
Vijayaloka has two single rooms that can be allocated to people with special requirements. If you require a single room to be able to attend, please contact us before booking to ensure availability.
Unless you are coming a long distance we ask that you bring your own sheets and blankets or a sleeping bag (we have plenty of pillows).
It can be surprisingly cold in the early mornings and evenings, and quite hot in the middle of the day, so bring clothes suitable for all weather: we suggest you bring layers as well as a warm jumper or jacket. You'll also need a good sun hat and suitable shoes, especially if you want to bushwalk. There is a river that you can swim in, so you may also want to bring swimwear.
In addition you'll need to bring any toiletries you need including a towel, insect repellent, and sun block. It is also a good idea to bring a torch if you have one and you may also want to bring a notebook and pen.
The retreat will begin after the NOG ends on the Monday afternoon. You are welcome to arrive any time. We will finish on the Sunday afternoon, around 3pm.
Our retreats are held at Vijayaloka Retreat Centre which provides simple shared accommodation for approximately 40 people in a beautiful bush setting on the George's River.
The retreat is at Vijayaloka Retreat Centre in Minto Heights.
Vijayaloka's address for use in sat-navs is 36 Howard Road, Minto Heights NSW 2566. Travel time from central Sydney is about one hour.
There is a blue sign at Vijayaloka's entrance. Enter there and then park the car park immediately on your right.
If you are able to offer a lift to others travelling from Sydney, please let us know.
Vijayaloka is very easy to access by train. The closest train station is Minto which is on the T8 Airport Line towards MacArthur and Campbelltown. Travel time is about 50 minutes from Central.
We can normally arrange for those travelling by train to be picked up from the train station. Please indicate when booking if you need to be picked up and aim to be at Minto around 5:30-6pm. We will contact you shortly before the start of the retreat to confirm. Alternatively you can take a taxi from the bottle shop across the road from the station, or an Uber.
If you are travelling from outside Sydney and don't have an Opal card, you can use any contactless credit/debit card to travel on Sydney Trains.