Little Farm of Calm — 121 Grant Dr, Australia
A working wildlife shelter and clinician-led retreat farm near Benalla, Victoria
The founding story, as the farm tells it, begins with a kind of exasperation. After thirty years in health and fitness, Jill and Darren found the wellness industry made their skin crawl: the white pants, the soft focus, the workshops that cost a fortune and change nothing. They couldn't find a retreat that felt genuine and unintimidating and was built on strategies that work, so they built one.
Jill is a physiotherapist who came to the work by an unusual road: Science and Music, then a Masters in Computer Science at Melbourne University. Darren is an accredited exercise physiologist who spent two decades coaching elite AFL athletes, Olympic lifters, law enforcement and the Australian Defence Force. He is also an Australian Champion Indoor Rower, and, the pages note, the only person on the farm who can catch a fully grown kangaroo.
The place is a working farm and licensed wildlife shelter at 121 Grant Drive, Benalla. Guests stay in private ensuite cabins, from a 12 square metre solo cabin to couples and twin-share rooms, and the property runs blue-light blocking lighting at night, originally installed for the wildlife. There are two infrared saunas, a 75 square metre magnesium pool, a mineral spa and a cold plunge. Meals are homestyle and seasonal, cooked in-house.
Two formats anchor the calendar. The Weekend Reboot runs Friday to Sunday and combines physio-led aerial yoga, reformer Pilates, float therapy, red light, massage and a guided bike tour. The five-day Burnout Prescription, Wednesday to Sunday, adds a personalised pre-arrival protocol and daily treatments, built on the premise that the body should be settled first so the mind can follow. Groups of 8 to 20 can also take the whole farm for a corporate retreat. Everything is included, and everything is optional.
Traditions: Aerial Yoga, Yin Yoga, Reformer Pilates, Float Therapy, Red Light Therapy, Infrared Sauna
Programs: Weekend Reboot, 5-Day Burnout Prescription, Corporate Anti-Burnout Retreats, Understanding Burnout workshop, Myofascial release workshop, Self-defence workshop, Guided bike tour, Mini-goat happy hour