A New Zealand reading retreat that has repeatedly sold out is coming to Victoria, with Busy with Books set to host its first Australian weekend in Daylesford this December.
Founded by Hanna Rauch, Busy with Books runs reading retreats and a book club community designed to give readers dedicated time to switch off and read. Its inaugural Australian retreat will run from 11th–13th December, 2026, at a country estate in Daylesford, with a maximum of six guests.
A weekend for reading, and nothing else
Unlike the usual wellness retreats, there’s no packed itinerary or schedule of mandatory activities. Instead, Busy with Books centres the weekend around something many readers struggle to find time for, which is actually sitting down and reading.
The format has helped the retreats sell out across New Zealand over the past two years, giving guests dedicated time to read without distractions or obligations.
Rauch created Busy with Books for people who love books but rarely find the time to simply read. The concept takes inspiration from the Italian idea of il dolce far niente, or “the sweetness of doing nothing”, putting reading and slowing down at the centre of the experience.
Guests can spend the weekend reading alone, swapping recommendations over dinner or doing a bit of both. Meals are prepared by a local private chef, adding another element to the slow-living experience.
Several hundred readers are already waiting
Interest in the Australian retreat has already been strong, with several hundred people signing up to the waitlist before bookings have even opened.
Rauch, who moved from New Zealand to Melbourne earlier this year, says Australian readers have been asking for a local retreat since Busy with Books launched its New Zealand weekends.
“I started getting messages from Australian readers almost as soon as I launched the New Zealand retreats,” she says. “Melbourne is my home now, and Daylesford felt like the perfect place for our first Aussie retreat.”
She says the response has exceeded expectations. “I didn’t expect the waitlist to grow as quickly as it has, but it tells me the appetite for this kind of experience is very real.”
Bookings open in September
Busy with Books will give its club members first access to the retreat on 2nd September, when expressions of interest open. Afterwards, the general waitlist will then get access 24 hours later, on 3rd September. And with only six spots available, prospective guests may want to get in early!
The Daylesford retreat marks the next chapter for a community that now has more than 12,000 social followers across Australia and New Zealand, and has built a following around its deliberately low-pressure approach to reading.
For all of those who have a towering TBR pile but somehow never finds the time to get through it, a weekend in the Victorian countryside with little else to do might be exactly the excuse they need.
Busy with Books’ Daylesford retreat runs December 11–13, 2026. Join the Busy with Books retreat waitlist.
