Announcing the Magpie Nest at Putty Retreats

Hello to the Putty Retreats HQ

A dream of years has finally come to fruition! Can I tell you some back story? 

Since my first visit to Dark Arm Valley on the edge of Putty (and on the edge of Wollemi National Park), I was awe-struck and in love. Going there made my pulse calm with long sighs brought naturally by the tall gums, and it also made my heart race with exhilaration of a nearby black cockatoo or wallaby. I knew I wanted to be able to share that experience with other people, but how? Getting there involves a long 4wd track which has at times been impassable. Being there means managing solar power, batteries, generators, and finding solutions that don’t use power. Phone service? Definitely not. That’s part of what makes it so special and also part of what makes it hard. So we kept visiting the delightfully remote cabin, and I kept one part of my brain pondering How can I share this.

In Sept 2024 at the Heart-Centred Business Conference I had the chance to say what my goals and dreams were in a very supportive atmosphere, and so I said a few times that I am building something so I can share this amazing place with others. My “classroom in the forest” idea took shape the more I described it and then took literal shape in a collage that hung over my desk reminding me of this dream, and though the details of How were still fuzzy I held on to the vision.  

At the end of 2024 we hosted fifty people in the valley for a 60th birthday (three DJs) and although it was a lot of work it was also a giant triumph and suddenly the itch to bring more people into this special place would not be quiet. I wondered “what if we had a place on the sealed road near the track?” It would be a landing pad for guests to Dark Arm, with a road and power, maybe even mail delivery. Long story short, the universe delivered just such a place to me and it didn’t take long with the agent before I knew this was going to be not just a DAV landing pad but new home for me and mine to realise our dreams. 

First task was renovating the smaller house on the property, and it opened in May as the Magpie Nest, absolutely the best cottage ever. It’s not a tiny house but a full three-bedroom home, now with a brand new kitchen and many other fixes, bright sunshine in every room, our own gorgeous wildlife photos on the walls, plus all the classiest magpie-related gear you can imagine. At this cottage you can have a retreat, finish your book, walk through the bush, watch the birds and kangaroos, plan and create a new project … so much is possible when you get away from your normal busy life.