STAYING AT VARUNA: WHAT TO EXPECT DURING YOUR VISIT
Varuna is an environment totally dedicated to writing and offers writers ideal conditions in which to concentrate on their work The success of Varuna absolutely depends on writers respecting the needs of their fellow guests - hence a few routines & conditions of stay.
The house accommodates five. Only individual writers may stay at Varuna.
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE TIMES
Guests generally arrive and depart on Mondays. Rooms are available from 1pm on Monday afternoon, and on the Monday of your departure, we welcome you to leave Varuna at your convenience but to vacate the room by 9:30 am in order for us to prepare it for the next guest.
MEALS
The domestic arrangements have deliberately been kept as straightforward as possible. Breakfast and lunch are simple meals that residents serve themselves, helping themselves from the ample supplies in the kitchen.
Dinner is somewhat more formal, as this provides an occasion for people to meet, the central social event in the house. All residents share in the same meal, around a shared dining table in either the dining room or in the lounge room.
The Standard Evening Meal at Varuna means you don’t have any dietary restrictions. If you are semi-vegetarian, this may be included in the scope of the Standard Evening Meal, e.g. if you can eat seafood and/or white meat – you need to contact Varuna to clarify.
Varuna can cater for three (3) kinds of Non-Standard Evening Meals: Gluten-intolerance OR Dairy-intolerance OR Vegan. Guests with a dairy or gluten intolerance, or a vegan diet, are asked to pay an extra charge - please contact us for details. Unfortunately we cannot cater for more complicated diets, e.g. gluten-free combined with dairy-free, or vegetarian and gluten-free, or multiple intolerances. These require self-catering and arrangements for this need to be discussed well before the residency.
Please inform our caterer Sheila early if you are not going to be in for an evening meal, and let a staff member know if you plan to be away overnight.
LIBRARY, COMPUTERS & INTERNET ACCESS
We have a contemporary Australian library, a reference collection, much of Eleanor and Eric Dark's personal library, and a large and eclectic collection of fiction and non-fiction books throughout the house for use by guests during their stay.
While writers must bring their own computers to work on, Varuna has a single desktop computer for the house, that enables printing and limited internet access. If intensive internet research is a requirement, the writer needs to bring their own mobile wireless broadband device. Paper for printing is supplied by Varuna at a cost of 10c per page - writers need to bring their own USB/flashdrive or CD.
TELEPHONES & QUIET WORKING
Most guests bring mobile phones, but we ask them to keep phones off or on silent during the day, as even a murmur of conversation from a nearby room can be very distracting. Feel free to make mobile calls in the garden well away from the house during the day, or around the house after 6pm.
You are free to make local calls from the house phone, but should bring a phone card for long-distance calls, as there is no STD access from the house phone. Again, we ask guests to keep long conversations on the house phone for evenings as it can distract others.
As is usual for any retreat space, our guests should remain undisturbed in their work rooms during the day, between 9am and 6pm. Unless you have previously arranged to meet or speak with another writer, please don't disturb them during these hours.
For the same reasons writers cannot invite guests or visitors to the house, and there is no television at Varuna. Guests can of course listen to their own music/media systems with earphones.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF VARUNA
Writers are asked to acknowledge any Varuna support they receive, in any subsequently published or produced works. This is helpful for the expansion of awareness of Varuna's contribution to Australian and International writing.
OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES & CONDITIONS OF STAY
- The Varuna house is a smoke-free zone.
- Out of respect for their fellow guests, our writers are keen to keep common areas pleasantly tidy. A cleaner comes once a week to clean the house, but guests take care of general order and cleanliness of the house during their stay.
- Guests are responsible for loss or damage to Varuna items during their stay.
- Varuna makes every effort to provide a safe environment for residents, in accordance with occupational healthy and safety principles. When in residence, if you notice anything that may pose a hazard you should notify the Office Co-ordinator as soon as possible. When using the grounds around Varuna, please be aware that the garden is a natural environment, with informal pathways and may be inhabited by bush creatures such as snakes, lizards and spiders. On the back of each resident’s door is a list of matters you should be aware of, including a fire evacuation plan. Please be conscious of these things when enjoying your residency at Varuna.
- All bedrooms and workrooms have locks, and it is the guest’s responsibility to ensure the safekeeping of their own possessions, as well as the general security of the house.
- Windows and doors must be locked before leaving the premises.
- The Eleanor Dark Foundation Ltd reserves the right to terminate a residency at Varuna at any time, entirely at the Management's discretion.
BUSHFIRE EMERGENCY INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS
If you are taking a residency at Varuna during the summer months, it is recommended that you read Varuna's Bushfire Emergency Information:
- Varuna is located adjacent to the Blue Mountains National Park and therefore may be susceptible to bush fires.
- As you are aware, Varuna is a residential retreat with staff in attendance on some weekdays and infrequently on weekends, unless for a special purpose. There is no on-site manager.
- This information has been developed to advise you of what to do if a bush fire is threatened or occurs while you are staying at Varuna.
For full document, please download here.