How a well planned group getaway rejuvenates, and saves time and money
Unique surroundings to inspire creativity and provide the energy for ongoing adventure.
Making regular group getaways part of your wellbeing routine
The purpose of Sunday House is to provide people with the realistic opportunity to escape the distractions of the day to day life, without the limitations of excessive travel time or cost.
A schedule of regular group getaways increases physical and mental health and therefore must be both achievable and genuinely fulfilling.
The owners and managers of Sunday House have created a group getaway destination that is flexible enough to offer the space for gathering and celebration while also providing privacy, and the opportunity to emotionally disconnect and escape the regular day to day world.
Mental resilience, requires self awareness, practice and repetition, however the foundations of mental resilience can be difficult to adopt especially if in continually busy surroundings, or you’re tired, ill, stressed or generally depleted for whatever reason. Often it is all of these inhibitors all acting together that make building resilience essential and nearly impossible.
Using group getaways to emotionally recharge and physically rejuvenate the where, when and how play an important role.
This is why Sunday House, the Central Goldfield region and the town of Maldon are so rare and incredibly important.
Selecting the right group getaway location
A rejuvenating group getaway is a careful selection of usable space, privacy, property provisions, personal immersion and length of quality time away.
Sunday House and the town of Maldon are both rare in what they offer the mentally weary. Around an hour and a half north of Melbourne Maldon is quiet, and at the centre of Victoria's Central Goldfield Heartland.
Surrounded by national park and heritage protected land, Maldon is one of the worlds best preserved towns from the goldrush era. The town is a treasure trove of the rare, the beautiful and is a living and functioning example of a past very different to our present day.
It is these qualities which makes Maldon a wonderful setting for creativity, inspiration, contemplation and for healing.
Sunday House, a once Baptist Church Community Hall was built in 1865 and now is a shortstay accommodation and micro wedding and micro event venue.
To this day Sunday House continues to be a destination for families, friends and community to come together, and to enjoy each other's company and to find the space to be on their own for reflection, to recharge, or to heal.
Sunday House’s 10 wellness property selection criteria, and how to make a group getaway memorable, and rejuvenating.
The fast pace and cost of living has made it essential to find healthy and resourceful ways to look after your own wellbeing but also those you share your life with.
A fulfilling group escape is largely dependent on your selection of the right property, in the right location and the right timing of your stay.
Use Sunday House’s top 10 wellness criteria when planning your group getaway so you, your friends and family can truly relax and completely unwind.
1. Travel time, there and home again:
Enjoying both the journey and the destination.
Sunday House, Maldon is about an hour and a half away from Melbourne which is the perfect travel time to both enjoy the drive and make the most of the first day's stay. Longer drives leave you tired, and also limits the value you receive from your stay. By avoiding peak road congestion periods also gives you the chance to check in early. A midweek check in is a great way to reduce on-road time but also to extend your stay and take advantage of the house and town on your own.
2. Cost efficiency and affordability:
Sharing costs to maximise the experience and increase your getaway frequency.
Booking direct and not via Airbnb to avoid high commission and costly cancellation costs is also a savvy way to make regular group getaways more achievable. Plus the added assurance of flexible cancellation options provides genuine peace of mind.
The experienced short stay or weekend getaway traveler will also take advantage of Sunday House’s lower mid-week rates and check in on Thursday, and work remotely from the property. This Work, Rest and Stay strategy often buys the time to enjoy the town and property before weekend activity arrives, but will also reduce on road travel time and fuel costs too.
3. Uniqueness of local offerings:
Becoming part of the town and discovering more each time you return.
The Greater Castlemaine and Maldon Central Goldfields and the Victorian Heartland region offer a uniquely inspiring breadth of wellness and physical exploration options for a wellness balanced escape.
The area is also a lot quieter than areas like the Mornington Peninsula and Bellarine Peninsula and therefore less expensive and more travel time friendly than many coastal areas offering a similar variety of experiences.
The Maldon and the surrounding Castlemaine area has boundless exercise options including short historical walking, low impact and experienced hiking, biking and horse riding, all within Maldon Historic Reserve and features the best collection of accessible quartz reef mining relics in the Victoria goldfields.
The Victorian Goldfield Railway connects Maldon and Castlemaine and is the perfect way to enjoy the landscape, or to sample from of the regions finest beers on the Ales of Rails or immerse yourselves in the Murder on the Orient Express group events.
The landscape is dotted with mounds, gullies, and tailings from 19th-century mining, which local Aboriginal people often referred to as "upside-down" country due to the massive ecological disruption left by the rush.
Today Maldon, and the Castlemaine surrounding area are also known for its creative arts, artisan food production, wine, beer and spirit distilling communities and luxury and rustic spas which the historical region home.
4. The seasonal changes:
Embrace both peak and off seasons, and avoid the crowds of peak seasons.
A fulfilling group escape experience depends heavily on the seasonality and while it may be tempting to tread to towards the coast, with it you must expect that the crowds that go with it may hinder an entirely relaxing experience.
5. Timing of your stay:
Using the local event calendar to shape your getaway experiences.
The town of Maldon is famous for its quirky and irreverent rural personality. The town's events are shaped around this personality which is totally unique and are the result of many generations of community involvement and fun.
The April Maldon Easter Fair, is Australia's oldest continuously running community Easter fair and has been held annually since 1878.
The later part of year includes the absolutely incredible and one of a kind Maldon Gothic Festival in August and in late October the Maldon Folk Festival which both bring every corner of the town alive.
Add these events lists to your calendar.
https://www.maldon.org.au/events
https://www.castlemainemaldon.com.au/Whats-On
While Maldon enjoys and embraces its events it is very much a town which also enjoys its peace and quiet. More often than not, you can find yourself the only person in a street where barely a car can be seen. It is moments like this that make Maldon special and is how it manages to remain a functioning town with a facade from the past.
6. Personal space and privacy:
Space to gather and plenty of room for time to yourself.
Group getaways can be hectic and for the introvert personalities or for those simply needing some personal time it can be hard to truly unwind unless there is plenty of space and the right environment.
Being selective of who you plan a group getaway with is not selfish, some friends are more attuned to a relaxing and rejuvenating group getaway than others. Also try to keep the numbers to no more than 4 couples, (or 8 people) as it is a lot easier to coordinate, and even with a wide array of quiet spaces a larger group often brings a type of kinetic energy more akin to celebration than rejuvenation.
Ensure you have the space to be both private as a group while also ensuring you have your own personal space to relax and recharge.
Sunday House in Maldon has evolved from a Sunday school, a community hall to the group getaway house it is today. The house interior, veranda’s and gardens make finding a place to rest easy.
7. Stay support and reassurance:
The reassurance of immediate support and the privacy of space.
Just knowing someone in town is there if you need them can make all the difference to your stay. Sunday House is supported by the Maldon Getaway team which make themselves as available or discrete as you like.
Within the kitchen hall of Sunday House a digital compendium runs the Sonos sound system and gives you a rundown of all heating and cooling and kitchen appliances.
When booking or as you check in one of the Maldon Getaway team members will introduce themselves and ensure your stay is as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.
8. Check-in and check-out freedom:
The added freedom of early check-in and extended check-out.
Whenever possible we will happily set an earlier check in or extend a check out time. Make sure to ask us about this and consider how a mid week check in or checkout day can extend the restfulness of your stay and travel time.
9. House provisions:
Well considered and generous provisions make your stay feel special and memorable.
The Sunday House guest reviews all show the importance of considerate and generous guest provisions, which are equal to if not additional to what you would have access to at home.
Michael G, whose group stayed at Sunday House in February of 2026, said…
A Lovely Weekend: We recently stayed for a weekend at Sunday House with a group of friends & were extremely happy with our accommodation. Lots of space inside & out for us to relax with really comfortable furnishings & many thoughtful touches throughout the property, we particularly liked the sound system! Well equipped kitchen for meals or a short walk to the shops & cafes in town, we look forward to staying at Sunday House again.
Again and again our guests have told us how the extensive interior and exterior spaces and provisions such as the house wide sound system and billiards table helped the group experience and allowed them to relax.
Toni R, whose family stayed at Sunday House over the 2025 festive season, said…
Perfection: The Sunday House was divine, as a place to relax and enjoy each other’s company I could not have asked for more. My teenagers played pool and explored Maldon on the doorstep, we sat in the sun filled hall and read books, did fragments of work in the office nook, examined all the reading options hoping for more time and the dogs “chatted” to the passersby and played on the large back lawn. An ideal getaway for 10 days, including Christmas lunch which I cooked using the well stocked utensils and the brilliant oven (which I want my own of now). The best. Thank you too Jamie for being a great manager.
10. Finding excitement and inspiration, and departing with desire and reason to return:
Truly unique surroundings inspire creativity and provide the energy for ongoing adventure.
The Central Goldfields of Victoria, Maldon and the surrounding Castlemaine area offer a departure from normal routine and make a group getaway rejuvenating and memorable.
Sunday House and the town of Maldon offers you and your group the chance to explore, film, read, create, play and share in many unique and creative ways.
More importantly Maldon and the Castlemaine surrounding area changes in what it offers seasonally and the year long event calendars provide excitement and many wonderful reasons to plan a return group getaway.
