The story of the Birth Wellness Festival
From a small gathering to a community movement…
This festival has always been built through connection. As we prepare for this year’s festival on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th August at the Murwillumbah Showgrounds, I’ve found myself reflecting on where it all began.
The very first gathering was held in 2022 at Heart and Soul of Wellness. The vision was simple: to bring together local birth workers, practitioners, and women supporting pregnancy, and create a space where they could share what they offer.
Each practitioner had a short time to introduce herself and her work, a bit like a speed-dating experience for birth practitioners.
It was intimate, a little raw, full of heart and goodwill. We had a birth expo in the car park with products and services, and offered space for deeper conversation and education around birth.
Looking back, many of those same beautiful women are still part of this community today. It was also where I first met Naomi, who has become my co-director and creator of the festivals that have followed.
In 2023, the festival moved to the Retreat Space in Nobbys Creek, where we felt held and nourished by the land. We had the freedom to create the event in our own way, while also benefiting from not having the financial pressures of venue hire and insurance.
Over time, the festival expanded. We introduced speakers and panels, created a marketplace where women and families could connect with products and services, and offered spaces for deeper conversation and education around birth.
In our eagerness to help change the way birth is understood, we packed a great deal into those early festivals. One of our biggest learnings, however, was that it wasn’t only the workshops and presentations that mattered. It was the spaces in between – the conversations, the shared meals, the spontaneous connections, and the feeling of community.
So we made more room for that. Longer breaks. Shared food and chai. Birth story circles that became some of the most powerful parts of the festival, with women moving between conversations on topics as varied as traditional birth practices, men’s work, and yoni steaming.
At the final closing circle of 2024, we realised we had outgrown the retreat space. What had begun as an intimate gathering was ready to grow into something larger, and it felt like the right time for the festival to take its next step.
As the festival evolved from a small retreat-space gathering into a town-wide celebration, it became clear that more structure was needed, venue hire, insurance, volunteer coordination, programming, and a dedicated team to support the festival’s expanding vision.
2025 marked our biggest expansion yet. Moving into town, we found a new home at the Murwillumbah Showgrounds, allowing the festival to welcome more people, more speakers, and a broader community experience.
We were deeply honoured to have the Kinship Doobai Dancers open the festival with dance, alongside a Welcome to Country and the sharing of stories about Birthing on Country. It was a powerful reminder that birth has always belonged to women and community, and that there is so much wisdom to listen to and learn from.
We also recognised the importance of including fathers and men more deeply in conversations around birth and family wellbeing, and expanded the programme to include more male voices and perspectives.
As the festival evolved, so too has the need for greater structure; venue hire, insurance, volunteer coordination, programming, and a dedicated team to support the growing vision.
Naomi’s commitment to systems, organisation, and long-term vision has helped create the infrastructure needed for the festival to grow sustainably year after year. My commitment has always been to keep the festival true to its original vision: raising consciousness around birth, bringing like-minded people together, and inspiring positive cultural change through education, connection, and community.
When Jamie Brennan came on board as Event Coordinator, she brought love, enthusiasm, vision, and deep commitment to both the festival and the community it serves. Tania Llanes has also brought enormous heart and generosity, taking on the huge role of gathering and coordinating the volunteers whose support makes the festival possible.
Together, we are creating something that can grow year by year while still staying connected to the vision it was born from. Behind the scenes are many others who contribute their skills, time, and energy. From marketing and social media, to programme support, set up, pack down, countless unseen and unacknowledged tasks help bring the festival to life. While it is impossible to name everyone, we offer our heartfelt thanks to all those who have contributed their time, energy, skills, and loving service over the years.
We especially acknowledge the speakers, doulas, practitioners, volunteers, and community members who continue to return year after year in support of this vision. A special thank you to Jenny Blyth, who has travelled from the Sunshine Coast each year to share her wisdom and generosity, along with the many others who have helped nurture and grow this beautiful community.
This festival is, and always has been, a volunteer-driven community effort. People contribute not because they are paid, but because they believe in the vision and want to be part of creating positive change around birth and family wellbeing.
As the festival continues to grow, so too does the need for support, helping hands, and community involvement. The Birth Wellness festival has developed its own identity, energy, and momentum.
At its heart, this is still a community-led festival, held together by the generosity, passion, and dedication of people who care deeply about birth, families, and supporting one another.
Celebrating Birth • Strengthening Community • Honouring Culture
Early bird tickets for 2026 Birth Wellness Festival
Tickets are now available, and we welcome you, whether you are pregnant, a parent, a birth worker, or simply someone who cares about how we bring babies into the world. Together, we are helping bring more awareness, support, and consciousness around Birth and the way we welcome babies into the world.
When Birth is Well, We are all Well.
www.birthwellnessfestival.com/tickets
Thank you for being part of this community.