Far North Queensland Gut-Health Retreat

Next retreat: 26th - 30th October, 2026

Nourish body and soul at this relaxing retreat, surrounded by the lush, natural beauty of the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland. 

Swim in waterfalls and a volcanic crater lake, enjoy rainforest walks and scenic drives, visit organic farms and meet local producers.

Experience the power of ‘food as medicine’ with nourishing meals, hands-on cooking classes and a focus on gut health.

NOW OPEN FOR BOOKINGS!

Or email [email protected] if you have questions.

Quirky Cooking FNQ Retreat

Escape from your busy life for 5 days/4 nights and take some time out to fully relax and focus on your health and wellbeing.

  • Immerse yourself in nature, surrounded by some of the world’s oldest surviving tropical rainforests on the beautiful Atherton Tablelands, Far North Queensland
  • Visit local waterfalls, swim in a volcanic crater lake, and enjoy nature walks during the day and fireside chats under the stars in the evening
  • Cook with Jo in daily cooking classes where you’ll learn a wide range of skills – from mastering gut-healing basics to creating culinary delights using local, seasonal ingredients! 
  • Learn more about gut health and food for healing and enjoy delicious meals designed to nourish, made with gluten free, grain free and GAPS-friendly ingredients (mostly organic & pesticide free, tailored to guests individual needs)
  • Learn how to make healing foods and drinks, fermenting, cheese-making, grain-free baking, oxymels, and more!
  • Enjoy plenty of time to chat and have your questions answered at this intimate retreat, with a maximum of 20 guests

NOTE: If you have an older child/teenager you would like to bring with you on the retreat, please contact Jo at [email protected]. Approval will depend on their ability and willingness to participate maturely in retreat classes and activities alongside adults.

The retreat will feature home-cooked meals using traditional, nourishing, whole-food ingredients – recipes developed with local ingredients (mostly biodynamic and organic), designed to reduce inflammation, optimise gut health, rebalance the microbiome, and revitalise your health.

Guests can watch meals being cooked and join in the preparation, learning by ‘doing’, alongside gut-healthy cooking expert, Jo Whitton. Jo has extensive experience with cooking for the GAPS Nutritional Protocol for her own family, and is the author of the gut-healing cookbook Simple, Healing Food (as well as two other popular whole-food cookbooks).

This is the perfect opportunity to introduce your other half (or a sibling or friend!) to ‘food as medicine’. Learn about stress-reducing lifestyle changes in a peaceful setting, cook with Jo, enjoy amazing food, spend time in nature amidst gorgeous scenery and visit local producers such as Wild Vanilla and Mungalli Creek Dairy plus Rusty’s Markets in Cairns.

Take some time out from your busy life for this unforgettable five-day retreat and enjoy a calming, nourishing, ‘nervous system reset’. You will return home re-energised, refreshed, and better equipped for your journey to good health!

Dinner Falls, FNQ - Jo Whitton, Quirky Cooking

What's Included?

  • Transport from Cairns to our accommodation at Malanda Lodge on Monday (26th October), and from Malanda to Cairns on Friday (30th October), including airport drop off on Friday if needed
  • Four nights accommodation at Malanda Lodge, Monday to Friday (26th-30th October)
  • Access to group booking rate for accommodation in Cairns, either side of retreat for those who would like to stay in Cairns before or after the retreat
  • All meals and snacks provided from breakfast on Monday through to a picnic lunch on the esplanade before departure on Friday 
  • Gluten free, grain free, whole foods with a focus on gut healing foods (based on the GAPS nutritional protocol) – special diets/allergies catered for
  • All cooking workshops, gut health talks, activities and outings from Monday to Friday (including transport to and from accommodation)
  • A special ‘goodie bag’ on arrival with gifts from Quirky Cooking and local producers
  • Take-home information and resources to help you continue your health journey when you get back home
  • The option to join our retreat chat group. Keep in touch with the new friends you’ll make, sharing info, recipes and updates. 
More details available in the retreat schedule, coming soon! Feel free to email [email protected] if you have specific questions.

NOW OPEN FOR BOOKINGS!

Or email [email protected] if you have questions.

Relax, Connect & Discover
the Power of 'Food as Medicine'!

The Quirky Cooking Gut Health Program
Quirky Cooking Gut Health Retreat, FNQ

NOW OPEN FOR BOOKINGS!

Or email [email protected] if you have questions.

Retreat Accommodation: Private rooms with ensuites
Malanda Lodge, Atherton Tablelands

Jo Whitton, Quirky Cooking

Jo Whitton

Jo Whitton is the founder of Quirky Cooking – an online hub for the vibrant community she nurtures with her deliciously wholesome recipes, her down-to-earth advice on healthy living, and her contagious passion for “food as medicine”.

Jo lives in Far North Queensland, Australia, where she works mostly from home (when she’s not travelling), and enjoys the country life. Due to chronic health issues in her family, Jo began researching ways to improve their diet from the time her kids were very young. Her son’s struggles with OCD and anxiety led her to research the link between gut and brain health, and how healing the gut reduces inflammation and improves physical and mental health issues. She began to focus on traditional, nourishing, whole foods, using the principles of the GAPS Nutritional Protocol to successfully help her son and family to heal.

Her experience of working through chronic health issues in her own family resulted in her work helping families reduce physical and mental stress caused by inflammatory foods, guiding them towards simple diet and lifestyle changes that will heal and nourish the body and mind.

Jo is the author of three best-selling cookbooks, and is the host of a podcast called “Quirky Cooking Chats” where she shares her own and others’ stories of the journey to good health, and the many paths that can take.

Jo runs health seminars, gut health retreats (in Italy and FNQ), cooking classes and workshops (both online and in person); facilitates online programs to support people working towards healing with food; is always developing creative new recipes; and loves sharing her tips and how-to videos of delicious, whole-food cooking via social media.

You can learn more about Jo at  Quirky Cooking, and you can find her cookbooks in her online store.

Quirky Cooking FNQ Retreat