Palm Beach

Mackerel Retreat – Beach Volley Girls

Friday 28 August — Road Trip

We were heading towards a tiny island called Mackerel, leaving from Palm Beach, surrounded by suitcases and boxes of food, ready for a volleyball adventure full of energy, with Omah Lay playing in the car as we drove about an hour from Sydney.

Excited for what was ahead, we took a water taxi and disappeared into a beautiful house where, for the next few days, there would be nothing but feminine energy and brave warriors of this beautiful sport.

Volleyball is a sport that brings people together. It makes you feel part of something bigger, transporting you into another world where there is no space to overthink — only concentration, strong legs, arms ready, eyes focused and ears tuned in to your teammate.

As soon as we left our bags and luggage at the entrance, we began exploring what would be our home for the next three days.

Distracted by our excitement, we had a very Australian welcome when some curious turkeys decided to taste our food. The laughter had already begun.

After a little rest, allowing the excitement to settle and giving our senses time to arrive fully into this beautiful weekend, away from the crowds and stress of our normal routines, everyone slowly started arriving at the house.

Some of us had never met before, while others already shared memories from the sand, volleyball sessions and previous retreats.

While we waited for the rest of the girls to arrive — and after making sure the food was finally safe — we set off on a beautiful walk.

It was a chance to refresh our minds and truly take in how special this place was.

And there, surrounded by tall, leafy trees, we saw a glowing red moon shining with the same intensity we could feel inside our hearts.

All we could do was stop, take it in and feel grateful for that moment.

That was when our volleyball retreat truly began.

Back at the house, we gathered for our welcome circle and shared one more special moment together: celebrating Gaby’s birthday. We sang to her and surprised her with little watermelon and melon skewers, a simple but beautiful way to make her feel celebrated as the weekend began.

Once the house was full of energy, sporting spirit and excitement to learn, our coach welcomed everyone with a small and emotional talk.

She shared her own story with volleyball, revealing just how deeply this sport forms part of her life and her passion.

Through her words and emotion, she reminded us why coming together for this weekend meant so much more than simply playing a sport.

A few minutes later, our workshop began.

As the saying goes, you should never go to bed without learning something new, and this experience gave us another opportunity to discover something valuable.

What does it really mean to give our bodies the minerals and nutrients they need?

Electrolytes are something we often don’t think about in everyday life, yet during sports such as volleyball, we lose them through movement and sweating.

Through a fun hidden-word game, Macarena divided us into teams to discover different words. Those words eventually revealed the ingredients we would use to make our own homemade electrolytes.

We learned the theory behind them and, later during a delicious dinner, tasted each drink almost as if we were at a wine tasting.

It was fun, playful and another opportunity for each of us to get to know one another a little better.

After dinner came good music, interesting conversations and plenty of cultural exchange around the table.

Eventually, we said goodnight, ready for a new day.

Saturday 29 August — The big day

A day dedicated to physical and mental training.

We started surrounded by good energy, enjoying a strong breakfast and getting ready for everything ahead.

After changing into our training clothes and grabbing our yoga mats, we headed into the house gym, which had everything we needed for our first training session.

The workout had been carefully prepared by Macarena and Valentina, her friend and fellow athlete, who has dedicated many years to sport as an elite trainer and athlete.

They created an intense workout focused on agility, strength and endurance.

Between the sweat and exhaustion, there was still so much laughter, spontaneous dancing and an incredible rhythm of positive energy.

Once the workout was complete, we refreshed ourselves with our homemade electrolytes, put on our volleyball shirts designed by Macarena, gathered all our volleyball equipment and headed down to the beach.

It was time to continue training our bodies and start preparing for Sunday’s tournament.

And somehow, the day just kept getting better.

After training intensely throughout the day, we continued playing well into the late afternoon, almost until the sun disappeared.

We simply didn’t want to leave the beach.

That was when we realised just how much we were enjoying every moment.

With goosebumps, sand everywhere and tired bodies, there was a feeling that even artificial intelligence couldn’t truly describe what each of us felt grateful for while standing on that beach.

Eventually, we made our way back to the house after an unforgettable day.

We relaxed our bodies in the sauna, rested and continued nourishing ourselves through an experience that felt healthy, simple and free from stress.

After dinner, we played games, laughed together and finished the night with gratitude before heading to bed.

Sunday 30 August — Tournament day

We woke up with slightly sore muscles from the day before, laughing together as we listened to the sounds of the garden and the small waterfall behind the house.

We enjoyed a good coffee, breakfast and our homemade electrolytes.

Our minds were already thinking about the games ahead — playing, competing and starting the day with enthusiasm.

That was the feeling of our retreat: love, energy and the freedom to simply be ourselves.

Once we arrived at the beach, our coach gave us a short talk before the tournament.

We looked at each other with that shared understanding that, above everything else, we simply wanted to enjoy ourselves.

There was nowhere else we wanted to be.

The tournament was incredible, filled with passion, commitment and a clear demonstration of just how much we all love this sport.

Nataly and Louise finished as our champions, full of excitement and exhausted from giving everything they had to a sport they love so deeply.

They celebrated the victory while sharing the moment with everyone around them.

Naia and Angélica came second after an incredibly fun tournament, supported by Macarena, hearts racing and full of gratitude for what they had achieved together.

Nataly and Mel took third place — an amazing team.

They had never played together before and barely knew each other, yet on the sand they connected as if they had been teammates for much longer.

And what can we say about everyone else?

They had already won through laughter, enthusiasm and the courage to simply be themselves.

Winners far beyond the scoreboard.

The end of this weekend was only the beginning of many more.

Standing at the door with our bags in our hands, ready to leave, we looked ahead with grateful hearts after an experience that had become another beautiful chapter in our journeys.

Because volleyball can sometimes feel a lot like life itself:

disposition, intention and action.

Written by Angélica, inspired by her experience at the Mackerel Retreat.