Booker Prize-Shortlisted Author Charlotte Wood to Headline New Literary Salon at Regional Victoria’s Royal Mail Hotel

Book lovers with a taste for both fine literature and fine dining have a genuinely special evening to look forward to this spring, as the award-winning Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld launches its brand new Literary Salon Series.

The inaugural event, held on Saturday October 24, brings together acclaimed Australian novelist Charlotte Wood and The Monthly editor Michael Williams for an intimate evening of conversation, fine food and ideas, set against the spectacular backdrop of the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park.

A genuinely rare, intimate literary experience

What makes this salon particularly special is its size. Rather than a large festival crowd, the evening is capped at just 22 guests, offering a genuinely rare opportunity for real, direct exchange with one of Australia’s most celebrated literary voices.

Charlotte Wood is the author of seven novels and three non-fiction books, and her most recent novel, Stone Yard Devotional, was shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize and named among the top 10 books of 2025 by both The New York Times and The Washington Post. Her earlier novel The Natural Way of Things won both The Stella Prize and the Prime Minister’s Literary Award, and her international bestseller The Weekend was adapted for the stage by Belvoir Theatre Company in 2023.

She’ll be in conversation with Michael Williams, Editor of The Monthly and former Artistic Director of Sydney Writers’ Festival, who spent a decade at Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre for Books, Writing and Ideas, including several years as its Director. A familiar face and voice across Australian literary and broadcast media, Williams has hosted programs on ABC Radio National and ABC TV’s The Book Club, and brings genuine experience drawing out great conversation with the writers he interviews.

A natural fit for the Royal Mail Hotel

Literature has long been part of the Royal Mail Hotel’s identity. The hotel has been a longstanding partner of the Dunkeld Writers Festival, and its guest rooms, including the Deluxe Mount Sturgeon Cottages, feature curated book collections chosen by celebrated Australian authors including Christos Tsiolkas, Tony Birch, Anita Heiss, Garry Disher, Nam Le and Sophie Cunningham.

Royal Mail Hotel Director John Jerome Myers, also a former Chair of the Melbourne Writers Festival, said the new Literary Salon Series is a natural continuation of the hotel’s long relationship with Australian storytelling, bringing authors to guests who’ve often been reading their work for years.

What’s included

Weekend packages for the inaugural salon are priced at $1,490 per person and include two nights’ accommodation, tickets to Saturday’s Literary Salon dinner (three courses with matched wines), and dinner on Friday evening at Parker St Project. Guests can also add room upgrades or dinner at the hotel’s award-winning fine dining restaurant, Wickens, at the time of booking.

Further sessions in the Literary Salon Series will be announced in the coming months, making this inaugural event a genuinely exciting way to be part of something from the very beginning.

For more information or to book, visit royalmail.com.au.