The annual retreat has been held for five years now during the Hats Off to Country Festival.

When the Toyota Golden Guitar Awards were presented in January, Mr Krsulja and Luke O’Shea won Heritage Song of the Year for The Old Man’s Shed, which they wrote at the retreat three years ago.

“It was my second ever co-wrote,” Mr Krsula told Talkin’ Country, revealing that he had joined in the first songwriting retreat 12 months earlier to help boost numbers.

“I hadn’t played or written much for 20 years because I’d concentrated on family and business and all the rest.

“So I did it to boost numbers, and I got so much out of it that I got reinspired.”

He had written with both O’Shea and Lachlan Bryan that first year, then 12 months later he was writing with O’Shea again.

“That’s where My Old Man’s Shed was written, at the 2014 songwriter’s retreat.”

At this year’s retreat, six songwriting tutors will collaborate with the 30 artists who attend for the five-night songwriting sanctuary.

The tutors - O’Shea, Felicity Urquhart, Kevin Bennett, Aleyce Simmonds, Jeremy Edwards and Shane Nicholson - will draw names out of a hat to determine which of the 30 artists they will work with.

Among the artists there are Golden Guitar finalists, a Star Maker winner and plenty of up and coming talent, and Mr Krsulja said the 30 had been selected from 55 applicants.

He estimated that more than 500 songs had been written at the annual retreat.

“Last year we figured there were over 120 songs written, and they are appearing on albums.

“A lot of the up and coming artists who attend, some of them put out EPs, and 70 per cent of the songs have been written here, with tutors or with other people.”

It was O’Shea who helped get the station involved with the Hats Off to Country festival about three years before the first songwriting retreat.

“We were involved in the January country music festival, then Luke dropped in one day and said did I do anything during Hats Off, so we started doing small shows,” Mr Krsulja said.

This year, as well as the retreat, there will be live shows.

On Saturday and Sunday, the six tutors will perform at songwriting showcases, at 11am both days. And for a chance to see some of the rising stars from the retreat, artists will perform before both showcases from 10am – Live On The Deck - and will feature in a Songwriters Retreat Showcase on Sunday from 4pm, which will include a barbecue buffet.

With accommodation and seclusion, Mr Krsulja said the venue was ideal for songwriting.

“It made it a good environment to write, without distractions,” he said, which includes no internet access and no television.

“People are off the grid here.”

We can’t wait to hear what gems come from this year’s retreat.