A woman from Mount Macedon has been charged with drug trafficking in recent days, following a police investigation into a death at a retreat that was held in Clunes last April. 

No charges have been laid in relation to the death itself, however police say that during an investigation they found evidence the 53 year old Mount Macedon woman was trafficking drugs.

The investigation was launched after a Ringwood woman died on April 14, last year while at the retreat.

A Victoria Police statement said an autopsy had been conducted, but a cause of death was unable to be determined.

It also stated the Mount Macedon woman has been charged with trafficking psilocin, a hallucinogen found in psychedelic or “magic” mushrooms.

She will now be required to face the Bacchus Marsh Magistrates’ Court on January 29.

Following the Ringwood woman’s death last April, Soul Barn, the Clunes venue where the retreat took place, had distanced themselves from the private event.

In a social media post, the Soul Barn stated that it hired out its workshop space to external businesses, and that no one who had been working at the retreat was associated with Soul Barn.

“There are no words to express the deep sorrow and shock we are feeling here at Soul following the tragic incident that occurred,” the post had stated.

It had also stated: “We share the shock and devastation of everyone involved and our hearts are with those families affected.”

This story based on a Victoria Police report

Ballarat Divisional Response Unit officers have charged a second man after locating what is alleged to be a traffickable amount of drugs following two separate searches at the Beyond the Valley music festival in Barunah Plains during the week.

Officers had intercepted a 28-year-old South Yarra man at the festival and conducted a search about 1.45pm on Monday December 30.

Police seized what is alleged to be 17 MDMA pills, four grams of cocaine, and seven other pills believed to be drugs of dependence.

He has been charged with traffick cocaine and MDMA, and was bailed to appear before the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on March 12, 2025.

Police also searched a 27-year-old Rippleside man at the festival about 5.25pm on the same day, seizing what is alleged to be 27 grams of cocaine and 15 grams of ketamine.

He has been charged with traffick cocaine and ketamine, and was bailed to appear before the Geelong Magistrates’ Court on March 12, 2025.

Police continued to have a highly visible presence at the Beyond the Valley music festival that was held at Barunah Plains south of Ballarat over December 28-January 1.

Under the new legislation, it is not a criminal offence to possess small amounts of illicit drugs if you are attending a drug-checking place as a client.

As a result, officers were not attending these sites at the festival unless responding to incidents requiring police attendance.

In a report issued during the week, Victoria Police stated that it “has zero tolerance for drug traffickers and officers will have no hesitation arresting and charging someone for this offence, no matter where it occurs”.

This story based on a Victria Police report