A Melbourne woman has died after consuming a drink at a retreat near Ballarat — here's what we know

Soul Barn describes the services it provides as “alternative and holistic”. (Supplied: Instagram)

A Melbourne woman has died after consuming a drink at a wellness retreat near Ballarat on the weekend.

Police say they are still working to determine the cause of death and are in the early stages of their investigation.

Here’s what we know.

What happened?

Police say a 53-year-old woman from Ringwood North attended a wellbeing centre in the regional Victorian town of Clunes, roughly a two-hour drive north-west of Melbourne.

Police said the woman fell ill after ingesting a drink at the centre at about midnight Saturday, or early Sunday morning.

Emergency services were called, but local residents were first on the scene and performed CPR on the woman until paramedics arrived.

The woman died at the centre and two others were taken to a hospital in Ballarat for observation.

The pair have since been released.

Detectives are still investigating the circumstances of the 53-year-old woman’s death and have urged anyone with more information to contact Crime Stoppers.

What kind of retreat was being held?

On Instagram, Soul Barn describes itself as a centre that holds “workshops, events and private clinic sessions designed to support you on your journey & expand your consciousness”.

The centre says it offers a particular focus on “sound healing” involving bowls, chimes and drums to help with deep meditation.

The ABC reached out to the founder of Soul Barn and organisers of the events scheduled over the weekend for comment, but did not receive a response.

Police have not revealed further details of any events being held in the lead up to the woman’s death.

According to an Instagram post, Soul Barn held a “ritual skincare” session on Saturday, aiming to “soothe body and spirit” using local farms and wild foraged plants.

On Sunday, Soul Barn took to Facebook to announce the cancellation of a “Sound Healing Immersion” event that had been scheduled to be held that day.

“SOUND HEALING is Cancelled today — my deepest apologies please check you [sic] email inbox if you were coming,” the post read.

How has Clunes responded?

The town of Clunes has a population of roughly 1,700 people and sits just north of Ballarat.

The regional community was already reeling from the alleged murder earlier this month of 23-year-old local Hannah McGuire.

One resident, who declined to be named, said the latest death was “such a shock”.

“There’s been so much tragedy,” they said.

Another person told the ABC they were also thinking of the owner of Soul Barn.

“It’s tough, it’s a great little business and it’s just an awful thing to happen,” they said.