Avatar's Abode
Encyclopedia
Avatar's Abode is a 99 acres (40.1 ha) spiritual retreat about 75 miles (121 km) north of Brisbane
, Australia
dedicated to Meher Baba
. It was established by Australian poet and disciple of Meher Baba Francis Brabazon
in 1958 on the summit of Kiel Mountain near Woombye
on Queensland
's Sunshine Coast
. Brabazon purchased the land, an eighty-two-acre pineapple farm, with money willed to him by the Australian Sufi
leader Baron Von Frankenburg
. The site has a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean
to the east and over valleys, farmlands and rolling blue hills to the west. By Meher Baba's wish, Avatar's Abode can never be sold, but must be kept as a place of pilgrimage
.
The founder of Avatar's Abode, Francis Brabazon, met Meher Baba on a trip to America
in 1952 and later described Baba as "the very personification of truth and the very embodiment of beauty." After returning to Australia, Brabazon and a party of helpers managed to complete a structure called "Beacon Hill house" in time for Baba's first visit to Australia in August 1956. It was later called "Meher House". In 1958 Brabazon established a new building on Kiel Mountain, Woombye, Queensland to host Meher Baba on his next visit. While he was there, Baba named the property "Avatar's Abode" and said it would become a place of world pilgrimage. Francis Brabazon's grave is located there overlooking the ocean.
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
dedicated to Meher Baba
Meher Baba
Meher Baba , , born Merwan Sheriar Irani, was an Indian mystic and spiritual master who declared publicly in 1954 that he was the Avatar of the age....
. It was established by Australian poet and disciple of Meher Baba Francis Brabazon
Francis Brabazon
Francis Brabazon was an Australian poet and a member of Meher Baba's mandali.Brabazon was born in London, but moved to Australia with his family when he was still a boy. At the age of 21, Francis Brabazon embarked on a quest to discover the relationship between beauty and truth. He studied music...
in 1958 on the summit of Kiel Mountain near Woombye
Woombye, Queensland
Woombye is a town located on the Sunshine Coast hinterland in Queensland, Australia, approximately 100 km north of the Brisbane CBD. The name is derived from words from the local Aboriginal language - a place of black snake or black myrtle or axe handle made from black myrtle...
on Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
's Sunshine Coast
Sunshine Coast, Queensland
The Sunshine Coast is an urban area in South East Queensland, north of the state capital of Brisbane on the Pacific Ocean coastline. Although it does not have a central business district, by population it ranks as the 10th largest metropolis in Australia and the third largest in...
. Brabazon purchased the land, an eighty-two-acre pineapple farm, with money willed to him by the Australian Sufi
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...
leader Baron Von Frankenburg
Friedrich von Frankenberg
Friedrich von Frankenberg was one of the early founders of Sufism in Australia.Friedrich von Frankenberg was an early Australian representative of Sufism, the mystical order of Islam first brought to the West by Hazrat Inayat Khan. He was born to an aristocratic and cultured family and raised...
. The site has a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
to the east and over valleys, farmlands and rolling blue hills to the west. By Meher Baba's wish, Avatar's Abode can never be sold, but must be kept as a place of pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
.
The founder of Avatar's Abode, Francis Brabazon, met Meher Baba on a trip to America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1952 and later described Baba as "the very personification of truth and the very embodiment of beauty." After returning to Australia, Brabazon and a party of helpers managed to complete a structure called "Beacon Hill house" in time for Baba's first visit to Australia in August 1956. It was later called "Meher House". In 1958 Brabazon established a new building on Kiel Mountain, Woombye, Queensland to host Meher Baba on his next visit. While he was there, Baba named the property "Avatar's Abode" and said it would become a place of world pilgrimage. Francis Brabazon's grave is located there overlooking the ocean.