SYDNEY (AFP) -- Pope Benedict XVI has chosen a retreat centre on Sydney's north-western outskirts for his three-day holiday in Australia, the Sunday Telegraph reported Sunday.

The Pope is traveling to Australia later this month for World Youth Day, a six-day event celebrating the Catholic faith aimed at young people.
He arrives on July 13 but will not be officially welcomed to Sydney until July 17, and where he would spend the first three days of his visit had been a tightly-kept secret.
He will not enjoy Sydney Harbour views or a trip to the Great Barrier Reef during his stay at the Kenthurst Study Centre, but will be able to glimpse the scenic Blue Mountains, the Sunday Telegraph said.
He will spend his time there relaxing, playing the piano and taking part in daily prayers, Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell, told the paper.
""The venue was chosen as it is a semi-rural location run by the Catholic Church which is in close proximity to Sydney,"" he said.
""At his time at Kenthurst Study Centre, he will be resting from his long flight -- which is the furthest he has travelled.""
The centre is close to Richmond RAAF Air Base, where the Pope will fly in, and is run by the conservative Catholic organization Opus Dei.
The pontiff will leave Australia on July 21 after World Youth Day ceremonies culminate in an open-air mass at Sydney's Randwick Racecourse expected to attract hundreds of thousands of pilgrims on July 20.
Set in 25 acres of native bush with views of the Blue Mountains, Kenthurst Study Centre is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from central Sydney and has a chapel which accommodates about 40 people.