While teachers across the country have been recharging their Energizer bunny batteries ready for the onslaught of another school year, here at The Great Aussie Bush Camp we’ve been hopping into all the tasks that need to be done to keep the Great Aussie Bush Camp, Great! As you can see from our brand new website (we’re still working on it so please come back and take another look soon), we’ve been very productive and there’s even more in store. So we expect this year to be an even bigger and better year than 2010.

2011 is also The Great Aussie Bush Camp’s re-launch year. Our iconic larakin “Aussie” has had a celebrity makeover and even come to life with our very first animation. We think he looks rather stylish. Plus we’ve had a complete makeover of our corporate branding.Since taking over the Great Aussie Bush Camp in 2009, we’ve already made some great changes, adding new infrastructure, and generally working on restoring the site to its former glory when it was originally the home of the Leyland Brothers Movie World. Back then, the site was a bold step into the unknown. The Leyland Brothers were amongst the very first authentic Australian documentary film makers. We think having an authentic outdoor education experience is important too and so does research from Townsend, Carpenter and Pryor (2005). Their research showed that outdoor education in schools was not only a valuable “whole of population strategy in health promotion” but that “ a combination of nature, small groups and adventure activities are found to provide powerful experiences of learning and change in education.

This is what we do best!

The Great Aussie Bush Camp provides tailor made and curriculum-centred outdoor education programs free from the stresses associated with planning school camps. As industry leaders, we offer consistently great service, the widest choice of activities available in Australia, and a family friendly atmosphere; all in an authentic Aussie environment.

We’re also big on great ideas and innovations to allow teachers to achieve more curriculum outcomes in less time.

We’ve added new programs like our new “Rock and Water” initiative to join our regular favourites such as our challenging high ropes courses, canoeing, abseiling and the dual flying fox over Lake Ivan. With 7 separate camp sites and over 40 on-site activities, it’s hard to imagine where to start. Then there’s our off-site excursions to nearby places like Jimmy’s Beach and our largely popular “Eureka - It’s Gold!” experience.Whatever experiences you choose at The Great Aussie Bush Camp, we know that your students will have the time of their lives. At The Great Aussie Bush Camp, learning really is fun. With thousands of students visiting our iconic site each year we know that there’s going to be a whole new generation of Great Aussie Bush Campers who will return home tired, challenged and with very happy memories that will stay with them for a lifetime.

Brad Love

February 2011