Get started on your Silver Bushwalking Award
Walking Rivers, an activity provider welcoming people on our Silver Bushwalking Award from any award unit.
Practise or Qualifying
Duke of Edinburgh requires a minimum number of four students per group. If you are on your own still register with us and we will endeavour to create a group of four to make your journey happen.
LENGTH:
3 days Practise
3 Days qualifying
LOCATION:
Watagans National Park
Hawkesbury Region
FOR WHO:
15 year old & above
PRICE:
$330.00
each course
GROUP SIZE:
Minimum Four
maximum seven
PRACTISE & QUALIFYING:
Flexible dates
COMPLIANCE
Importantly, to achieve D of Ed compliance as well as a sense of achievement your Silver Bushwalking Award program has been designed with a focus on making sure you will be:
EDUCATION
Equally important, age-appropriate training and practise is a vital component of all Duke of Edinburgh journeys.
We are not “just going camping.”
Let me repeat that “You are not just going camping”
Our proven training will empower you to develop and discover resilience within yourself; that you may not know existed.
Our qualified professional guides are working out of a written training manual, thus eliminating ad hoc subjects and misinformation.
To clarify, by the time you have completed your Silver Bushwalking Award you will have been given an introduction to the following list of subjects:
SAFETY FIRST
Coupled with our emergency response documents and our activity risk assessment is an absolute commitment to safety. Safety has to be the priority for all our outdoor adventures.
However, if something unforeseen were to occur, we are prepared, our guides carry satellite communication equipment as well as a comprehensive wilderness first aid kit.
YOUR EQUIPMENT
For your comfort as well as ensuring you have a successful silver bushwalking award journey, the right hiking/camping equipment is essential.
Remember you have to hike with everything in your backpack for up to eight hours a day.
A big heavy steel barbecue plate may not be a good idea. Keeping weight to a minimum should be your priority.
Let me repeat that:
Keeping everything as light as possible should be your priority.
Not sure if some of your equipment is right for the job? Just call us for clarification.
Additionally, don’t forget you will receive a gear checklist from us as part of your registration documents. Equipment hire is available to book on our registration page.
OUR EQUIPMENT
included:
FOOD, SNACKS & DRINKS
You need to bring what you like to eat. You will be deciding your menu, supplying and eventually preparing all of your meals.
It’s a good practice to also allow for one extra day of emergency rations.
To assist you with planning, we will send out some meal ideas.
WATER
Everyone is required to bring a minimum of three one-litre containers full.
The Australian bush can be a dry place, and water can be challenging to find. Water purification tablets may also be another requirement depending on the trip decided.
AWARD LEADER CONSENT
Don’t forget to check in with your award leader before arriving for your Silver Bushwalking Journey. You will need the approval for the Adventurous Journey you have chosen via the online record book.
Duke of Edinburgh International Award is strict about everyone complying with this.
Your assessor details are:
Assessor: Walking Rivers
phone: 0438563307
Email: [email protected]
We will sign off on your Adventurous Journey when we get the request from the online record book.
Watagans Silver Bushwalking Award.
Special COVID five-day program:
Pick up in Sydney night before programme starts.
All Lessons are structured written modules with simple multiple-choice quiz (age appropriate) at completion of each module. Participants must bring notepad and pen.
Folded scraps of paper in a pocket is unacceptable.
Day one:
Hike from the Gap to Mount Myall area of the Watagan National Park/State Forest.
Distance to hike approx. 10 Kilometres.
Camping at Olsson’s campground.
Lessons Day 1
- Understand the adventurous journey planned.
- Observation and Recording Skills
- Route Planning
- Camp craft/Accommodation & Hygiene
Camping at Olssons
Day Two:
Hike from Olssons via Hunter lookout returning to Olssons via Hammond track.
Distance to hike approx. 10 Kilometres.
Focus for day is Navigation, both on track and off track.
Camping at Olsson’s campground.
Lessons Day 2
- Route Planning / Navigation
- Safety and safe practice
- Teamwork, problem-solving and leadership.
*Returning to Olssons campground is a time saving measure. It negates rebuilding a new camp. Remember we only have five days instead of six and we have a lot to get through.
Day three:
Participants to decide as a team where they wish to hike utilising all the map reading and navigation skills learned on day two.
Hike to be approx. 12 kilometres
Focus on utilising new skills learned
Lessons Day 3
- Weather in the field
- First aid
- Emergency Procedures.
Camping to be decided by team.
Day four:
Participants to decide, but the option to break the hike up with a session on the black stump cliffs learning Abseiling. We are very experienced (in excess of two thousand young people with no accidents) insured, qualified and licensed to operate commercially on these cliffs.
If abseiling is not chosen as an activity, we just continue to hike.
Focus on day is Fun.
Lesson day 4
- Environmental awareness and care
- Diet and rationing, meal plans.
Day Five:
Complete hike Finishing at Wombat Hall.
Revision of skills learned
Return to Sydney.