VILLAGE WILD, AUTUMN 2025, April 23-27, Wednesday to Sunday, Ourimbah

WELCOME TO THE JOINT EVENT OF WILD BEINGS AND WILDCRAFT AUSTRALIA

23-27 April 2025

Wednesday to Sunday

EARLY BIRD RATE APPLIES until 30th March.

Family discount applies for larger families with children over 5 years. 

Prices (these will increase by $20pp after the earlybird)

Elders (60+ years or grandparents): $240

Adults: $400

Children 5+years: $400

Child 4 years: $300

Child 1-3: $80

Babies: $0

Volunteers

General Volunteer (1 position): $180 (arrives day before camp, helps with pack down and keeps toilets and showers shiny)

Kitchen Volunteer (2 positions) TAKEN: $180 (helps chef 1 1/2 hours each day) (if keen let us know and you can go on the waiting list)

Mentors:

Teen Mentor – 14-17 years: $180 TAKEN

New mentor: $180

Return Mentor: $0

COMMON PRICE COMBINATIONS

To save you some maths – some common prices below:-

Note there is an extra discount until 30 March for larger families.

One Adult – One Child 1 to 3 years: $480

One Adult – Two Children 1 to 3 years: $520

Two Adults – Two Children 1-3 years: $920

One Adult – One Child 4 years old: $700

One Adult – One Child (5+yrs): $800

One Adult – One Child 0-3 years and One Child 4 years: $780

One Adult – One Child 0-3 years and One Child 5+ years: $880

One Adult – Two Children (5+yrs): $1200

Two Adults – One Child (5+yrs): $1200

Two adults – One Child 5+years and one child 1-3 years: $1280 

Two adults – Two Children (5+yrs): $1600 (EB $1550)

Two adults – Three Children (5+yrs): $2000 (EB $1900)

Price includes camping, dinners and the Village Camp Program supported by wonderful, joyful, experienced and knowledgeable guides and mentors.

SCHOLARSHIP/FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE One $100 Scholarship is TAKEN. Also sometimes someone offers extra funds to help someone attend camp. Make a note on your booking if you need financial assistance to be able to attend.

Can you be that person that can give some extra? Some families need some financial support to be able to attend. If you are in the position to donate, you can add a little extra to your price. This will be passed on completely to a family in need. You can add it to your booking.

Cancellations: Bookings may be transferred to another name at any stage as long as organisers are informed before the camp. Cancellations up to 1 week before the camp will forfeit a booking fee ($50 individuals -$300 families). Cancellations within 7 days will not be refunded, however in rare circumstances it may be possible to transfer some of the funds to a future camp. If we cancel the program for any reason, we can refund you in full. We appreciate a $20 donation for our time to do bookings and refunds if possible.

HOW TO REGISTER

Fill in the registration form on the booking page (please make sure you add children’s ages!) and then add at least one person to the ‘cart’ and proceed to checkout to pay a deposit ($200-$400). You can make it easier to know your total by adding all family members to the ‘cart’ or we can add them later. 

Solo Adults, Elders, Teen Mentors and New Mentors can pay in full. 

Your total can be paid in installments or in full and is to be finalised 1 week prior to the camp. If paying by direct deposit, use the bank details below.

Account Name: N M Brown BSB: 646 000 (Maitland Mutual) Account Number: 1000 80275

CAMP DETAILS

Held near Ourimbah – 2wd accessible for cars, small campervans, small caravans. Only the last 2 km is unsealed (This is a narrow gravel road hence the small size recommendation for caravans and campers). 

Adventures, sit spots, games, solo time, family time, bush skills, sharing circles, crafts, songs, dance, music, story, smiling, laughing, challenges and more.

The idea is to relax our shoulders, be ourselves, become part of a supportive and nurturing village. It is about respecting ourselves, each other, kids, elders, our ancestors, the earth, everything and finding a way to live and let live with a little wildness thrown in. The hope is that we all get to experience what it feels like to live in community, to learn new skills and to be a creative part of this amazing ecosystem we all live in.

Overview

This is a 5 day program, starting with a welcome on the first afternoon, 3 more full days of fun, and then a final morning activity and closing circle on the last day to finish by lunch time.

Kids can go on adventures each morning with the amazing team of mentors. Adults can join the adult morning program which is a mix of movement, sharing circles, sit spots, skills and games. 

Crafternoons are on offer most afternoons to give space to focus on a particular craft, skill, game or activity. We provide dinners each night and then gather around the fire to celebrate each day with story, songs, poetry, drama and or dance. This is followed with a Teen Space for those 11 years and up, with a mix of games, challenges and hanging out. 

Bush Skills

Every camp we aim to share an assortment of skills with everyone. These include awareness, tracking, shelter building, fire by friction, weaving, making rope from nature, knots, bush food and medicine, camouflage, natural movement, bird language, whittling, bow making, tool making and more. What we cover will depend on who comes and what people’s interests are.

Overall, everything works best if each person taps into what brings them alive and bring that to the village with a culture of acceptance, support, flexibility and flow. With that, there is an encouragement for us all to be brave and speak our truth. I’ll share a story on that later. 

Specifically, we all arrive, set up our own spaces and then come together to become the Village. We have a welcome circle at the beginning of camp and a closing circle at the end which we really hope everyone can attend. Outside of that we have a program of activities on offer each day and everyone can join in as much or as little as they need.

To help meet the basic needs of the Village we have smaller groups called Clans that help with the daily tasks like collecting firewood, clearing spaces, composting, and helping with dinners. These Clans are used for check-ins to help create short feedback loops for any needs. 

We have also introduced a council of Peacemakers. Let’s face it – a group of people coming together with different ages, backgrounds, and needs in a place that is subject to the elements with its own native inhabitants – some furry – some segmented blood suckers – there is likely to be some challenges. The role of the Peacemakers is to offer another layer of support to the village.

Then there are the amazing mentors – people who care deeply, who are on their own path of nature connection, who have skills that they are happy to share and who have capacity to support parents and their children – to help everyone function from their best state. 

AGE SPECIFIC DETAILS

Children (aka ‘Wildlings’)

• ‘Roo and Joeys’: For 0-4 years and any others who want to stay with their parent. (‘Roo’ is an adult with any ‘pouched’ children aka ‘Joeys’. ‘Joeys’ are children who want their carer close by). The ‘Roo and Joey’ program is often centred close to base camp and the adults program.   It can include nature-based activities, songs, crafting, creative, free play, creek time etc. If ‘Joeys’ need more movement they can join one of the older kids groups and adventure with them and their carer.  Carers are also welcome to take their ‘Joeys’ to the adult program if that suits better. We know how hard it is in those early years, so we hope to support those with young ones as much as possible.
• Bounding Joeys: These are kids (often around 4 years old) that are nearly self-sufficient, yet still have some life lessons to learn e.g when in challenging terrain, near water, toileting. 4 year olds can go on the morning adventures with their carer. There may be times when the carer can have some time out, eg when the 4 year old is fully engaged with the group or with an activity, or when the terrain is safe and easy to negotiate. At times when the group is near water or other risky terrain, the carer of the 4 year old stays with their child so the mentor can look after the safety of the whole group.
• ‘Saplings’ (5-12 years) There will be morning adventures on offer supported by a skilled team of mentors with opportunities for wild play, earth skills, movement and awareness. According to ability, there will be increasing levels of adventure, wild skills and challenges. Due to recent
• Young Warriors (Tweenagers 11-13 years)
  Young Warriors have the opportunity to dive deeper into the bush skills (fire, shelter, tools and crafts, stalking, ‘hunting’, navigating, and ecology) during the morning adventures, as well as join the evening Teen/Tween space of fun, games, challenges and hang out time.
• Warriors – Teens 14 years +
  Warriors are finding their feet in the village and the world so they have a sense of autonomy at camp. They can join the morning adventures with the Wildlings or join the adult activities or do their own thing.  Warriors can also become part of the Teen Mentor gang if they are comfortable in the outdoors, are helpful and kind and keen to share what knowledge they have with the ‘Wildlings’
• Hikers – an overnight hike will be offered on camp for kids 13+ years of age. These Teens need to be up for walking with a pack, roughing it and they will need their own sleeping bag, matt and pack. We do have some spare equipment so if they are missing anything let us know. Please indicate on your booking form if your Teen is interested in the hike. 

Adults
This includes Wanderers (adults without children), Village Trees (parents) and Elder Trees (grandparents/elders): 

Each morning there will be an activity offered to the adults after the Wildlings are off on their adventures with the mentors. This can include movement, sit spots, mindfulness, sharing circles, skills.  The idea is that we leave some space after for adults to do their own thing before the kids return at lunchtime. In the afternoons ‘Crafternoon’ a bush skill or activity will be on offer for anyone interested. Adults are also welcome to share something with the village. A night challenge will be on offer one night for adults and teens.

OTHER ROLES:

Volunteers

Volunteering helps the camp run smoothly and reduces your price. 

There are 2 volunteer positions available for this next camp.

General Volunteer – this person arrives the day before camp and helps with the set up. They help keep the amenities block stocked up and useable during camp. They also help organise the final clean of the amenities. The general volunteer will be able to participate in all the camp activities.

Kitchen volunteer – this volunteer helps the camp chef with the preparation of the camp dinners – helping for around 1 1/2 hours per dinner. They will be able to participate in most camp activities though they may miss out on some ‘Crafternoons’.

Mentors

Mentors are those wonderful volunteers who make these camps thrive. They are that extra set of eyes and hands, that has time to spend with you, your family and or your kids. Mentors bring with them a sense of fun, life experience, skills, games and a willingness to learn themselves as they support the mornings adventures and fireside sharings.  All mentors have Working with Children Clearance and Lead Mentors have First Aid training and experience in bush crafts, survival skills and nature connection.

Over the years we have developed a solid mentor team and every camp we have new mentors join in on the fun and take on the challenges.

Why do mentors mentor? Overall it is fun….and challenging. It also improves their skills, builds confidence, pushes limits, allows creativity, and connects them to a wonderful group of people. They also get to arrive a day early, settle into the land, and meet the team.

NEW MENTORS

Are you keen to become part of the terrific mentor team? All you need is to do is pay the new mentor fee, complete the registration form, send us your WWCC number and to answer yes to most of the questions below. Are you able to arrive the day before camp to get to know the land, the people you will be working with, and to set up your own camp? Are you able to be kind, helpful, present, and aware during camp and support kids on the morning adventures? Can you meet each morning at 8am, be part of the morning adventures, daily debrief and stay for a camp debrief at lunchtime at the end of camp? Are you familiar with Sit Spotting and could you get into a bit of a sit spot practice before camp? New mentors are also welcome to offer an afternoon craft or activity to the village (if they want to – totally optional). 

If you are keen to try mentoring for the first time, we’d love to you apply. You will be supplied with with dinners, camping, training and the chance to be part of the mentor team. New mentors will be supported by experienced mentors throughout the camp.

RETURN MENTORS

If you have mentored with us before we’d love you to join us again. Return mentors come free of charge. Return Mentors also register on the booking page and arrive the day before camp and aim to practice sit spots before camp.

NOTE: Mentors with young (under 5 yrs) or dependent children, will need another adult with them to support.

TEEN MENTORS – these are teenagers who have the skills to help mentor the younger children.

Children really respond well to being supported and able to learn from people closer to their own age – so that is why Teen Mentors are such a powerful force in the village. If you know a Teen who relates well to younger children, who has some knowledge about the Australian bush and who is fairly bush savvy e.g. can set up a tent, use a knife safely, keep a fire going, collect wood, play acoustic music, sing, make things from the bush, then we’d love you to invite them to join us. Teens can attend without their parents or carers if they can set up their own camp and can generally look after themselves eg prepare their own breakfast and lunch, keep themselves safe and well, that sort of thing.

Teen Mentors register via the booking page too.

LOCATION DETAILS

It will take place on some secluded private land about 20 minutes from Ourimbah with a lovely sandy creek surrounded by rainforest. There is a large cleared flat with plenty of space for camping, caravans, and camper trailers. There is one large communal shelter and a large amenities block with toilets, hot showers and water taps. Everything else needs to be bought in.

Food

We will provide nutritious dinners and can cater for vegan, vegetarian, gluten, dairy free and other dietary requirements as entered on your booking form. All other meals and snacks are self-catered.

Pricing, Access and Inclusivity

We have attempted to keep pricing to a minimum without sacrificing essential resources (particularly our wild team, a number of whom volunteer their time and energy). We are offering discounts for volunteers who are able to help out before and/or during the camp. There is also a gift option for those who can donate extra, which will be passed on completely to those who would miss joining in otherwise.

Numbers are limited so best to book early.

If you have any queries, needs or concerns, feel free to get in touch.

Email: wildcraftaustralia@gmail.com

Nikki 0412216485

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What to Bring to a Village Camp

General Gear

• Something to sleep in and on eg Tents/swag/tarp/van/camper, sleeping bags, sleeping mats.
• Towel, toiletries, something to sit on, Esky/cooler
• Gas cooker, pots and pans if making hot lunches/ breakfast (Camp kitchen kettle is available for boiling water)
• Day pack for each person 4+years (to carry snack/lunch, water and personal items)
• Water bottle/person and drinking water (or a water treatment system). Water onsite is untreated (see below).
• Clothes suitable for the conditions and the outdoors – some bush coloured clothes could help with some hiding games. Long sleeves and pants reduce bites and sunburn.
• Sensible walking shoes and gumboots
• Hat / long sleeve shirt / suncream /insect repellent (Pump spray or lotion is best. Avoid aerosols as they are easily inhaled and are unpleasant for the village around you) – NOTE: the creek is pristine so the site requires that no chemicals come in contact with the creek eg no sunscreen, detergent, repellent, soap, or oils
• Personal Medications.
• Swimmers for the creek.
• Rain jacket / poncho / umbrella
• For those over 8 years, you could bring a fixed blade bush knife – knives are only to be used under safe guidelines (see safety below) NB: Lockable blades are best for woodwork – pocket knives with moving blades can shut accidently. Morakniv or Bahco with rounded tips are a good option for beginners. There will be some knives and tools available for use at camp.
• Torch / head torch
• Plates/bowls/cups / cutlery (labelled)
• Washing up containers/buckets. Buckets can be filled up using the hot water at the toilets and taken back to your camp.
• Rubbish bags/bins – there is no rubbish collection on site – all rubbish needs to be taken off site at the end of camp.

Food/water

Nourishing dinners will be provided each night. There will be vegetarian, vegan, gluten free options and the caterer will also cater to dietary requirements as completed on your booking form. Meat will be available on some nights. There will be access to a camp stove for boiling water during the day.

Bring all other meals and snacks, including:

• Lunches and breakfasts
• Nourishing snacks to take out on adventures – with minimal packaging preferably.
• Same with all food, think about minimal packaging – you will be taking all your rubbish with you.
• 10-20L treated water. The water onsite is high quality natural water yet it is untreated. The water onsite can be filtered or boiled to ensure it is free of germs.

Optional:

Extra tarp/gazebo/shelter to make extra shelter/shade at your camp.

Buckets, binoculars, magnifying glass, hand lens, bird books

Play

Now is a great time to practice and print out any songs, poems, melodies, stories that may be fun to share at a nature based camp. Also welcome to bring acoustic instruments, as well as natural or connective ‘toys’ e.g. hoops, juggling balls, Frisbees, crafting tools etc. The idea is that anything that comes into the communal space is for sharing. This site is grassy and the access road is gravel so it’s not great for bikes.

Nature Creation

If you have been crafting with nature or are in the process of crafting, feel free to bring your creation along. Knitting and other crafts welcome too. It can help inspire others into creation too.

Safety

Obviously the point of learning survival skills is to keep yourself alive and well in any situation. As we learn though, we often do things that compromise our safety. At camp we have found some simple guidelines that help keep everyone safe while still being able to push our edges and find our limits.

1. Let someone know where you are going and what you have with you.

2. Look after yourself eg. keep hydrated, energised, wash hands, protect yourself from the sun, elements, bities, vegetation, only eat food and drink water that you know is safe and good for you, move slowly around fire, place sticks on fire gently, and once a stick goes on the fire, leave it there.

3. Adventure in groups of 3 or more, treat everyone with respect, look out for each other and work together.

4. Adventure with complete awareness – always looking for snakes, steep drops, slippery areas, other hazards and move slowly in difficult terrain.

5. Always have an adult present at a fire and keep fires small. Any wood that comes in contact with the fire stays in the fire. It is preferred that kids wear shoes around fire space and the everyone is in complete awareness, moving slowly and deliberately around the fire. If safety is compromised, then the fire can be put out.

6. For kids, only use a knife in the carving space and only if your knife skills have been accessed by a mentor or if you have been to the knife safety workshop. Children under 8 only use a knife with an attentive adult next to them. This adult needs to be trained in knife safety.  Only use knives in the daytime and only when in an aware, calm state.

Payments

Payments can be made in installments or in full. You can make your deposit by EFT or Paypal. Direct deposit is preferred to avoid unnecessary fees. Bank details are below.

Widcraft Bank Details

Account Name: N M Brown
BSB: 646000 The Mutual
Acc No. 100080275

A STORY ON SPEAKING OUR TRUTH

From the last camp…

So we were running an activity, that we had set an age limit for, based on past experiences. There was a kid who had been coming to camp for a while, who had learnt the skills to do the activity safely and they were super keen to do it… but… they were under the age limit. We were busy organising the activity and missed seeing this excitement and following disappointment when the age limit was announced. The child accepted our ‘rule’ and left. The honourable thing to do – the right thing to do. Except that this child had a burning in their heart that they wanted to do the activity. Had we stopped them? Had they stopped themselves?’

This is where we want to get out of our own way – forget the rules as being hard and fast – they are guidelines and they can be helpful – there are also times when they are best let go. If you find yourself in this kind of situation, can you be brave? Can you speak up? Maybe you could just do it without needing permission? Will it hurt anyone else if you do, or just you if you don’t?

This is a life-long question and quest. If there is even one moment where we stay true to ourselves, then it is a moment worth living. 

Here ends the sermon 🙂