Preparing for your
Gold Adventurous Journey
If you have not already done so, inform your Award Leader of your intention to complete your Gold Adventurous Journey. Your Award Leader may also like to be given the link to this website.
If needed, your Award Leader can click here to see our insurance policies and risk assessment documents.
Volunteer Code of Conduct (National)
If you have not already done so, inform your Award Leader of your intention to complete your Adventurous Journey. Your Award Leader may also like to be given the link to this website.
Participants and Supporters, ensure you have read the Participant Expectations Policy (hyperlinked). You are asked to confirm you have read and agree to these expectations in the Consent & Medical Form.
In summary:
- Disrespectful, physical or verbally abusive behaviours will not be tolerated.
- Participants are required to co-operate and partake in the fundamental elements of the program, without deliberately disrupting group activities.
- Participants must be able to self-manage living skills in an outdoor camping environment.
Participants may be removed from the journey if they fail to meet these standards. In this instance we will not approve your journey, and we will not issue a refund.
Mobile Phones and Music
There is usually limited mobile phone reception on our walks. You can switch your phone to flight mode if you want to use it to take photos, otherwise turn it off and leave it in your pack. You are not allowed to listen to music, so please don’t expect to walk along with earphones in or play music through speakers at camp.
Toileting
Read your specific itinerary to see what toilets, if any, are available on your journey. If you need to go where there are no toilets you will need to bury your waste. Please bring a sturdy hand trowel for this purpose.
Environmental Care
We follow the seven principles of Leave No Trace. Read up about these principles before leaving home. You might even want to print out the summary as a reminder during your journey.
Physical Training
We advise you do several training walks in the footwear you will be wearing and carrying your loaded backpack. Walk around the block to start with and build up to hour-long walks over uneven ground. Gradually increase the weight of your pack each time. This will greatly increase your ability to walk and carry the heavy pack, thereby enhancing your enjoyment of the journey. Training in the bush is ideal.
Navigation
Your Supervisor will coach you how to use topographic maps with an expedition compass. However, why not start learning now? If you are at school, ask a Geography teacher for a tutorial. There are loads of great videos available online as well.
Equipment
Make sure you know how to use all your gear before you head out. You want to feel confident that you know what you are doing. Find a suitable patch of grass and practice setting up and packing down your tent, until you can do it by yourself easily. Cook up your intended meal/s in the stove you will be bringing so you know how much you can fit in both the pot and your stomach. You don’t want to get to camp and cook up a feast, only to find out you have too much or too little of both quantity and flavour.
Complete the Participant Consent & Medical Information Form (hyperlinked)
For April 2025 the form will open on your journey’s onboarding date, and close on 30 March 2025.
If something changes in your situation after you have completed this form, please contact us directly at ma*****@**************rg.au
Outward Bound Adventurous Journey (Hiking) Packing List (hyperlinked)
Participants are expected to come on program with all items, as indicated.
If you do not have any of the items listed, try borrowing from friends or family or buying second hand. We have also partnered with Camp List, who provide many of the items listed for hire and/or purchase. To see what is available, go to www.camplist.com.au and in the central search bar type “Outward Bound Australia”.
Getting the right gear for you is crucial for your enjoyment of the journey and ensuring you don’t hurt yourself. Be ruthless in your choices and only pack exactly what you need. All of your items should fit inside your hiking pack to avoid damage to both your gear and the environment, this includes your sleeping mat.
Under 18 years-old? For your safety, your pack should weigh no more than one-quarter (25%) of your body weight.
18 years-old or over? For your safety, your pack should weigh no more than one-third (33%) of your body weight.
What meals to pack
For your Gold Adventurous Journey, we expect you to provide the following meals as a minimum:
- Lunches for every day.
- Dinners for every night.
- Breakfasts for every morning.
- High energy snacks for every day.
Enjoy your food, enjoy your journey
The key to a great hike is great fuel. Here are some tips to consider and some food suggestions.
- A balanced hiking diet includes more fat and sugar than a normal diet.
- Remove as much packaging as you can and re-pack in zip-lock bags.
- Package your zip-lock bags by meal rather than individual items and label them
- e.g. Lunch Day 1
- Canned food is too heavy and glass bottles and jars may break in your pack, so dispense these foods where possible.
- Pack breakfast and dinner in one big strong stuff-bag, and lunch and snacks in another of a different colour. This makes it easier to find what you want when you need it.
- Consider if you really need a bowl, or can you eat from your pot? Do you really need a dinner knife, fork and spoon?
- There are often no garbage bins at campsites or on trail so you’ll have to carry out all the packaging you carry in.
- Bring the lightest food that takes the shortest time to cook.
Be aware that everything has to survive without refrigeration (please don’t bring a cooler bag). Check out the Food Safety Information Council for advice on appropriate foods for camping and bushwalking.
Food Suggestions
Breakfast
Cereals, muesli or instant oats with long life or powdered milk.
- Long life milk can be found as single-serve poppers
- Powdered milk is much lighter and only needs water added to it.
Hot breakfast such as baked beans or spaghetti provide great protein but are heavy to carry. You may also need to wake up earlier to cook, eat, and clean up in enough time.
TIP: Measure out the amount of cereal per day and put in a snap lock bag with powdered milk.
Lunch
Crackers like Ryvita, Salada, and Vita-weets provide good levels of carbohydrate.
Bread and wraps are ok for Day 1, but can quickly go stale.
Cheese such as Laughing Cow, Dutch Edam or Babybells keep well.
Dried meats including salami and jerky etc. are great forms of protein and salt. It will keep fresher if whole, so remember a knife. Fresh meats are not recommended.
Salad vegetables including carrots, cucumber, capsicum etc. keep well in packs. Also consider deli items like sun-dried tomatoes.
Spreads like Vegemite, hummus, chunky dips and honey make great additions to crackers.
TIP: It’s better if you don’t have to cook lunch as we may not have time.
Dinner
Packaged pasta and rice are good options, although may take longer to cook. Couscous is a good choice if you want a speedy meal.
Add a packet tuna, salmon, or ham to get protein and add freeze dried vegetables for nutrition. These are cheap and easy meals. Just remember to look after the rubbish.
Freeze dried/dehydrated meals from brands like Back Country, Campers Pantry and The Outdoor Gourmet Company are a great balance between weight and nutrition but are more expensive to buy.
Snacks
Hard fruits like apples are great. Soft fruits if not protected can go soggy. Dried fruits are your best option.
Make your own trail mix with a selection of sultanas, seeds, dried fruit and chocolate! However, please do not add nuts to your mix. We are a nut-aware organisation.
Packaged bars and snacks like muesli bars, LeSnacks and grain biscuits are good snacks and are generally light. Strip off the bulk packaging at home and keep these foods together in zip-lock bags.
Packaged soups, particularly if your journey dates will be cold, can be a great treat. 2-minute noodles and all other similar foods are okay for a hot snack, but are not satisfactory for an evening meal due to their limited nutrition.
TIP: Think of your snacks as supplementary to your main meals. Sugary things are okay for a special treat, but not as a source of long-term energy.
Drinks
When you are walking, water should be your only drink. If the weather is hot, you may consider bringing Hydralyte to help restore electrolytes. Please don’t bring drinks such as Gatorade etc. as they are not designed for the endurance exercise of hiking.
Hot drinks like Cup-a-Soups, hot chocolate, milo, tea or coffee are a lovely treat at camp. Just remember to measure out the quantities needed rather than carry the container.
If you are undertaking your Qualifying Adventurous Journey, you will be required to submit an Adventurous Journey Report before you can be signed off.
Click here to see what is expected to be included in your Gold Qualifying AJ Report.
Bring a small notebook and write the key headings of your report on the first few pages to jog your memory on what to look out for along your journey.
Your AJ Report always looks better when you add pictures, so remember to bring a way to document your experience.
Phones on your Journey
We encourage Participants to come with their phone, where they have one. Phones provide access to some useful functions, with the most common being:
- Taking photos of your journey, which will be important for your Qualifying AJ Report (see Point 6 above).
- If you do take photos that include other people, please ensure you get their permission first.
- Using GPS and a Map app to assist with confirming your location, as part of learning how to use the topographic maps you need to print and bring with you.
- Where service is available, getting updated weather and hazard information.
We do not permit using phones for entertainment or social purposes during your journey. You need to be focused on your navigation and the other people in your group.
There is no opportunity to recharge your phone, or another electronic device, while on your journey. We recommend setting your phone to flight-mode and bringing a Powerbank that can provide one full charge per day of your journey.
Contact During your Journey
All the locations we use for Adventurous Journeys have partial mobile coverage that is dependent on your service provider’s signal strength in the area. Participants and their families will not always be able to contact each other during the Journey. Sometimes text messages can get through where a phone call cannot.
The Journey Supervisor (in the field with the group) and the Program Coordinator (in the office) communicate with each other minimum twice daily. These contact points are an active check-in with group progress and environmental updates. Our Journey Supervisors also carry a satellite communication and tracking device (Garmin InReach).
Outward Bound Australia deliver Adventurous Journeys on a basis of no news is good news. If you do not hear anything from an Outward Bound staff member, then everything is progressing as anticipated.
Supporters, if an Award Participant contacts you during the journey with a journey-related concern, please encourage them to speak with their Journey Supervisor. Common examples are an upset stomach, headache, and developing blisters or sore spots. We have first aid training and associated kit available to help; we just need to know help is required. We want to assist all Participants to safely and successfully complete their Journey.
Supporters, if you are struggling to get an important message to your Award Participant, or need to contact Outward Bound Australia staff:
- For general correspondence of a non-urgent nature, please e-mail Outward Bound Australia at ma*****@**************rg.au. Please reference the Participant’s name and their Journey in the subject heading.
- For urgent and emergency situations arising at home, please use the following numbers:
- During business hours (9:00am – 4:50pm) please call your Client Manager on 02 6235 5700 (option 1).
- After hours (5:00pm – 8:30am) the Program Coordinator can be reached on:
- 0409 746 947 (VIC Journey)
- 0438 663 527 (NSW Journey)
- This number will be updated on the Friday afternoon before your program start date.
Practice Journey
- Name
- Hornsby to Crosslands
- Dates
- Day 1 – Day 2
- Location
- Berowra Valley National Park
- Other Location Information
- Blue Gum Walk into Galstone Gorge.
Qualifying Journey
- Name
- Crosslands to Wondabyne
- Dates
- Day 2 – Day 5
- Location
- Berowra Valley and Brisbane Water National Parks
- Other Location Information
- Part of the Great North Walk
Supervisor & Assessor Details:
- Name
- Outward Bound Australia
- Email
- du******@**************rg.au
- Phone
- +61262355700
Start
Hornsby Train Station 1030
End
Wondabyne Train Station, approx. 1400
Please note that Wondabyne Train Station has no car access. You will be required to catch the train to exit your journey.
Route Plan
You must bring a copy of the Route Plan with you.
You will be writing on this document during your journey, so you will need to be able to protect the pages from damage. Either a zip-lock bag (to use a regular pen on paper) or laminating the sheets and writing with a very fine tipped permanent marker are common options.
You may see that some information has not been included. If this is the case for your journey, you will need to fill add the relevant information during your journey.
This is a large, multi-page document (19 pages). It is suitable to alter the configuration of the printing to have two-pages per sheet and double-sided, to conserve the amount of paper you use.
Hornsby to Wondabyne Route Notes
Additional Information
Your journey includes additional travel. You must take note of the available service times and fares and arrange for appropriate payment at the time of service. The providers prefer card payment.
Day 4: Ferry from Brooklyn Wharf to Little Wobby Wharf
http://brooklynferryservice.com.au/
Day 5: Train from Wondabyne Station to exit your journey
You must bring a colour copy of your map with you.
Your map is one of your most important documents during your expedition, and you should protect your map from damage. Suitable options are to purchase a map-case or laminate all your map pages individually and bring a very fine tipped permanent marker to draw up your check-points over the laminate.
There are two (2) map documents you need to print. Both must be printed at 100% / default scaling.
- GNW-G Hornsby to Little Wobby 1-2
- Print this document on A3 paper.
- GNW-G Little Wobby to Wondabyne 2-2
- Print this document on A4 paper.
Practice Journey
- Name
- Parker Inlet to Aire River
- Dates
- Day 1 – Day 2
- Location
- Great Ocean Walk
Qualifying Journey
- Name
- Aire River to Twelves Apostles
- Dates
- Day 2 – Day 5
- Location
- Great Ocean Walk
Supervisor & Assessor Details:
- Name
- Outward Bound Australia
- Email
- du******@**************rg.au
- Phone
- +61262355700
Start
Camperdown Train Station 1000
Chartered transport will be arranged to travel all Participants and Outward Bound AJ Supervisor to the trailhead at Parker Inlet.
End
Camperdown Train Station approx. 1545
Chartered transport will be arranged to travel all Participants and Outward Bound AJ Supervisor from the trailhead at Twelve Apostles.
Basic Route Notes
Please refer to the official Great Ocean Walk website for your basic itinerary information.
The specific notes for each day can be found here:
You need to purchase the official Great Ocean Walk Map (hyperlinked).
The link above takes you to one place where you can purchase this map, Meridian Maps. You are not obliged to use this provider. Your map is one of your most important documents during your expedition, and you should protect your map from damage. Meridian Maps has a laminated option for purchase.
You must bring a colour hardcopy of your map with you.
You will also require a pencil (for paper map) or very fine tipped permanent marker pen (for laminated map) to mark your route.
Online Record Book Journey Details Set-Up
Practice Journey
- Name
- Tidbinbilla to Booroomba Station
- Dates
- Day 1 – Day 2
- Location
- Namadgi National Park
Qualifying Journey
- Name
- Booroomba Station to Honeysuckle Campground
- Dates
- Day 2 – Day 5
- Location
- Namadgi National Park
Meeting Points
Start: Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, Visitor Centre carpark 9:00am
End: Honeysuckle Campground carpark approx. 3:00pm
Route & Maps
Because this journey passes through private property, you will be provided your route details and access to maps upon arrival. You will not be able to keep the maps, so do take photos for future reference.
Your overall route description is:
- Tidbinbilla Visitor Centre to Booroomba Station
- Booroomba Station to Castle Hill Crossing
- Castle Hill Crossing to Outward Bound National Base
- Outward Bound National Base to Bushfold Flat
- Bushfold Flat to Honeysuckle Campground Carpark
Online Record Book Journey Details Set-Up
- Name
- Ku-ring-gai to Wondabyne
- Location
- Berowra Valley & Brisbane Water National Parks
- Other Location Information
- Part of the Great North Walk
Itinerary
GNW Ku-ring-gai to Wondabyne via Brooklyn
Route Plan
GNW-G Ku-ring-gai to Wondabyne Route Plan
This document can be printed in black and white. You can print this as either single page, double-sided, or two pages per page.
You can also find detailed information about your route using the following links:
- Mt Kuring-gai to Cowan (via Berowra Waters) walking track (wildwalks.com)
- Jerusalem Bay Track (Cowan to Brooklyn) walking track (wildwalks.com)
- Brooklyn Ferry service timetable
- For Brooklyn to Little Wobby ferry
- Little Wobby to Mt. Wonabyne
- Use these route notes from the start until the summit of Mt. Wondabyne.
- Patonga to Wondabyne station via Mt Wondabyne walking track (wildwalks.com)
- Use these routes notes from Mt. Wondabyne summit to the end at Wondabyne Station.
- Wondabyne Station | transportnsw.info
- For timetable information regarding services out of Wondabyne Station. Remember that there is no car access at Wondabyne, so will need to catch the train to leave the journey. The first station south (towards Central) is Hawkesbury River Station (Brooklyn).
Map
Remember you must bring a protected hard copy of your map on your journey. You will also require a very fine tipped permanent marker pen to plot your route.
There are two (2) map documents you need to print. Both must be in colour and at 100% / default scaling.
- GNW-G Hornsby to Little Wobby 1-2
- Print this document on A3 paper.
- GNW-G Little Wobby to Wondabyne 2-2
- Print this document on A4 paper.
Online Record Book Journey Details Set-Up
Practice Journey
- Name
- Kiandra to Grey Mare Hut
- Dates
- Day 2 – Day 5
- Location
- Kosciuszko National Park
- Other Location Information
- Part of the Kiandra to Kosciuszko Trail.
Qualifying Journey
- Name
- Grey Mare Hut to Thredbo
- Dates
- Day 6 – Day 9
- Location
- Kosciuszko National Park
- Other Location Information
- Part of the Kiandra to Kosciuszko Trail.
Meeting Points
- Start
- 10:30am
- Outward Bound Australia, 35 Naas Road, Tharwa ACT 2620
- End
- 3:00pm
- Outward Bound Australia, 35 Naas Road, Tharwa ACT 2620
Transport assistance is available at the following times and locations:
- Day 1
- 9:30am Jolimont Tourist Centre (Coach Station), Northbourne Avenue
- 10:00am Canberra Airport
- Day 9
- 3:30pm Canberra Airport
- 4:00pm Kingston (Canberra) Train Station
- 4:30pm Jolimont Tourist Centre (Coach Station)
Please complete the Travel Intentions Form to declare how you will be getting to and from your journey. If you are an independent driver, we encourage you to consider arranging assisted transport. You will be physically and mentally tired at the end of your journey.
Route Plan
You will write up your route plan as part of the Day 1 preparations. You can see the full route mapped out in Google maps here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/wnsWBT91YyBhXnfM9
Each location marker on this map is a campsite.
Map
You need to purchase the “Kosciuszko National Park Activities” map, published by Rooftop.
The link above takes you to one place where you can purchase this map, A.B.C Maps. You are not obliged to use this provider, but we chose this store because they have the map in known stock.
We expect everyone to bring a hard copy of the map on your journey. You will also require a pencil (for paper map) or very fine tipped permanent marker pen (for laminated map) to mark your route.