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Our Program

Camping on Country was codesigned by Ernie Dingo and Tom Hearn with lots of help from elders and staff. It’s an award-winning Program and has a focus on well-being through cultural connection to each other and country.

Up to 25 participants camp on country and participate in well-being and cultural activities during the week.

Activities are divided into five main categories;

  1. Identity and Belonging – Whose my mob, language and nation. Learning about the diversity of Aboriginal nations and clans, languages and dialects, skin groups and kinship systems
  2. Cultural Connection – Learning about ways of connecting to culture and country.  Learning about the significance of Songlines, dances, special story places and Creation time, hunting, bush tucker and making artefacts and art.
  3. Health – Getting our health checks and learning more about the connections between alcohol, drugs, smoking, diet, exercise and disease.
  4. Wellbeing – Talking about our feelings, our story, our life and connecting to other humans in our yarning circles.
  5. Our History – Introductory learning about the history of Australia from a black perspective.

Cultural based adventure activities include making spears and hunting with them. Spears are made traditionally and skills include wood harvesting, tempering, flint knapping, spear balancing, construction of woomera and spear tips. Harvesting and construction of various styles of boomerangs and clap sticks. Food trails and wild harvesting of bush tucker. Making fire with friction and learning about traditional cooking and nutrition. Building traditional shelters. Learning about local languages, skin groups and developing an understanding of Songlines and Creation time and how song and dance and story are used to communicate and maintain important cultural information.

The content of each camp differs depending on the specific client group needs.

Bookings

We accept bookings from Organisations or Agencies that would like to offer their Indigenous clients an opportunity to camp on country and participate in our on-country cultural program.

We only contract with Organisations (not individuals) and camps cater for up to 25 men/youth. From time to time we also run Youth Camps, Women’s Camps, Family Camps and Corporate Camps (Non-Indigenous). Please enquire if this is what you’re after.

We supply everything and work with your Organisation, local elders, Traditional Owners and stakeholders to identify the right country to camp on. Sometimes in regional or urban situations we offer Organisations and their clients the chance to travel to a remote location and camp on country with local families. Locations include Arnhem Land, Cape York, Kimberly and Western Desert.

For costings, schedules and more detailed information about making a booking email the Program Director Tom Hearn tom@bushtv.com.au

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Contact

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