Nature Workshops

The Blue Mountains, like much of wild Australia is beautiful and awe inspiring.  The sublime joy from a summit reward sensibly requires good health and hiking fitness, hiking training and experience, navigation skills, a well formed plan, the right gear, due reconnaissance to gain local familiarity, a full weather forecast, weather monitoring enroute, group field leadership and trip governance.

We consider hiking to be a wilderness craft.  We adopt an ecological best practice approach to hiking, which we term ‘eco-hiking’.  Eco-hiking philosophy is that we are guests in the host ecology and so we remain at all times respectful to the sensitivity and scarcity of ecology, causing no damage and leaving no trace of our passing though.

A special offering of Nature Trail, perhaps unique, are our Nature Workshops offered out in situ in the wild and are delivered by our Trip Leader.

Each of our Nature Workshops focus on a particular topic of educational interest relevant to Hiking Skills or Blue Mountains Ecology Education.  The duration of each Nature Workshop is a full-day.

A full-day workshop ensures that a given topic is comprehensively covered in detail to a high quality standard, that each participant has quality one-on-one time to learn the given topic, that Q&As be exhausted, that each Nature Workshop is reasonably paced and not rushed, and to allow for safe transport logistics and relaxed quality catering be duly factored into the workshop.

Participation on a Nature Trail Workshop includes the following features:

  1. A Full-Day’s Training (6-8 hours) on the particular topic, each fully researched to contemporary standards, and the training course professionally designed, planned and delivered in the field/wild by Nature Trail’s Tour Director, Steve.
  2. Small Group limits:  Minimum 1 participant; maximum 6 participants
  3. Hands-on Practice, with One-on-One Guidance by Steve, as applicable
  4. Seating and Shelter – comfortable deck chair seat per participant under a tarpaulin to protect from sun and precipitation
  5. Picnic Lunch options (must be pre-arranged)
  6. A Notebook and pen supplied to each participant 
  7. Transport – supplied using Nature Trail’s dedicated Tour Vehicle from/return to Katoomba to our chosen field workshop location (maximum capacity 4 tour guests in our Tour Vehicle on a first-come-first-served basis). Participant numbers beyond 4 will need to pre-arrange their own Support Transport and tag-along behind in a convoy arrangement)
  8. Remote Bush Toileting: Given that we deliver our workshops out in the field/wild, there are no built toilet facilities, so we setup a private remote bush toilet supplied with the hygiene basics.  This complies with standard practice for Rucksack Freedom Camping.
  9. Tour Vehicle is Equipped  – for safety with a 10 litres container of drinking water with tap, relevant topographical maps, Silva compass, HEMA satnav, breakdown contingencies (eg. flat tyre), hiking group first aid kit, thermals, UHF/CB radio, satphone, and personal locator beacon in case of emergencies and other 4×4 accessories.  Steve is experienced in all usage of these.
  10. Trip Notification:  As with all Nature Trail Hiking Tours and Treks, as per due outdoor recreation protocol our Tour Director formally pre-notifies appropriate authorities of each trip plan with the participant manifest in case of emergency.
  11. Participant Gear: Participants are required to bring suitable clothing and gear (particularly mobile phone, personal medication, thermals and full wet-weather gear) for the forecast environmental conditions, which is advised by Nature Trail for each particular workshop trip.  This is for group safety, welfare, individual and group morale, and to underpin the value and success of the workshop for each participant.
  12. Trip Agreement: Each applicant is first required to prepay in full and complete a Nature trail Trip Agreement, accept our terms and conditions, and submit to Nature Trail for prior approval.

 

Topics that we explore on our Nature Workshops:

  1. Intro to the World Heritage Area Workshop
  2. Habitat Communities Workshop
  3. Wildflowers Workshop
  4. Trees and Vegetation Workshop
  5. Birdwatching Workshop
  6. Nature Photography Workshop
  7. Best Practice ‘Eco-hiking’ Workshop
  8. Interpreting Wilderness Lie-of-the-Land and Habitat
  9. Native Wildlife Workshop
  10. Hiking Skills Workshop
  11. Hiking Gear Workshop
  12. Hiking First Aid Kit Workshop
  13. Hiking Navigation with Map and/or Compass Workshop
  14. Hiking Navigation with No Map or Compass Workshop
  15. Hiking GPS Navigation Workshop
  16. Track Distance Measuring Techniques Workshop
  17. Introduction to Trekking Workshop
  18. Campsite Selection and Erecting Tents
  19. Camp Cooking Circle & Latrine Setup
  20. Remote Digital Communications Workshop (GPS Texting, Satphone, PLB)
  21. UHF (CB) Radio Training Workshop
  22. Wilderness Survival Skills Workshop
  23. Lost Prevention and Recovery Workshop
  24. Hiking Proactive Injury Avoidance Workshop
  25. Benighted Campsite Selection and Shelter Construction Workshop
  26. Lighting a Campfire in the Wet Workshop
  27. Emergency Night Evacuation Hiking
  28. Touring Tag-Along, Rendezvous, Convoy Coms Workshop
  29. Basic 4×4 Pre-Trip Checks Workshop
  30. Setting Up a Tour Operation

Pricing:

 

  • AUD $300 per participant (no GST), pre-paid