Outdoors NSW & ACT

18/03/2026

Join us on Friday for our Weekly Connect & Share to hear from Karen Witt, NSW Executive Officer of the Duke of Edinburgh International Award.

She will share with us some interesting changes in the data and what is happening with the award participants.

Register to attend via your membership portal or go to https://outdoors.kartra.com/page/2026industryevents

13/03/2026

🌿 Facilitating with Intent – Professional Development Course

Great outdoor educators are always learning. If you’ve ever felt like you’re just moving groups from one activity to the next, this course is designed to help you go deeper.

Led by Outdoors NSW & ACT, this 2-day immersive course focuses on building the skills and mindset needed to create meaningful learning experiences. Through hands-on practice, peer learning, and reflection, participants will explore facilitation frameworks, debriefing techniques, participant mindsets, and ways to build stronger connection with their groups.

You’ll also have the opportunity to facilitate your own short activity and receive supportive feedback, helping you grow your confidence and expand your facilitation toolkit.

📍 Tallong Outdoor Education Centre 📅 13–14 April 2026

With only 20 spots available, this small-group setting allows for deeper discussion, practice, and connection with other facilitators in the sector. If you’re looking to strengthen your facilitation skills and create more impactful outdoor experiences, now is the time to sign up.

📩 training@outdoorsnswact.com.au

🌿

13/03/2026

🚵 Mountain Biking Training

This training was a bespoke program designed specifically to meet the needs of Barker College

Delivering the training on the very grounds where sessions are run made it highly engaging. Participants were able to visualise their own programs, consider risk management in context, and immediately apply knowledge to the terrain and resources available to them.

The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, particularly around how relevant and practical the skills were, with thanks to Dynamic Motivation MTB 🚴‍♀️

What made this program particularly strong was the collaboration behind it. Through conversations between Scott and Tintin, we were able to unpack the specific needs of the school and shape a program that truly fit.

That’s our role at ONSWACT: to make it easier for you to access suitable training providers and take this process off your plate — because we know you already have enough going on.

Don’t hesitate to contact us at training@outdoorsnswact.com.au for your training needs!

10/03/2026

In January, we had 7 outdoor educators attend a 4-day Wilderness First Aid course at Tallong Outdoor Education Centre.

The program was designed around participant profiles, ensuring scenarios reflected the most common incidents experienced on camps and expeditions. The focus was on relevance, practical application, and building confidence in real-world situations.

Participant feedback included:
“Any future student would be lucky to have Simon as their teacher.”
“Simon was able to tailor the experience to the level we wanted to learn at, answering all kinds of questions and giving honest feedback.”
“He tailored the training to our knowledge and field very well. When covering topics less relevant to us, he always made it clear what was most applicable to our work.”
“Simon did a superb job reading the room and allowing space for participants to grow. The knowledge provided was more than I expected.”

A huge thank you to Emergency Australia for sending their best — Simon and to Tallong Campus, Santa Sabina College, Outdoor Education Centre for providing such a supportive space to run the course.

We’re also grateful to Southbound Adventures and Black Diamond Adventures for trusting us to support the professional growth of your staff 🩺

09/03/2026

ONE WEEK LEFT TO SUBMIT YOUR EOI FOR THE 2026 OUTDOOR LEARNING CONFERENCE
17 & 18 JULY 2026
Jervis Bay NSW

Share practice, tips, curriculum links and whatever you think that will help getting more kids outdoors more often 💚💙

https://outdoors.kartra.com/survey/OLMC2026
Outdoor Learning Conference 2026

08/03/2026

Celebrating the women of the outdoors 💚💙

03/03/2026

Have you entered the Cancer Council NSW competition yet?

03/03/2026

📣 Employers in the Outdoor Industry: got a role to fill?
Post it on Outdoor Work Australia so the right people can find you.

✅ FREE job listings for ONSWACT members
🌿 Built for outdoor roles

Start here:

Outdoor recreation, education, adventure tourism or nature therapy jobs in Australia can be found here.

01/03/2026

What a month February was 🌿

From launching the Outdoor Industry Awards to progressing the AAAS Review, workforce advocacy, Safety Alerts, Member Meet & Greets, EOIs, professional development and more — there’s been a lot happening behind the scenes at Outdoors NSW & ACT.

If you work in outdoor education, recreation or adventure tourism, this update is worth a few minutes of your time.

There are important deadlines (including the Occupation Shortage List survey), opportunities to apply, and events to save the date for.

👉 Read the full February wrap here:
https://outdoors.kartra.com/page/2026February

27/02/2026

It’s official! 🎉

This morning we launched the NSW & ACT Outdoor Industry Awards!

These Awards celebrate the incredible people and organisations delivering outdoor education, recreation, adventure tourism, therapy programs, events and so much more across our industry.

From emerging leaders to outstanding long-term contributors…
From small organisations doing powerful community work to large operators setting industry standards…

We want to recognise YOU.

We’re looking for organisations that think about:
🌱 Sustainability
🤝 Inclusion & connection to community
🧭 Professional growth
📣 Strong client engagement
🌏 Industry leadership

Entries are now open.

If you know someone who deserves recognition — tag them below 👇
If your organisation is making a difference — enter.

Let’s celebrate the Outdoor Industry in NSW & ACT 🌿
Applications for the judging team are also now open

🔗

2026 Outdoor Industry Awards NSW ACT

24/02/2026

Welcome to the Experience the Outdoors in NSW & ACT family South Coast Adventure Guides
Officially our newest member who will reap the benefits of being part of their peak body in the Outdoor Industry.

24/02/2026

The Outdoor Council of Australia (OCA) has received strong and constructive feedback regarding the current review of the Australian Adventure Activity Standard (AAAS) and associated Good Practice Guides (GPGs).Given the recent discussions across the Steering Committee, Core GPG Committee and the var...