Beginner overnight Bushwalk for OAS 4

Bushwalking Skills Hike (OAS 4)

This hike will allow Scouts to work towards OAS Bushwalking Stage 4. Participants should already have achieved OAS 3, or be very close to completing it.

The activity has been deliberately planned at a relaxed pace, with sufficient time to focus on developing the skills required for more advanced bushwalking, including OAS 5, Scout Adventurous Journeys, and Duke of Edinburgh Award Journeys.
For Duke of Ed participants, this hike can be used as a practice walk. OAS 4 bushwalking is also the first step, if you are planning on getting the Australian Scout Award.

Drop-off Location

Parents are required to drop off Scouts at:
End of Lieutenant Bowen Road, Bowen Mountain NSW 2753

Camp and Activity Plan

We will not be hiking a huge distance, 5km in to the campground and 5km out. During the hike, the Scouts will be expected to carry their hiking pack, including food and some group gear to the camp.

We will set up camp on the grass, surrounded by native scribbly gums and a natural sandstone amphitheatre. Then we will have our packed lunch before embarking on an easy bushwalk past a convict-dug pit, along the creek and through a small rainforest gully to Bulcamatta Falls, a 4km return night walk to uncover the magic of the Glow Worm Caves.

The nearby Burralow Peat Swamps provide a habitat for the nationally endangered Giant Dragonfly in summer, and keen birdwatchers should keep an eye out for the rare Glossy Black Cockatoo.

Once back at camp, we will cook up dinner. See if you can spot the nightlife, including Swamp Wallabies, Sugar Gliders, Brushtail and Ringtail Possums, and several species of Owl. Then settle in and watch the night sky fill with stars.

Saturday night dinner will be your choice of a Backcountry meal, a freeze-dried meal (800cal) that professional hikers use.

Next morning, we will cook breakfast, pack a lunch to take away, then play a wide game or two, do a bit of badgework, packup the tent and start the walk back to the drop off point for parental pickup.

Key Skill Development Areas

• Packing for a multi-day hike
• Correct fitting and carrying of a hiking pack
• Overnight hiking and camping
• Stove cooking
• Map reading, map orientation, and navigation using map and compass
• Using natural navigation aids
• Use of communication and emergency equipment
• OAS Bushwalking Stage 3 & 4 badgework (menus, not getting lost, bushwalking etiquette, minor first aid, etc.)

Packing Instructions & Dress Code

Please refer to the attached packing list as a guide. Scouts will be carrying everything themselves, so packing light is essential.

• The aim is to carry ~20% of body weight (excluding water).
• A proper fitting hiking pack is essential:
  • Suitcases, School bags, travel backpacks, or old adult packs are not suitable
  • Pack size should be 45–50 litres maximum
  • Bulky gear such as sleeping bags and pads must be compressible enough to fit inside the pack. No strapping things to the outside of the pack.
  • If your Scout does not own a suitable pack, Ermington Scouts has a limited number available to borrow
  • If your Scout has not yet had a growth spurt, borrowing a pack may be preferable to purchasing one
• Wear weather-appropriate clothing and sturdy hiking footwear.
• Scout uniform is NOT required for this activity.