Practical Conservation Through Outdoor Education
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Wollangarra's programs give young people a unique opportunity to experience what Wollangarra and the surrounding mountains have to offer. Scroll down to find about the programs that we have scheduled in for the year. If you're keen to participate in one of our programs (or know someone who is) you can follow the links below to check available bookings.
If you're keen to volunteer and help out on one of these programs (either on a hike or helping out back at the Wollangarra homestead/flat) please get in touch to register your interest. We love our volunteers and Wollangarra relies on amazing volunteers to keep things ticking so we'd love to hear from you. Please note that we often have limited capacity for volunteer roles so please register your interest early.
About the Programs
Stage 1 - Meeting the Mountains
Wollangarra’s renowned introductory program, Meeting the Mountains, offers young people from 14 –17 years the chance to discover the joy of hiking in our beautiful mountains. Young people journey in small, well organised and fully supervised hiking groups.
With these expeditions Wollangarra hopes to encourage an awareness of our environment. Meeting the Mountains is a five-day course with two nights on hike, and two nights on the farm to experience the pioneer lifestyle of the Wollangarra homestead. Young people hike in small groups of 10-12.
The hike is designed to be an enjoyable experience for the young people, as we are looking to establish a positive connection between them and the mountains. The hikers return on Thursday evening to a hot shower and a lamb roast dinner waiting for them. After dinner we sit around the open fire and swap our stories from the week.
Stage 2 - Helping the Mountains
Stage 2 is a unique opportunity for young people who enjoyed their Wollangarra Stage I to come back, get their hands dirty, visit more amazing mountains, and meet lots of other like-minded individuals.
The program is slightly different to that of a Stage 1. Stage 2’s may camp together in one big group (maximum of 24 young people with four or five staff) or in two smaller groups (12 young people with 2 staff). This is a great opportunity to really get to know the other people on the program.
When Stage Twos go hiking their main purpose is to work on a conservation project in our local area. This means we often carry tools and any thing else we might need with us. In the past, Stage II’s have worked on building and maintaining hiking tracks, rebuilding sections of old high country huts, or revegetation in important conservation areas. This is all done with the assistance of Wollangarra staff members and sometimes professionals in the field (like Parks Victoria Rangers, stone masons or local walking club members). We also make sure that we have a rest day going for a wander up a river bed or up a mountain nearby.