Wangat!

I arrived at Wangat last Sunday and have spent the week with Verity and Dan, and I’ve been busy! I’m not quite sure how to go about describing everything I’ve seen, done, and learned in a way that feels like I’m conveying that parts that matter, but here’s my attempt:

Wangat is an outdoor education/family camp/retreat center that hosts individuals, families, school trips, and camps at various times throughout the year. It's located in New South Wales near the edge of the Barrington Tops National Park, about 4 hours north-ish of Sydney and an hour west-ish of Newcastle. The closest town is Dungog. There’s a big lodge that has 10 cabin-style rooms, and a nice little cottage called Melia Cottage (that’s where I’m currently staying) and a bigger cottage for families called Clancy Cottage.

Verity and Dan own and run Wangat. I’ve really enjoyed helping them out with all sorts of things, from leading bush adventure hikes to preparing lunches in the kitchen with many ingredients from their own gardens, to organizing the lodge hall space and adding an arts and crafts shelf (which I’m very proud of, thank you very much). It’s now just the three of us here, but last week there were many more people on the team. Mahli and Rikki came during the family camp, Mahli is a really talented bush educator and story-teller. He helped Dan run the camp and took kids on nature walks, taught them skills like knifework, sit-spots, fire-making, etc. Rikki specializes in kahuna massage and bodywork, and gave massages to parents and staff during the week. I don’t think I’d gotten a massage for like 5 years before Rikki, and she’s incredible! We also had 3 visiting volunteers from Hong Kong join us: Joe (the founder of Hong Kong’s Experiential Education program and a Tai Chi master), Charlene, and Meow (yes like the cat, she really likes cats). Our first night’s dinner all together resulted in really fascinating discussions of the Hong Kong protests, education pedagogy, and nature connection and what it means to us all personally.

What more could I possibly want? Living in the bush and rainforest area, having a campfire every night, meeting new people all the time and making some wonderful friendships, seeing new animals and plants (I saw a wallaby the other day right in front of me on my walk!), eating amazing and healthy food and learning how to make it, and getting a massage!

A pretty shot on our hike to Bunyip's Bath

Bunyip's Bath! 

Mahli telling one of his stories about "Wombat Lodge" during the family holiday camp

Some kids climbing a ~300-400 year old fig tree! This tree was probably 40 meters tall, the length of an Olympic-sized swimming pool! 

Right away when I arrived at Wangat last week, we began prepping for the Family Nature camp that was happening for the next 4 days. Holidays = School Vacation, and in Australia there are about 2 week vacations from school with every change of season. It’s winter in Australia now, which is hilarious to me, because it feels like a nice fall day all the time. A bit too chilly to wear shorts, but I don’t mind at all. On some bush adventure hikes, I’ve rock-hopped, found waterfalls, climbed a ~350 year old fig tree, and taken in some really beautiful views.

My time at Wangat has focused more on the nature side of my Watson project (Wilderness Therapy and Nature-Based Therapeutic Practices) rather than the therapy side of it, but I think it’s important for me to have a good grip on what “nature” means to people in Australia and to have some actual experience with the bush before I try to apply it in a therapeutic context. Of course there are always mental health benefits from being in the outdoors, and I’ve seen it in myself and the kids and parents that have come to Wangat this week. Parents say that their kids with behavioral issues absolutely love and thrive playing outside all day and learning about the bush, and there are so many opportunities to just be and to authentically engage with the sensory experiences you’re having while hiking/walking/sitting in the bush. Dan does a really good job of getting kids to connect with nature in subtle ways, like relating a personal goal or challenge to rock-hopping, of making sure that safety of 1. Yourself 2. Others 3. The environment is prioritized in everything you do, both outdoors and indoors, physically and mentally.

My plan for the near-future is to continue doing what I’m doing at Wangat until August sometime when I’m going to the AABAT conference to meet Bush Adventure Therapy practitioners. After that I’m not sure what I’ll do! I’m actually kind of enjoying not having any set plans besides the immediate future, it feels like I have more freedom to follow my heart and instinct and to really make the most out of my time this year.

Hopefully this provides a little summary of my experiences during the last week! 

-Andi