Women's 3 Day Survival Skills Course

STARTS: 17:30 PM FRIDAY 24 MAY 24- FINISHES: NOON MONDAY 27 MAY 24

This course is for women who want to gain the confidence to safely explore the wilderness, and learn what to do if they find themselves in a survival situation.

The focus of the weekend is on practical, useful and hands-on skills.

Join me in a beautiful bush location, just outside of Canberra. Camping facilities available for three nights with a long-drop toilet, fire pits and under-cover shelter if the weather turns bad, all amongst schlerophyl eucalypt forests - the perfect place to learn valuable, hands-on outdoor survival skills.

Many survival schools teach Wilderness Living skills, rather than Survival. But when you’re lost, you don’t need to know how to build a shelter that will see you through 102 days on the TV show, ALONE. You won’t likely have the tools or the energy either, so our focus is on the most efficient, practical and useful techniques that will actually help you survive.

Some survival courses have a ex-military/hunting flavour to them. However military survival skills have a very different objective to our approach. Military SERE (Survive / Escape / Resist / Evade) skills focus on avoiding detection, while our priority is on staying alive and maximise rescue (including self-rescue).

While you won't want want to carry a suitcase full of gadgety survival gear, I'll have plenty of useful hands-on kit for you to try and explore. You won't see a bigger range of options, in any other course in Australia.

We'll review what works, what doesn't and what’s the minimum pocket-sized kit that will get through almost any emergency scenario, and help you select the most effective items for your own kit and future adventures.

Our approach is based on Search & Rescue statistics, research and process, Lost Person behaviour, Survival Psychology and pragmatic outdoor techniques.

What the course covers:

Survival priorities and how to decide what’s important:

->Mindset, Shelter, Water, Fire and Signalling

Mindset:

> How people respond (how you’ll likely respond)

>Dealing with Wood Shock (and what it is)

>How to make a plan and prioritise

First-Aid

>Critical first-aid items

>Snakes and snake-bite

Shelter

>How to build an emergency shelter

You’ll get to construct a shelter (and can sleep in it, if you’re up for the adventure)

Fire

>Making fire with friction, flint and steel and other improvised methods

>How to build a fire with wet wood

>Efficient fire-making skills

While you’ll get to start a fire using friction methods like Bow Drills and Hand drills - we’ll show you why that’s grossly impractical and impossible if you’re in a real survival situation - and what to do, instead, including from simple items you'll likely have on you.

Water

>Finding and collecting water, without a water source

>Making water safe to drink

> What to do when you run out of water

Signalling

>Different signal methods

>How to signal to maximise rescue

Navigation

>Map, compass and navigation basics

>Using nature to navigate

>How to get unlost

Survival Kits

>How to make your own basic kit

> Crap v useful items in commercial survival kits

Knife Handling, Safety and Sharpening

>Knives and safe handling

> Basic Knife Sharpening

WHAT TO BRING

I'll send a detailed Information Pack to all participants with all the gear you'll need. You will need a caravan, tent or tarp for camping for three nights. Camping is included for Thurs 18, Fri 19 and Sat 20.

We commence at 05:30 PM on Friday 24 May - I would encourage you to get in a bit earlier on Friday and get your camp set up for a 05:30 pm start.

Please bring your own survival kit items if you have them (eg ferro rod, tinder, whistle, mirror, water purifiers, etc). If you don’t have any survival kit, I recommend you hold off on purchasing them until you’ve participated in our weekend where you can see what works best, and what doesn’t. We have a huge range and diversity of kit items to try, as well as plenty of all natural options.

If you don't have camping gear, I can loan a tent / sleeping mat / sleeping bag and rain jacket. Access to loan items are included in the Info Pack.

This location has a long-drop toilet, but no shower facilities.

There is no wifi or mobile phone signal at this site. Tank water is available, but requires treatment prior to use. Each participant should bring their own drinking water for the duration of the course, if you don't have water treatment.

While the site is accessible by 2WD, the road into the site is around 2 klms in distance, and is on compressed and rocky dirt road. I recommend lift-sharing where possible and will provide driving instructions, closer to the date.

REFUND INFORMATION

If you cancel (for any reason) > 30 days out from the event, I will refund you fully, less a $4.50 processing fee. [For this activity - before 23 Apr 23]

If you cancel between 30 and 14 days before the activity, I will refund you 50% of the cost of the course.

If you cancel less than 14 days, unfortunately there is no refund available.

I’m happy to transfer your spot onto one future course date. If you choose the transfer option, there are no refunds available if you then later cancel on a transferred spot.

I can also transfer your ticket to an alternative attendee, with your written approval.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Here's a link to some frequently asked questions about the activity:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eckqHDSRK1_4LgIwCuFd5xzYvzAuMmzYOXIQ65QUWvA/edit?usp=share_link

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

You can read more about our instructor, here:

https://bushsafe.com/about-us

Read our feature by the ABC here:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-22/act-teaching-women-outdoor-emergency-survival-skills-hiking/102634212

BUSHSAFE

PO BOX 977

DICKSON POST OFFICE, ACT 2602

MOB: 0466 978 029

ABN: 92 845 308 397

Learn how to find water and what to do, when you run out

Learn cord making with natural fibres and net making

We teach 3 ways of addressing survival priorities - natural, manufactured and improvised methods. Learn how to make a natural lean-to shelter

Learn safe knife, blade and saw handling and how to sharpen knives

You'll learn how to start a fire - six different ways including how to use a ferrocerium rod (ferro rod), flint and steel and bow and hand drill. You'll get to try different natural and manufactured tinders, how to build a safe fire, and what to do if it's raining or wood is wet.

Learn how to use a compass, how to read a topographic map, how to put those two items together to navigate. Understand how people get lost and tips and tricks for getting yourself unlost.

Learn hands-on skills in a beautiful bush setting

We'll look at all survival priorities, including signal devices. Learn how to use a retroflective mirror or set off a Personal Locator Beacon.

At night, share a campfire and stories (and marshmallows) with other wonderful women from outdoors communities around Australia!