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Brand New Program for Kids/Family - The Bluegum Tribe Experience

8/1/2012

Hi, and Happy New Year to all the Bluegum Tribe!

We're very pleased to announce that our pilot run of the Bluegum Tribe Experience was a resounding success, and we're officially opening it for all families and kids.

The Tribe Experience runs during school holidays and is a chance for families to have a camping experience in the bush together, while experienced nature mentors hold activities for the kids.

You can find out all about it by clicking here:

http://www.bluegumbushcraft.com.au/tribe-experience.html

If you have kids or know parents who'd be interested in the nature connection/coyote mentoring we offer, please pass this on.

Have a great New Year, and we hope to see you in the bush!

with love from the Bluegum Family.

http://www.bluegumbushcraft.com.au/tribe-experience.html

http://www.bluegumbushcraft.com.au/tribe-experience.html

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Harvesting for Basketry

7/1/2012

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What do you see in this pic?

Here's what we saw - baskets!

These large rushes looked to us like they could be good for making baskets, so we had a word with the lovely folks who live near this dam and they generously let us help ourselves.

Here's Chris in the thick of it:

Laying them out flat for drying...

We haven't tried this species yet, so we'll let you know how they go. They'll need to dry for a few weeks before they're ready, but here's one Gina made earlier. (It's decorated with emu feathers and also made from rushes, but of a different species.)

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The Importance of Being Tribe

24/12/2011

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We humans are 'built' to be part of a larger group - a tribe.

In the service of our tribe we are able to accomplish more than we could on our own, and with the support of a tribe we can be greater than we could otherwise.

A true tribal experience is something many yearn for, and those who experience it often find their view of the world, and what it is to be a human, has changed. There is often a sense of safety, of belonging, that was not there before.

At Bluegum Bushcraft we feel that the ability to create and sustain healthy communities is at the heart of feeling at home in the wild.

With that in mind, we designed the program below.

We look forward to welcoming you to the tribe!

Tribal Gathering
- community, creativity, bushcraft

Calling all of the nature tribe together -

Kids, Teens, Adults, Elders

Mon 16th – Wed 18th January 2012

(optional 5 days to Friday 20th)

at Wangat Lodge

1938 Chichester Dam Rd via Dungog NSW

Survival Skills, Bush Tucker, Bushcraft, Camouflage, Indigenous knowledge, Earth music, Wild-erness...

Cost: $140 per person, $380 per family , $480 for 4 adults.

Facilitated by Nikki Brown, Lee Trew, Claire Dunn and Jess Allan

Hostel-style accommodation. Dinners Provided.

For Information and Bookings:

Call 4995 9265, Text 0412 216 485 or email: wildplace@wangat.com.au

tribal_gathering_poster_low_res_final.pdf
File Size:	284 kb
File Type:	pdf

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Sweatlodge coming soon!

1/12/2011

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Lee and Beth hard at work, square-lashing the saplings together

Ooh boy, are we excited! We just finished putting the finishing touches to our Bluegum Bushcraft sweatlodge. (It's actually made from spotted gum, as opposed to blue gum saplings, but don't tell anyone :c)

It's big enough for about 20 people comfortably, and we used a yurt-like design which makes more efficient use of the steam than a dome shape does.

For those of you who have never heard of a sweatlodge, it is a ceremonial shelter which is covered with blankets or hides, and has fire heated, red hot rocks placed in the centre pit. These are splashed with water which makes steam, which heats the lodge. So, yep, on one level it's basically a primitive sauna.

But when you sit on the soil in that utter darkness and feel the steam begin to work its magic, while a harmony of voices is raised in song, the experience is beyond description. It's no wonder that the sweatlodge was used for healing, prayer and personal transformation in so many cultures the world over - Celtic, indigenous Chinese, Siberian, not to mention indigenous Scandinavian and American.

We'll let you know once we get the coverings for the lodge (we're getting some special blankets) and if you feel called, we look forward to sweating with you in the new year!

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Family Camp nr Newcastle: Jan 16-18th 2012

21/11/2011

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tribal_gathering_poster_low_res_final.pdf
File Size:	284 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

We're teaming up with our friends at Wangat Lodge (near Newcastle) to bring you this exciting program to kick off the New Year:

Tribal Gathering
Connection, Creativity, and Bushcraft

Calling all of the nature tribe together -

Kids, Teens, Adults, Elders

Mon 16th – Wed 18th January 2012

(optional 5 days to Friday 20th)

at Wangat Lodge

1938 Chichester Dam Rd via Dungog NSW

Survival Skills, Bush Tucker, Craft, Camouflage, Indigenous knowledge, Earth music, Wild-erness...

Cost: $140 per person, $380 per family , $480 for 4 adults.

Facilitated by Nikki Brown, Lee Trew, Claire Dunn and Jess Allan

Hostel-style accommodation. Dinners Provided.

For Information and Bookings:

Call 4995 9265, Text 0412 216 485 or email: wildplace@wangat.com.au

CLICK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD POSTER

tribal_gathering_poster_low_res_final.pdf
File Size:	284 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Bethanie joins the Bluegum Family

31/10/2011

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The other big news here at Eagleview, our beautiful bush property (aka Bluegum HQ), is the arrival of a new member of the Bluegum family..

We have the wonderful Ms Bethanie Jolly herself coming to stay with us for a whole year!

An ecological scientist by training, Bethanie is also an intrepid explorer of the natural world, not to mention human cultures. She has recently returned from Arnhem Land and Papua New Guinea, and will be taking a year out to immerse herself in the bush and make a home for herself here in the wilds of NSW's south coast.

We'll let her introduce herself properly (look our for her bio in the About Us section), but you'll meet her in person on our courses this year, as she'll be lending her expertise as a fellow instructor.

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Website Launched!

24/10/2011

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Gina celebrates the launch of the website

Well, the first bit of news is the launch of our website!

That's right - up till now our courses have been advertised purely by word of mouth. But we thought it was about time we got with the times and launched ourselves into this new-fangled Internet thingy.

In keeping with our mission to spread the word on bushcraft, and all things naturally inclined, we look forward to reaching even more people and welcoming them to the Bluegum tribe.

Not all our content is up yet, so be sure to check back soon!

In the meantime, have a go at our Tracking Challenge in the 'Nature Journal' section. The best answer wins a cool mystery prize... Good luck!

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Forward>>

Brand New Program for Kids/Family - The Bluegum Tribe Experience

http://www.bluegumbushcraft.com.au/tribe-experience.html

http://www.bluegumbushcraft.com.au/tribe-experience.html

Harvesting for Basketry

The Importance of Being Tribe

Tribal Gathering
- community, creativity, bushcraft

Sweatlodge coming soon!

Family Camp nr Newcastle: Jan 16-18th 2012

Bethanie joins the Bluegum Family

Website Launched!

Bluegum Newsdesk

Archives

Categories

Brand New Program for Kids/Family - The Bluegum Tribe Experience

http://www.bluegumbushcraft.com.au/tribe-experience.html

http://www.bluegumbushcraft.com.au/tribe-experience.html

Harvesting for Basketry

The Importance of Being Tribe

Tribal Gathering - community, creativity, bushcraft

Sweatlodge coming soon!

Family Camp nr Newcastle: Jan 16-18th 2012

Bethanie joins the Bluegum Family

Website Launched!

Bluegum Newsdesk

Archives

Categories

Tribal Gathering
- community, creativity, bushcraft