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What is 'Thrive Feb 2020' tribe rewild Quest?

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How do I even begin to explain this adventure? It's so epic I can barely type. Ok, breathe, Gigi, and use your words...
Thrive is a week long wandering village Quest, exploring coastal survival on the move, hunter-gatherer style.

Picture this.
Our group has 20 adults. Each wearing only a bathing costume and small fleece shoulder wrap, and carrying one survival item (fishing line and hooks, knife, billy, cordage, hatchet, etc), plus some limited calories. There will be periods of activity and periods of rest, as we fall into the natural rhythm of a wandering band.

Jervis Bay is a pristine coastal wilderness and marine park teeming with life. It is home to fish, sea lions, penguins, sea dragons, dolphins, sea eagles, myriad birds, kangaroos, wallabies, sugar gliders...   We will be foraging in permitted areas using fishing, spear fishing, netting, and gathering. Each person can bring a small amount of calories per day and we will hunt and gather the rest. We have to work together, as a village on the move. For some parts of the walk we will be in full stealth, avoiding all humans, camouflaged to avoid being seen by muggles :)

Think Survivor, but friendly, with heart and connection, where we all look after each other. You don't need boss primitive survival skills, although some fitness and resilience is necessary, as this will be emotionally and physically strenuous. You do need a willingness to be part of a group, solving problems together, while overcoming some physical challenges. It's amazing what humans can accomplish in a group, and we're here to support you all the way.
As a village we will solve the vital and universal hunter-gatherer questions of shelter, water, fire and food in a coastal environment.

How do we keep ourselves warm and dry? How do we find food and water on the landscape? How do we support each other using ancient social technologies to function as a healthy community in a survival situation? How do we find the exquisite joy that comes from being connected to the landscape as a functioning cell in the body of big mama earth? How do we balance the need for doing with the need for being? How do we unearth our gifts, the unique qualities we bring to the village?

Whether you are an artist, a hunter, a healer, a protector, whether you create useful things with your hands or keep everyone laughing when things fall apart... everyone has a place, everyone is a jigsaw puzzle piece with their own perfect shape in the group. This is the chance to discover what that is, not as a concept, but as a real, embodied experience.

From the purely practical to the emotional, from the mental to the metaphysical, this Quest will stretch you to your edges, which is where transformation happens. Any Quest is where we find out who and what we really are.

We will work closely with local indigenous elders and cultural caretakers to ensure cultural sites are respected, our impact on the land is minimal, and that the programme has cultural sensitivity and respect. We will be welcomed and taught by David Little, Wanwandian man, of Ngarda bushfoods. We will be educated about cultural sites in the area to ensure we only walk where we are allowed. We aim to walk in right relationship with this beautiful land, its traditional owners and each other, learning traditional language where we can. We are committed to deep relationship with traditional custodians, and a culture of sharing and acknowledgement. We also acknowledge that if we make mistakes, it is through our own ignorance, not wilfulness, and we will take every step to learn and build bridges of respect.

We thank all the traditional owners of Jervis Bay, and acknowledge that ownership of traditional lands was never ceded.
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Supported by Gina and Lee with daily gentle check in circles, emotional processing guidance and ongoing practical skills this Quest gives you ample opportunity to deepen into skills of tracking, foraging, fishing, spear fishing, deep nature connection, bush tucker, weather watching, fire by friction, shelter building, basketmaking and primitive pottery, plus resilience, emotional processing, problem solving and anything else that comes up on the Quest.

It also is a way to prepare for transition times and emergencies in our rapidly changing world.

Cost is $1300 for the full 8 day Quest, including the first night's camping at our initial gathering point in Huskisson.
We will shuttle you to the walk departure point, and shuttle you back again to your cars.
​Does this Quest call to you, like a scratch under your skin from the wild parts of you? Does it whisper, deep down in your belly, in the places where you dare to dream, before your mind comes in with all the reasons why you can't do this? If you are so called, but for some reason you think you can't do this... fitness, age, whatever it is... please get in touch. We mentor people of all ages, skills and experience into wilderness connection, and you'd be surprised at the people who do our programmes. Our last survival Quest saw a 60 year old woman join us... and in many ways she left the younguns behind! We have people who've never even camped have beautiful experiences in the wild places with us. We are committed to helping people be at home in the wild. We'll honestly evaluate and reflect so whatever decision you make, it will be in your rightness.

For more general information, contact Kiki on training@bluegumbushcraft.com.au.

If you want a chat about your skills and suitability, email me on [email protected] to arrange an interview.

How do I sign up?

There are limited places in Thrive 2020. Once you have filled out the application form, we'll let you know if you have been accepted within a week. Once you've been accepted and paid the deposit you'll receive all further information on preparation.
If you are keen, get your application in. This will probably book out!

See you in the wild places,
Lots of love

Gina (Gigi) (Camp Mama)
Wild Heart and Bluegum Bushcraft acknowledge the traditional owners of Jervis Bay.
​We acknowledge the displaced indigenous custodians of all Australian country. We give respect to elders past present and emerging, and acknowledge that sovereignty of this land was never ceded.