18 Apr Murray Mallee Adventure Camp Activities

Nestled in the picturesque landscapes of Murray Mallee, this camp offers a thrilling escapade into nature’s embrace and promises an unforgettable experience amidst the beauty of the wilderness.

Let’s delve into the exhilarating array of activities that await at Camp Illawonga. The program is action-packed, and students rotate through a range of activities, learning valuable skills for life.

Illawonga Challenge The Illawonga Challenge is a series of problem solving challenges like the hit TV show Survivor. Your group will be allocated into tribes, and work through a combination of physical and mental puzzles and relays.

The activities are fun, interactive, and encourage leadership, teamwork, communication, creative thinking, and other valuable life skills.

Depending on the weather, the Illawonga Challenge has some components where students may get wet. The challenges will vary depending on the group and environmental factors.

Mallee Sculpture Trail | Mountain Biking Camp Illawonga is set on 1800 acres of mallee scrub, which is home to an amazing sculpture trail. The trail is approximately 3km and students will weave their way through the bush, past various wombat holes and wildlife habitats.

Students will have a great time exploring the bush, learning about wildlife and why the mallee is such an important part of the ecosystem. *There is also an optional extra to explore the sculpture trail by mountain bike. Please contact our team for more details. Transport to and from the sculpture trail is provided in the “Mallee Explorer Cart”.

Aquatics Time | Paddle boats You can’t have a trip to the river without a swim! Aquatics time is always a highlight for students as they swim in our exclusive marina. Students must wear life jackets, and the marina is a safe and contained area with minimal water flow, perfect for swimming and relaxing.

Aquatics time includes use of our Illawonga paddle boats. These are stable crafts that hold 4 people and are powered by the students legs. Students will also enjoy playing on the flotation mats, swimming, and for those that do not wish to get wet, we also have fishing avilable as an option, too.

Punyelroo Cave Tour | Accessible by boat One of the key camp highlights is visiting the Punyelroo Cave. This amazing cave system is accessible by our “Fossil Finder” boat and we journey across the river and into the Punyelroo lagoon to access the cave entrance. Students will learn about the river system’s ecology, be amazed by the birdlife and see the flood lines of years gone by.

Students walk approximately 250 metres into the cave and if they are up for a challenge, they can crawl through some of the tighter passages. Students will need to bring their own torch, with helmets provided.

Kayaking Camp Illawonga offers a fantastic introduction to kayaking. Starting in our private marina, students will learn how to enter and exit the kayak, paddling technique, how to turn, how to reverse and more. After students have built their confidence in the marina, they will journey across the Mighty River Murray to the Punyelroo Lagoon. The Lagoon is very shallow, safe and a perfect place for students to practise their skills. It is home to lots of birdlife and students can truly immerse themselves in nature.

Life jackets are provided and students will paddle in single or double kayaks (depending on group sizes and abilities). Shoes that can get wet are essential.

River Survival / Raft Building River Survival is a fun and exciting activity. Teams will be provided a scenario where they are marooned on the river bank. They must then work together, build a raft and paddle their way back to safety (depending on the group and timing, there is often a first aid scenario too). Prizes are awarded for the best raft, as well as the group that wins the final race.

Students are provided with life jackets plus all raft materials. If it is too cold to get wet, the group will build survival shelters instead. Shoes that can get wet are essential.

River Survival | Shelter/Platform Building River Survival is a fun and exciting activity. Teams will be provided a scenario where they are marooned on the river bank and they must then work together, build a shelter and platform to keep them safe (depending on the group and timing, there is often a first aid scenario too). Prizes are awarded for the best shelter/platform.

Students are provided with all building materials and the activity includes visiting the 600 year old tree on the riverbank. River Survival will provide students with valuable life skills including tying knots, building techniques, bushcraft fundamentals and more.

Mallee Explorer Safari Ride Camp Illawonga has a custom built open cart named the ‘Mallee Explorer’ which takes students to explore our 1800 acre mallee bush block. Our mallee scrub is home to iconic Australian wildlife including kangaroos, emus, echidnas, birdlife and of course wombats!

Students will explore old ruins, including a visit to an original meat safe fridge, and learn about how the early settlers lived. The Mallee Explorer Cart Ride is also part of our Mallee Sculpture Trail experience.

The cart is towed by a 4WD vehicle and travels along private tracks on private property.

Bugs Life The Murray River is full of life! In this activity students will have a hands on experience learning about the aquatic life that exists both in and along the river bank. Students are provided with bug nets and microscopes, working in small groups to explore the riverbank to see what microorganisms and other interesting things they can find. The river is also home to yabbies and shrimp, and nets can be used to try and catch/observe these fascinating creatures.

This activity is fantastic for students to learn about the environment, the benefits of flooding and drought, and how the river system works.

Stargazing Camp Illawonga is located in the heart of an official “Dark Sky Reserve”. Looking at the night sky is an amazing experience for students to learn about constellations, planets and the stories of the sky.

Time permitting, students can take a short guided walk into the bush, away from the camp building lighting, where they can look up in awe at the millions of stars in the sky.

Star Gazing is optional, the time of year also affects this activity depending on last light.

Stargazing | Campfire Camp Illawonga is located in the heart of an official “Dark Sky Reserve”. Looking at the night sky is an amazing experience for students to learn about constellations, planets and the stories of the sky.

Time permitting, students can take a short guided walk into the bush, away from the camp building lighting, where they can look up in awe at the millions of stars in the sky.

Star Gazing operates in conjunction with the campfire experience and is weather dependent (not available on total fire ban days).

So if you’re ready to escape the ordinary and dive into a world of adventure, contact our friendly team for more info.