Kimberley Odyssey Eco Trek

Wilderness Leadership & Cultural Expedition

This is a team expedition and indigenous cultural program based in a rugged and remote area of the WA’s East Kimberley region. The objective of this expedition is not to create a group of competent and confident hikers (although this may well be one of the outcomes of the program), but rather to encourage the development of the skills and abilities that make for an effective team of committed individuals via a greater understanding of the influences of good personal leadership.

In an unfamiliar and challenging environment you will have the opportunity to:

• Establish a supportive and trusting relationship with other members of the team that fosters open and honest communication and feedback
• Reflect on how to develop your talents as a leader whose position is based on trust, respect and sound ethical decision making
• Become more aware of your own personal strengths and qualities at the same time identify areas you would like to improve as an effective member of a team and future leader
• Participate in Aboriginal Welcome to Country and Farewell ceremonies, and reflect on your own connection to the land and to the environment as a whole

Program Objectives

Adventure Out strongly believes in the benefits of students undertaking outdoor adventure activities because of the link to:

• Building psychological resilience
• Increasing and strengthening coping strategies
• Risk taking in a controlled and safe environment
• Mentoring and modeling
• Understanding and accepting responsibility
• Trust with working in small teams

The activities provide a vehicle for learning. It’s about students pushing themselves and achieving what they thought was not possible. It’s about the instructors drawing the learning out of the students and encouraging them to verbalise their experience and how they would apply those skills to future activities in everyday life.

Location

The Dunham River is a 153km long tributary of the Ord River which flows north easterly into the Ord near Kununurra. The river was named by Kimberley pioneer ‘Stumpy’ Michael Durack in 1882 after Reverend Father Dunham of Brisbane, the first clergyman to visit Coopers Creek in western Queensland in 1873. Speewah locality is a valley abundant in freshwater springs, basalt outcrops and black soil plains and is the crossroads of the Dunham River and the Bedford Stock Route. The valley is accessed by a 50km 4WD track that requires crossing of numerous streams and the fording of the Dunham River and then a climb of the Speewah jump up with views back along Saw Range and the Dunham River.

Cost

Prices start from $1350 per person ex Kununurra.

Program Outline

Day 1

• Meet Adventure Out Guides at Kununurra airport
• Travel to Speewah, south of Kununurra
• Set up camp at Speewah
• Introduction to expedition skills
• Introduction to expedition leadership
• Selection of the first two leaders for the following day
• Woolah traditional welcome to country ceremony

Day 2

• Commence trekking along Dunham River
• Leaders to navigate to the next campsite using maps and compasses
• Arrive at campsite, set up hootchies, cook dinner
• Adventure Out guides will coach and mentor the group’s progress; an evening discussion will be conducted on the day’s events and challenges, and two new leaders chosen

Days 3, 4 & 5

• Continue trekking along Dunham River and the Saw Ranges
• Selection of a new campsite will be made by the team
• Development of a camp routine and responsibility for camp duties will be progressively handed over to the group
• Final debrief about your wilderness leadership experience

Day 6

• Arrival at Doon Doon
• Clean and pack up gear
• Showers
• Visit Woolah Community School
• Farewell to Country Ceremony
• Depart Doon Doon
• Drop off at Kununurra Airport