Ecotraining Australia Airboat Update: 

It’s been a great week of airboating up at Swim Creek Camp! The Ecotraining Australia Staff have taken the groups on some magical rides. Through paperbark swamps and coastal floodplains, which are two of the seven habitats of Swim Creek Station.
The group has spotted a serious amount of birds, crocs and buffalos. Have a look below and see for yourself! 



         



                                          

                                        Wild Bush Luxury Scholarships 2010

Wild Bush Luxury brings together four exclusive wilderness experiences in a range of spectacular locations around Australia.  Our camps are small with a correspondingly small environmental footprint and our focus is on opening the minds of our guests to the environment around them.  Key to this experience are the guides, whose knowledge and passion for the environment, its flora and fauna provide the inspiration and thought provocation that helps guests come away from a Wild Bush Luxury experience having expanded the bounds of their knowledge.

Our business depends on the conservation of our environment and people with the desire and passion to make that happen.  Our tourism is a means for providing livelihoods for people who want to live and work in the bush and for opening the minds of visitors who want to reconnect with the bush. 
We are offering up to 2 Wild Bush Luxury guide training scholarships in 2010 in which the core elements are: 

       - Participating in EcoTraining Australia’s 28 day Level 1 Australian Field Guide programme
       - A position as a trainee guide at one or more Wild Bush Luxury properties for 2 years.  

Interested applicants must submit the following information before 30^th June 2010.  
Name, address, email and telephone number 
Evidence that they are between 18 and 30 years of age 
Educational and work history 
A 750 word essay titled ‘Conservation and tourism: complementary partners in conserving Australia’s environment’. 

Key Scholarship deadlines: 
30^th June 2010: written applications must have been submitted 
1^st – 2^nd week July:  telephone or in person interviews will be conducted in Darwin by a selection panel
21^st July: - selection of successful applicants
11th October – 7^th November 2010: - Level 1 Australian Field Guide programme
After 1^st February 2011: - start traineeship with Wild Bush Luxury 

Terms & Conditions: 
- Eligible for candidates aged 18-30 Must be an Australian citizen or have the right to unrestricted employment in Australia 
- Must be free to commit to a trainee guide job from February 2011 onwards 
- Successful applicants must be prepared to be posted on the traineeship to any one of Bamurru Plains (Top End of NT), Sal Salis Ningaloo Reef, Blue Mountains or Arkaba Station (Flinders Ranges, SA) though account will be taken of preferences where possible 
- Trainee guides will paid in keeping with their level of responsibility
- Successful applicants will be provided with an employment contract that will include a condition whereby they are liable to repay the cost of their Level 1 guide training programme on a pro-rata basis if they resign or are dismissed for misconduct within 2 years from commencement of employment.
- Employment as a trainee guide is dependent on completion of the Level 1 Australian Field Guide course and a final interview with Wild Bush Luxury
- Employment with Wild Bush Luxury will require the trainee (at their own cost) to gain Senior First Aid and Responsible Service of Alcohol certificates
- Trainees will be required to look after their costs of getting themselves to Darwin in the first place to join the EcoTraining course and to their place of work to start their employment.
- Employment as a fully fledged Field Guide with Wild Bush Luxury may be confirmed at the end of the 2 year traineeship period, depending on performance during that period. 
- A successful trainee guide should be prepared to spend extended periods of time away from home and town 

Application Details:

Submissions should be sent to:
John O’Shea john@wildbushluxury.com
Tel: 08 8988 2975 

For further information on Wild Bush Luxury and EcoTraining Australia, please see www.wildbushluxury.com

An interview with Nick Martin - Camp Manager for our TOP END April course 


ETA: With the water level so high at the moment, is there a danger of crocodiles?

Nick: Nah. There’s so much water that the crocodiles are really spread out. This time of year there’s also plenty of fresh food for the crocs, so their bellies are full and not roaming about too much.

But as with any dangerous animal, there is always a danger so as long as you practice safe ’crocodile skills’ there should be no problem at all.

ETA: ’Crocodile skills’ what are they?

Nick: It’s fairly straightforward really, and it just comes down to being sensible. Stay a safe distance from the water and respect any wild animals boundaries. If you’re fishing, put an esky between you and the water, and please, do not go swimming in crocodile waters!

ETA: What time do you generally get up in the morning?

Nick: Well there’s no need for an alarm out here- the morning chorus of tens of throusands of Magpie geese does the trick. So generally we are all up at dawn ready for the day.

ETA: What does a normal day at Swim Creek camp look like?

Nick: Quick breaky in the morning before our first practical class of the day. Generally this involves a bushwalk around the surrounding ecosystems, and this is probably my favourite time of the day. Seeing the bush come to life every morning is amazing, and it’s also the perfect time to get up and close with nature.

After this, which usually takes about 3 hours, we come back for a cooked hot breakfast, and then begin our theory class for the day in the classroom.

ETA: When you say classroom, what do you mean?

Nick: Well it’s not a conventional classroom like the one you sat in as a kid. It’s inside but its in the middle of the bush, and with only thin black mesh between you and the wild, there’s always things to look at from inside. Most of the time we have agile wallabies hopping around and last year we had a herd of buffalo come right into camp!

ETA: So after theory class, what’s next?

Nick: Lunch and then siesta/study time. During the middle of the day, it gets really hot, all the animals rest and so do we. 

ETA: What time is the afternoon class, and what does it involve?

Nick: We head back into nature early afternoon, and depending on the weather and animal beahviour, we will take the riverboat, airboat, safari truck or simply go bushwalking again. I would have to say that airboating is my favourite - racing across the Mary River floodplain is a exhilirating experience, and it is also the only way to see certain flora and fauna up close and personal.

After that, we come back for bushtucker, hang around the campfire and we might have an evening astronomy class.

ETA: Bushtucker- our favourite topic, and who doesn’t love a flamed grilled dinner. So tell us Nick, who does the cooking and what have you eaten so far?

Nick: Cooking is split between myself, Kelda and Ian. I must say that my spagetti bolognese is pretty crash hot, but Kelda has some nifty dishes she likes to whip up and Ian’s a whiz with the bush oven. We light a fire most nights, so students definately get a great chance to experience the real Aussie tucker!

This course we’ve had a great range of uniquely Australian dishes. So far we’ve had some buffalo, kangaroo tail, chilli mudcrabs, magpie geese (this was frozen from last year, as this year’s Magpie Geese hunting season hasn’t begun yet), barramudi cooked on warm fire coals- delicious- and I’m looking forward to the crocodile we’ve got next week!

ETA: Mate sounds pretty gourmet! Any tips for the budding bushtucker enthusiast?

Nick: Get yourself a bush oven- one of those cast iron ones- lite a big fire and wait till you have big red coals. Dig a small hole, and with a shovel make a bed of hot coals, place the camp oven on top of that, put whatever you want in, and then cover with more hot coals. There’s heaps of great recipes online, and make sure you never clean the oven- it takes a long time to get that flavour embedded in the cast iron!

ETA: Thanks Nick-  we better let you get back to camp! Best of luck with the final week!

Interested in the course? 
Find out if you can apply for Government funding to help pay the training fees:

EcoTraining Australia is a Registered Training Organisation that has been given a number of Government funded PPP positions for both South Australia and the Northern Territory.

This is a Government initiative to fill the current skill shortage that exists in nature based tourism and field guiding.

If you are Job Seeker or Existing worker looking for employment or to upskill, then you may be able to qualify for this funding. You have to be from either SA or the NT, and if successful, the Government will pay for 90 to 100% of the course fees!

This is a fantastic initiative, and if you want to get involved, please contact us below:


Expressions of interest should be lodged as quickly as possible as 2010 positions are limited. 

For more information contact:

guide@ecotrainingaustralia.com.au

Or call our Sydney office on 02 8922 2652