NEW SECTION

On the 6th September, ONSWACT coordinated an adventure activity familiarisation at a new location in Sydney's north-west in partnership with the local council. This enabled us to assist council in seeing what would be possible in a location they are currently planning for community access. We had attendees from many possible activity backgrounds and a huge thank you to all who attended this event, and we hope to see a lot more of these in locations across NSW & the ACT. 

We had a fabulous couple of days at Birrigai Outdoor School connecting with each other on practices and techniques in getting more of our students connected to the outdoors. It commenced with a fabulous introduction to Cultural Burning and an opportunity for some to connect the night before around a camp fire to the provocation that Tonia Gray set the scene with that got all our minds going on why we do what we do! Incredible speakers continued including Dr Fran Hughes, Dr Sue Elliot & Dr Amanda Lloyd, Raymond Tilbery from Gadhungal Marring and our very own Chair and Birrigai Principal, Peter Kent. Thank you to the amazing 18 other presenters that shared their knowledge and expertise with the attendees. All come away very inspired and refreshed (even after the long school term that just concluded). The final session enabled us to get from you the change you want to see and that has become our action plan for you! That, of course, was before our goodbye activity of rolling for Officeworks dollars... (you had to be there 😆 or check out the video on socials). See you all next year! 

Paddle Australia coordinated an important workshop to lead into their Paddle 32 Strategy on how they can increase engagement and participation. ONSWACT & Outdoors Queensland were able to be part of this important discussion and collaborate on opportunities to do better in the 'recreation to participation' pathways. 

We look forward to more collaboration on these important opportunities to get more people outdoors more often.  Thank you Paddle Australia! 

OCA in collaboration with the Australian Department of Workplace Relations, coordinated a webinar for careers advisers on the opportunity of Outdoor Careers. We were pleased to have most states represented, employers and training providers attend as we showcased all the various opportunities in the outdoor industry. There were over 370 RSVPs for the event and lots of discussions continue with attendees about an area that is rarely understood. This is a great step in getting more people aware of the job opportunities in the Outdoors. 

The release of the MTB Merimbula Manifesto, a bold and strategic call to action for the future of mountain biking in NSW and the ACT, has already created lots of conversations with over 200 downloads. 

Developed through the participation of stakeholders at the MTB Symposium in October 2024, the Manifesto identifies key barriers and enablers for mountain biking as a recreation, sport, education and tourism driver, and provides a roadmap for how government, land managers, industry, and communities can work together to unlock its full potential.

Those who have downloaded the manifesto will soon receive a survey that will help to determine the priorities and actions that will make the most difference. We will also be able to understand stakeholder involvement and what's needed to influence the outcomes.

Download the Manifesto and get involved in a brighter MTB future.

https://outdoors.kartra.com/page/MTBManifesto

Lori Modde (CEO of ONSWACT) & Charlene Bordley (from Addventageous, ONSWACT Member) were announced as finalists in the 2025 Western Sydney Women Awards for their work. These successes were recognised at the Western Sydney Women Summit. On behalf of ONSWACT we would like to congratulate them on this recognition for their achievements. 

We held our September Facilitate with Intent Course at the magnificent Tallong Campus of Santa Sabina College. A massive thank you to the team at Tallong for assisting us with accommodating this course and to the attendees who spent 2 days working on their skills to get more from the groups they interact with in the outdoors. 

If you are interested in joining our next Facilitate with Intent Course, please email training@outdoorsnswact.com.au 

ONSWACT was pleased to attend the Australian Top Tour Guide & Top Tourism Town Awards at Parliament House in September. This was an opportunity to support some of the finalists that have great adventure tourism experiences. Congratulations to:

• Top Tourism Town (Population over 5,000):
  Gold: Fremantle, WA 
  Silver: Devonport, TAS 
  Bronze: Kiama, NSW 
   
• Small Tourism Town (Population 1,500 - 5,000):
  Gold: Bungendore, ACT/NSW 
  Silver: Deloraine, TAS 
  Bronze: Airlie Beach, QLD 
   
• Tiny Tourism Town (Population under 1,500):
  Gold: Trentham, VIC 
  Silver: Huskisson, NSW 
  Bronze: Town of 1770, QLD 

Another exciting moment at the 2025 Outdoor Industry Summit was the announcement of a new corporate partnership between Outdoors NSW & ACT and Medibank Private. This partnership delivers a special corporate health cover offer exclusively for ONSWACT members, aimed at supporting the well-being of those who live, work, and play in the outdoors.

This collaboration recognises the vital role outdoor professionals play in fostering healthy communities and environments. Medibank’s offer not only provides tailored health insurance options, but also reinforces the value of maintaining good physical and mental health for those working in dynamic, often physically demanding, outdoor roles. It’s a partnership that reflects our shared commitment to health, sustainability, and supporting those who support others.

Members, check your recent emails from ONSWACT for the details to get your discount today.

The ONSWACT Job portal has had a surge of new jobs posted, so keep an eye out for the opportunities available or advertise ones available - https://outdoor-work-australia.jobboardly.com/

In addition, we are approached by people wanting to enter the industry or find work in the outdoors where positions advertised may not suit their skills. So a new option has been added to our website to capture those people's details, skills and experience and share with our members - https://outdoors.kartra.com/page/workwanted

You can find these people's contacts under Member Resources/Looking for work on the ONSWACT Member Portal.

ONSWACT will be opening its awards in early 2026, inviting submissions from members. This will incorporate the Outdoor Education awards, which will also enable state and territory winners to go through to the National Outdoor Education Awards, which will be announced in September 2026 in Cairns at the National Outdoor Education Conference. Watch our newsletters for all the information and start gathering evidence of your work conducted in 2025, so your submission will be easier.