Testimonials
Excellent leaders – kept the students engaged, spoke with confidence and were fun but with lessons that will carry students through life.
Our staff and students are raving about their experiences with Camp Kokoda this year. I have heard nothing but really positive stories about all aspects of camp. Thank you to the whole team at Camp Kokoda for providing such a unique and powerful experience to our young people.
Staff members were really impressed with the instructors in terms of organisation, enthusiasm and engagement. We particiularly liked bush craft, teaching the students how to identify trees, make damper etc. The activities extended the student learning of bush survival and general interest in camping.
The staff and facilities at Camp Kokoda are first class. The Year 9 camp is a highlight on the school calendar for the students.
The best part of our program was watching the enormous growth over the four days. They managed themselves really well while facing challenges and working together. The group was quite disparate on the first day but had become a cohesive team by the end.
As an experienced outdoor education administrator, I watched with great pleasure as the instructors showed their skill in handling the children, their totally thorough briefing and debriefing of the group for each activity, and in addition, their competence in the areas of safety and activities planned.
Trinity Lutheran College has been sending students to Camp Kokoda for over five years now and we have always been impressed with the professionalism of the facility and the range of programs that are available. The opportunity to provide students the experience of camping in tents is a major drawcard and the willingness of Camp Kokoda staff to work with schools to devise programs tailored to their needs has been most appreciated. We now send two year levels to Camp Kokoda and are able to provide the unique experience to our older students of going on longer expedition-based programs, some even hiking through the amazing Barney Gorge region, is a major drawcard.
I have been using Camp Kokoda for 4 years. We keep returning because the program offered is challenging yet enjoyable. We have always found the instructors to be top class. They are friendly and encouraging but also knowledgeable and competent. The facilities, especially the camp sites, are great. There is a level of comfort provided with an outdoor kitchen and toilets whilst still providing an element of roughing it, camping in tents and having camp fires. The activities are challenging and the setting is quite scenic. Outdoor education provides a very useful opportunity for students to grow and be challenged. Students are taken out of their comfort zone but also feel safe in the knowledge they are supported by their peers. Camp Kokoda provides a great experience of outdoor education in a lovely setting.
One of the greatest challenges we face in life is the journey from childhood to adulthood. For many years now our school has had the privilege of visiting Camp Kokoda’s beautiful property to witness a small step in this journey for each of our Year Nine students.
It is in environments such as these where learning occurs at a more natural pace with real-life consequences that are felt without filter or delay.
Operating outside of our comfort zones brings out the very best and the very worst of us, lending focus to our current approaches, successes and failures. Learning how to deal with our fears and imperfections and those of others around us, is essential in every aspect of adulthood.
Camp Kokoda’s dedicated and professional team understand the refined nature of these challenges. They have always valued and respected what each individual student has had to offer. Their passion for Outdoor Education is obvious in their level of organisation and enthusiasm. It is also clear in the relationships they build along the way and their willingness to adjust to the changing needs of large groups and individuals whilst always maintaining a high level of safety and respect for all.
