The ‘Dubya Dubya Dubya’

The W(hat), W(ho), and W(hy) at Wangat

Wangat Lodge - How Life Should Be!

The WHAT’s coming up at Wangat?

In our first ever newsletter…..

BIG NEWS!

First up… the Lodge is available for Easter Long Weekend! An opportunity to spend 4 nights at the Lodge - totally isolated from the long-weekend madness in your own serene paradise - is very rare. In fact Easter is the only 4 night long weekend! and is sure to be snapped up fast. So grab your family, call your friends and get in touch quick to grab this opportunity to fully recharge and connect with us at Wangat Lodge.

The other big news right now is that we were lucky to have Josh Stephenson of Ready Aim Media join us for our Currawong Camp for teens last year to create a video about the experience and all it offers. A huge thank you to Josh for creating an incredible film which truly captures the essence of our teen camps. Check it out! vimeo.com/readyaimmedia/review/923623888/697e2840d8

Lodge Stays

Back to the subject of lodge availability, below is a list of all weekend still free to book this year. There’s only 9 still available* plus Xmas and New Year! (*Up-to-date at time of publication - get in touch quick so you don’t miss out on your weekend at the lodge!)

• Mar 28 - April 1st (Easter)

• May 10 - 12

• Jun 14 - 16

• Jun 21 - 23

• Aug 2 - 4

• Aug 23 - 25

• Aug 30 - Sept 1

• Sep 6 - 8

• Dec 13 - 15 (Christmas Party?!)

• Dec 21 - Jan 2 (XMAS and/or New Years at The Lodge!)
  

There are also various mid-week vacancies on offer at hugely discounted rates. Please contact us for more info and to book.

Cottage Stays

Our newly and charmingly renovated Clancy and adobe-cosy Melia cottages are perfectly nestled on the property for families or a small group of friends. Clancy Cottage sleeps max. 8 and Melia max. 5.

Upcoming Events

Currawong Camp for Teens
A 6-night nature-based rite-of-passage with our incredible Wangat mentors. Strictly limited to 14 teens in years 7 & 8 and 14 teens in years 9+. Books out fast! 

• Autumn School Holidays April 13-19 2024

• Spring School Holidays Sept 28 - Oct 4 2024

For info and bookings - wangat.com.au/currawong-teens-camp

Currawong Camp video by Ready Aim Media - vimeo.com/readyaimmedia/review/923623888/697e2840d8

Friends of Wangat Family Camps
Guided walks, bush crafts, mentoring for kids of all ages, workshops and serenity for adults, catered dinners for all and more!
Limited to about 15 families - books out fast!

Winter (school holiday) Camp - 15-19 July 2024

Summer (school holiday) Camp - 10-14 Jan 2025

For info and bookings - wangat.com.au/friendsofwangat

Bird Language and Nature Connection Retreat
Join Andrew Turbill, ecologist extraordinaire and self-proclaimed bird nerd, as he brings his incredible knowledge of birds and ALL THINGS NATURE to Wangat for this unique annual workshop retreat. Both enlightening and rejuvenating. Fully catered! Limited to 35 people

• October 17-20 2024

EARLY BIRD TIX STILL AVAILABLE!! I know, very punny 😂

For info and bookings - wangat.com.au/birdlanguage

Online Bird Language Course
1 night a week, for 6 weeks. The best nature course online guaranteed! 

• Next course begins May 2, 2024

For info and bookings - andrewthebirdguy.com

Shakespearience 2024
This December will bring the 3rd annual performance by Shakespearience Australia Theatre Company to Wangat Lodge. This year’s play is crowd favourite Romeo and Juliet and we can’t wait to see director Timothy Weston’s unique and no-doubt brilliant interpretation. Wangat Lodge transforms into a spectacular venue with the play conducted over 3 outdoor stages. With festival bar and lounge serving local beers and wines, snacks and catered meals! Come for the play and the option to dine and stay!

Save the Date - Dec 5-8th 2024

Links - instagram.com/dungogshakespearience

The WHO makes Wangat so special?

Huge welcome to our latest Wangat Team member. Michael Grant (or Micky G, as he's known in these parts) has already got comfortable (see below) with life at the 'Gat. That smile is pretty standard, with his incredible outlook and enthusiasm! An inspiring member of our local community, he has been a leading volunteer on many community projects such as the Dungog Food Co-op and annual Dungog Trail Running Festival. On his property he is practising bush regeneration and homesteading but he is maybe most passionately a worm farmer! 🤠 He has even introduced these wriggly marvels to Wangat running “build-your-own” worm-farm workshops at our teen camps! And as a successful business owner himself (making precision parts and equipment for the aviation industry no less!), he brings even more valuable experience. I and everyone here feel very lucky and grateful that he has found not just the time, but passion, to be part of Team Wangat. He'll be putting his amazing heart, mind and handy-work to helping me keep the magic of Wangat flowing in all aspects! Thanks MG and welcome!

The WHY we do what we do!

A reflection: Youth and nature - a perfect mix!

I came to Wangat with a dream of creating opportunities for young people to create a relationship to nature and in doing so to build confidence in themselves and connection to others. I have developed 2 styles of camps which provide opportunity for teens (high-school-aged young people to be exact) to come to Wangat up to 4 times a year. I recently received a heartwarming letter from a participant of our most recent camp which I’d like to share.

But let me first take a moment to share something I once read about; that people who connect with adult mentors (outside of their nuclear family) and/or a special place in their adolescence develop a strong sense of themselves, and maybe more noticeably for what they value in people and places. An example was given of a young person who spent almost every summer holiday at a budget caravan park by the beach compared with a young person who went to a different country and/or “bucket-list” entertainment venue (e.g. Disneyland, ski resort in Aspen, etc). When interviewed as young adults, the person who spent every summer at the same caravan park/beach had a detailed account of their time there with rich, textured and graphic memories, a depth of knowledge of the local social and environmental history of that place, and a litany of friends and other regular campers who did and still do, enrich their lives. The person who had no regular tradition spoke little more than the ubiquitous, “it was really cool”, and naming certain typical foods and ticketed rides. You’ll have to forgive that I can’t recall where I read this but it certainly made an impact on me. Whilst this is only one anecdote, it’s resonance is loud and profound. I’ve seen it first hand on countless occasions through my work with young people and it’s now my hope that our teen camps provide an opportunity to become this kind of experience for the young people who take part. 

So back to this letter… It’s from a wonderful young person, Violet, who came on her first Currawong Camp a couple of years back. At that time she had a lot of trepidation and showed incredible courage to explore beyond her comfort zone. She has now been on 3 camps with us and will be joining us for our next camp in Autumn school holidays.

Here is what she wrote - 

Hi Dan,

This is Violet here. I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the recent BB. When I come to wangat, I know I can expect millions of adventures and jokes and it’s always an incredible group of people. I don’t think I ever sent you an email thanking you for the Currawong Camp in October. Each time I come to wangat, it’s an even more special week than the previous time. I love your camps so much that I was so upset to leave on the train ride back. I just wanted to let you know that you have created such a magical place and just thinking about coming back makes me so excited. Wangat is such a special place and it’s full of so many amazing memories for me.

I was just wondering if you had any photos from the BB that you could send to me, especially the photo we took on the top of the hill in the lighting storm and hail (coming back from bunyips bath).

Thank you, Violet :)

First of all, its not very often you receive a letter from a young person - I was so grateful to Violet for taking the time to share her thoughts and express herself. As I let her words digest, I realised so much of what she was saying reflected the research I mentioned above. A deep, ongoing and developing connection to a place, mentor(s) and peers. 

The photo shown here was taken by Micky G, on that very walk with lightning and hail that Violet mentions. A group of young people, wild as the weather, making tangible connections for life! 

Go well! Dan

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