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How to Join

Would you like to give walking with us a try? ​Here's how:

  1. Read the Newsletter. You can find the most recent newsletter posted to Facebook or on our website under the page "Newsletters". 

  2. Find a walk you are interested in - details are in the newsletter or advertised on Facebook.

  3. Phone the walk leader to let them know you would like to join in. This is very important - first time walkers must call the leader, not just email or message on Facebook. Try and call a week in advance, or at least a few days out. If the leader is busy or at work, calling the day before may man you can't reach them. The leader will give you any relevant information, will discuss with you your ability and the level of the walk and get your details to contact you if there is a change of plans.

  4. Ensure you wear appropriate attire and come appropriately equipped. The "For Members" section of this website and the newsletter have details of what you should bring on the walk. Please take this seriously - running out of water and having to borrow from others will not be a great start to your walking experience. The club provides GPS, Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) and radios.

  5. Turn up! We're a friendly bunch. Your first walk costs just $5.

  6. If you have a good time (which you will) you can join the club. Membership is $20 per year. You can join in as many or as few walks as you like. No obligation! We generally walk every second Sunday, with some social events and weekend camping thrown in.

If you have any questions we haven't answered here, please email or message us, we are happy to help!

What to Bring

Developed Area Day Pack
(eg local beach, town night walks)

  • First Aid kit

  • Paper & pencil

  • Sufficient water - minimum 1 litre

  • Torch

  • Raincoat/Poncho

Bushwalk Day Pack
(eg National Parks)

  • First Aid kit

  • Paper & pencil

  • Sufficient water – minimum 2 litres, 3 litres for long walks

  • Torch

  • Raincoat/Poncho

  • Compass

  • Whistle

  • Small Mirror

  • Sufficient and emergency food supplies

First Aid Kit Suggestions

  • Waterproof carrying case

  • Sunscreen

  • Band-aids/plaster/steri-strips/non-adhesive dressings

  • Tweezers

  • Scissors

  • Safety pins

  • Triangular bandage, compression bandage, crepe bandages

  • Aspirin/Panadol/ibuprofen

  • Water treatment tablets/iodine

  • Antiseptic cream/wipes (eg Betadine)

  • Stingose/antihistamines

  • Insect repellent

  • Any personal medications

  • Electrolyte replacements

  • Space blanket

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Walking with the Club 

  • The walk leader is accorded sole authority by the Committee for that particular walk. Support that authority by directing all walk enquiries prior to, and during, the walk to the Leader.

  • Read the walk description and note the rating. If you are unsure of your abilities, please discuss this with the leader before nominating. Neither you nor the other walkers will have a good day if your fitness is not of a suitable standard. If you have any health problems, inform the leader and discuss the matter prior to the walk.

  • Contact the walk leader as soon as possible prior to the walk – preferably a week in advance. Discuss with the leader the walk rating and whether it is suitable to you and your ability. New walkers should carefully consider the leader’s advice regarding walk difficulties especially if children are involved or you have any health issues.

  • If you leave it until the day before to contact the leader, you may find that the walk has been cancelled due to apparent lack of interest, or the details have changed. Leaders give their time to organise walks so please respect this by contacting them well in advance.

  • If you are unable to attend an activity that you have nominated for, advise the leader as soon as possible. It is not acceptable to just not show up on the day.

  • If you have commitments after a walk please discuss this with the leader before commencing the walk. Leaders cannot guarantee the time of return due to weather, terrain and the expertise of walkers.

  • All members and intending members must carry a backpack with defined minimum contents including sufficient food and water and a personal first aid kit.

  • The club supports the principle of Minimal Impact Bushwalking:

  • Take only photos, leave only footprints – all areas to be left unmarked and unaltered.
    If you pack it in, carry it out – resealable plastic bags and take all of your scraps etc home.

  • Hats, sunscreen, suitable clothing and appropriate footwear are a must. Serious foot injuries can occur if thongs or open sandals are worn as a result of impact with broken branches hidden in the grass, thorny vegetation and uneven rocky ground. We suggest a shoe/boot that protects the foot, supports the ankle and has a good sole grip in wet or dry conditions.

  • People who depend on medication should carry it on the walk. If that medical condition may require emergency management assistance, you should discuss that with the leader. All members are asked to advise the leader immediately they become aware of the onset of any problem which may prevent him/her completing the walk. A Personal Emergency Information forms is available to complete and carry in your back pack.

  • We generally arrange car sharing from the meeting place to the walk, however if you require a lift, advise the leader before the walk day so that they can ensure there are enough vehicles.

  • Check the meeting location with the leader. If you do not live in town it may be possible for you to meet the group at a different location. For example, if we are walking around Mt Perry, members who live in Gin Gin usually meet the group in Gin Gin rather than having to drive to Bundaberg.​

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Walk Guidelines

Bushwalkers Code 

  • Protect plants and animals

  • Remove rubbish

  • Keep streams and lakes clean

  • Take care with fires

  • Camp carefully

  • Keep to the track

  • Consider others (including landowners).

  • Respect our cultural heritage

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Before the Walk 

  1. Arrive at least 10 minutes early at the meeting place, allowing sufficient time for registration, payment of walk fees and walk discussion. Our advertised times are departure times, so do not arrive at that time. Late walkers may be left behind!

  2. Seek out the walk leader and register your attendance and your acknowledgement of acceptance of the terms of the clauses heading the registration/declaration form, by writing your name, address and emergency contact phone number on that registration/indemnity form.

  3. Walk fees are payable to the leader at the meeting place.

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Duirng the Walk 

  1. Bushwalking is a team/group activity. Stay with the group. If you need to leave the group for any reason, tell the leader or the “Tail End Charlie” at the rear of the walk. He/she will ensure that you catch up with the group. A head count will often occur.

  2. If you become separated from the group, resist the urge to panic and stay put until help arrives. Blow your whistle.

  3. Keep alert. Learn which of the flora/fauna is to be avoided. Learn to use the map and compass effectively to establish where you are and where you are going. It makes the walk safer, more interesting and enjoyable.

  4. There are usually no facilities on the walk. Members must carry sufficient food, water and equipment including emergency equipment. Walkers accept that they may get hot and sweaty, tired, aching muscles, dirty, minor scratches, wet, blisters, tick bites and leech bites. The walking environment is controlled by nature, so safety cannot be guaranteed by the club or the leader. Every member has a duty to protect their own safety and the safety of others in the group.

  5. As a member of a group activity, your primary concern should be your personal safety and well-being, but you should also accept a reasonable degree of care for the safety and well-being of all other participants. You must avoid doing anything that exposes the club to unreasonable risk of injury or liability.

  6. Above all - walk safely and enjoy yourself.

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Convoy Procedures 

  1. All convoys need a leader at the head and a sweep or “tail end Charlie” at the rear of the convoy.

  2. The leader has overall control of the convoy. Tail end Charlie is to assist the leader in running the convoy.

  3. All participants need to abide by the directions and instructions of the leader and Tail end Charlie.

  4. All driers are responsible for their passengers and must observe road rules at all times.

  5. All drivers are responsible for the vehicle BEHIND, and need to take note of that vehicle (make, colour). At the same time, take note of the vehicle you are following.

  6. Each vehicle must wait at each intersection until the next vehicle can observe the direction of the route. Should a vehicle become separated from the convoy, STOP and WAIT at that location – a vehicle will return for you.

  7. Maintain a reasonable separation of vehicle, i.e. room for other vehicles to overtake, but not so far back that the vehicle in front loses track of you in their mirror.

  8. When a closed gate is encountered, a person from the vehicle behind the leader will open the gate. The vehicle will pull over, allow the rest of the convoy through, close the gate and take up a position in front of Tail end Charlie. We always leave gates as we find them, and this ensures no confusion as to whether the gate was open or closed.

  9. In hilly country or water crossings, allow the vehicle in front to get up or down steep slopes and across creeks before following, then ensure that the vehicle behind has cleared the obstacle before proceeding.

  10. Any track damage should be repaired.

  11. Any vehicle wishing to leave the convoy, or stop, shall wave through the remaining vehicles and inform Tail End Charlie of their intentions.

  12. The club uses channel 20 on the 40 channel UHF radio network. However, radio communication will not be accepted as a substitute for standard convoy procedures.

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