Where is Winter Gathering being held?

Winter Gathering 2022 is being held at Eumeralla Scout Camp in Anglesea, about 1.5 hours drive from the Melbourne CBD, and 45 mins from Geelong.

How can I get to Winter Gathering?

There are basically two options for transport to WG:

1. Private Transport – drive down either by yourself or car pool with other Venturers in your Unit
2. Shuttle Bus – WG is running a bus service both to Eumeralla on Friday night, and from Eumeralla on Sunday afternoon. For more details, check out the transport page on our website

How much does Winter Gathering cost?

The WG team is proud that we’ve been able to keep the cost of the camp to $50 per Venturer – that’s a single pineapple! That includes all your camp fees and activities!

Additionally, to encourage 14 year old Scouts to come and find out what Venturers is all about, we’re offering a special discounted price for them – only $20!

And because Leaders and Rovers are so important to be able to put on the camp, they can come for free!

Note: don’t forget to factor in food and petrol costs when you Unit is budgeting for the camp though – these are not covered in the camp fee!

If you’re catching one of the shuttle buses, these are $5 each way to/from Waurn Ponds Station, or $10 each way for the express bus to/from Rosanna & Laverton.

Tickets are booked via our TryBooking here

What if I have a question that isn’t answered in this FAQ?

Any questions that aren’t answered in our FAQ can be sent to the WG team at WGinfo@vicventurers.com.au and we’ll get back to you with an answer as soon as we can.

Please make sure you double check the question hasn’t already been answered in the FAQ or elsewhere on the website first though!

What activities are being provided?

There are a range of great activities being provided, with a focus on Outdoor Adventure Skills:

• Archery & Axe Throwing
• Abseiling
• Crate Stacking
• Mountain Biking**
• 4WD Trips**
• Diversity & Inclusion Zone
• Survival Skills
• Chill Out Area with Boardgames & phone charging
• Shuttle Bus to Chocolate Factory
• Winter Warrior Obstacle Course
• Saturday Night Bonfire
• Night time Entertainment
• Program Transition Hub (convert from Old Award Scheme and get free new badges!)
• 2030 Youth Forum
• And Much More!

**Activity requires pre-booking via our TryBooking here

Do any of the activities require booking in?

Most of the activities running for the weekend are designed for Venturers to just turn up and have a go at any time. However, there are a couple of activities that you need to book into a particular session for due to the nature of the activity. There is no additional cost for these, it’s just to help with scheduling and resourcing of equipment and personnel.

Scheduled Activities:

• Mountain Biking
• 4WD Trips

These can be booked via our TryBooking here

Is there any special equipment I need to bring for any of the activities?

Activity teams will be providing all of the necessary equipment, however if you are doing Mountain Biking and would prefer to wear your own bike helmet, you are welcome to bring it.

You will need appropriate clothing for doing the adventurous activities, eg. Closed toed shoes, rain jacket (in case of rain), hat/beanie, comfortable clothing.

If you are attending the Program Transition Hub, you will need to bring your maroon Venturer Record Book (or green Scout Record Book for linking Scouts or new Venturers) for the team to review and help you transfer your badgework on to the new Achievement Pathways.

What do I / my Unit need to bring?

To keep camp costs down, Units will need to be self-sufficient in terms of their camping gear. This means Units/Venturers will need to bring their own sleeping tents, kitchen gear & eating shelter, etc.

Plus you’ll need all of the usual personal gear – sleeping bag & mat, clothes, toiletries, etc. Don’t forget to pack warm clothes and spare changes of clothes in case they get wet, it is WINTER Gathering after all! Venturers must wear closed-toed shoes at all times around the campsite.

Does our Unit need Leaders to attend with us?

Yes – all Venturers attending WG must have at least one Venturer Leader with them to supervise, or be hosted by another Unit with Leaders attending – same rules as VG and AG!

What if our Leaders can’t attend?

Venturers can be hosted by another Unit with Leaders attending as long as it’s agreed between both Units. We’re actually encouraging Districts/Zones to all camp together, which should also help with this.

If you know you’re being hosted by another Unit, please make sure you register under that Unit’s name so we can make sure you all end up together!

If you’re having trouble finding another Unit to host you, send us an email at WGinfo@vicventurers.com.au and we’ll do our best to link you up with another Unit in your area to host you.

Will there be a canteen where we can buy all our food for the weekend?

To keep costs down, WG is not running a full canteen for the weekend. Units will need to be self sufficient with all their meals. Consider it a chance to brush up on your camp cooking skills!

That said, we will have a “Snack Shack” that will be selling Toasties, hot drinks, and other snacks – just not full meals! 

Will there be fire drums available in the camping areas?

Yes - Each main Region camping area will have a fire drum for communal use to keep you all warm! Units/Districts will need to supply their own firewood and fire buckets for these fire drums. WG will not be supplying wood, however firewood will be available for purchase on site for a reasonable cost – more details to follow

For safety reasons we can’t have individual campsite fires at every Unit, but the communal fire circles will be a great way to meet other Venturers from your Region!

I’m a Venturer Leader, how can I find out who from my Unit has registered?

Leaders can find a list of registrations sorted by Unit on the VicVenturers Sharepoint here.

Note: you will need your Unit's VicVenturers account to access the list

You can also contact us at WGinfo@vicventurers.com.au with any questions. If you can’t find a Venturer who you think should be registered, double check elsewhere in the list in case they’ve misspelled the unit name or put the wrong name/group down!

No Leaders from our Unit can attend WG, but we still have Venturers who want to go – what can we do?

WG will have the same rules as AG and VG where Venturers can be hosted by another Unit with Leaders attending. This will need to be agreed between the Venturers and VL’s from both Units, and then contact the WG team at WGinfo@vicventurers.com.au to let us know which Unit your Venturers will be hosted by.

We’re also encouraging Districts/Zones to all camp together, which should help with this.

I’m a Rover, how can I help at WG?

WG wouldn’t be running without the support of Rovers to help make it happen! If you’d like to come along and help out, but haven’t been asked to do a specific role, contact us and we’ll be in touch to allocate you somewhere to help for the weekend