Mountain Journal

The Wollangarra outdoor education centre is located on a river flat beside the Macalister River in the foothills of the Victorian high country. It is a long established and much loved institution which has offered many thousands of young people incredible experiences in the outdoors. Wollangarra survives and thrives because of the community around it. Over the first weekend in October it held its annual Open Day, which brings around 250 people to the property to enjoy workshops, speakers, good food, great company and music.

Wollangarra offers a hands-on approach to learning about life, leadership, and environmental care. On its website they say ‘here, young people find a welcoming community that values hard work, simple living, and connection to the land’.

‘Each week a new group of young people will come across our flying fox and get to experience a way of life that has largely been forgotten. They leave behind their mobile phones, watches and timetables. They bake bread, split wood, tend the veggie garden, collect the eggs and feed the sheep. Young people are given opportunities to make decisions and are encouraged to contribute positively and feel like a valued community member. They hike, camp out, cook over open fires, and partake in endless discussion about life, environment and the impacts society has on these things’.

‘We let nature do the talking and aim to inspire an awe and respect of our natural environment by walking in the amazing country that is Wollangarra’s backyard!’ (this includes the Wellington Plains and Mt Howitt).

The open day

One of the great things about Wollangarra is its location. You walk in down a long open valley, cross the river on a flying fox, and then a short walk leads you to a wonderful homestead surrounded on one side by the river, paddocks with sheep, and high forested hills.

The open day is really a mini festival, bringing the Wollangarra community together – the extended network of people who have attended ‘Woll’ as students on the programs or worked there or the broader network of kindred spirits and supporters. There is a deep connection with Mittagundi, the other mountain outdoor leadership centre in the high country, and a network of people with many traditional bush skills who are willing to pass on their knowledge to the next generation. re was bush poetry, a range of speakers covering everything from biodynamics and organic dairy farming to youth climate action and an update on what’s happening with snow gum woodlands. And the ‘Woll Olympics’ were as popular as ever, from Crosscut sawing and the tug of war to the porridge eating contest.

There were lots of workshops – teaching bush wood skills, wool spinning, nature awareness, storytelling and screen printing. Despite some serious rain, the headline act Holy Moses Heartache played on late into the night and the mosh pit became a muddy but enthusiastic crush in the darkness.

You can read more about the open day here.

Support Wollangarra!

Wollangarra exists because of the extended community around it. The auctions held on Saturday night are a really important part of the weekend, and provide much needed funds to keep the operation viable.

If you want to support Woll with a donation, you can do so here.