Outdoor Industry Connect & Share Forums

Send us Fan Mail Donor loyalty is changing fast, and the outdoor industry can learn a lot from it. We open with community and sector updates across Outdoors NSW ACT, including NAIDOC Week reflections, upcoming sessions with Gadhungal Marring, and key reminders for anyone tracking professional standards and events. We also walk through what’s live right now for the industry: the AAAS review draft d...

Send us Fan Mail Travel is still happening, but the way people choose outdoor experiences is shifting under our feet. We’re seeing it in Canberra, across NSW, and in every conversation with operators: visitors are more selective, more anxious about wasting money, and far less patient with clunky booking paths. We call it a value of living crisis, not just a cost of living crisis, and it forces all...

Send us Fan Mail A budget can look like a win or a loss depending on where you stand, but outdoor operators feel the impact where it counts: access, participation, safety expectations, and whether people actually show up. We walk through the latest NSW budget with an outdoor industry lens, including what’s happening across sport and recreation, destination marketing, national parks investment, edu...

Send us Fan Mail Something big shifted on July 1, and if you run an outdoor business you can’t afford to “sort it out later.” We walk through the real-world updates we’re seeing across New South Wales and the ACT, starting with what it takes to keep showing up for your community even when you’re on the road, dealing with tech hiccups, and juggling a busy season. We share highlights from the Ventur...

Send us Fan Mail If you work in the outdoor industry in New South Wales or the ACT, the next few months are packed with decisions that shape your people, your compliance, and your impact. We start on the ground at the Blue Mountains Local Active Partnership launch, where the challenge is bigger than any single program: inactivity is rising alongside chronic disease, and many communities face real...

Send us Fan Mail The outdoor industry doesn’t stand still, and neither can we. We’re coming to you live from the Outdoors NSW and ACT Connect and Share Forum with a fast-moving mix of field-tested leadership ideas, workforce updates, and practical dates you can put straight into your calendar. We start with what’s happening on the ground, including the launch of a local government toolkit for trai...

Send us Fan Mail Outdoor programs don’t usually fail in the dramatic moments, they fail in the ordinary ones. That’s the big tension we dig into here: the outdoor sector manages “high risk” activities well, yet injuries keep showing up in places many of us mentally file under low risk, like walking, cooking at camp, and free time. We start with quick but meaningful industry updates from Outdoors N...

Send us Fan Mail Volunteers quietly hold up the outdoor industry, and the numbers are bigger than most people realize. We start by grounding ourselves in community and workforce pathways, including what we’re hearing from students at a careers day and why outdoor leadership roles are still “unknown” to too many young people. Then we zoom out for National Volunteer Week and put real data behind the...

Send us Fan Mail The federal budget is easy to ignore until it hits your invoices, your staffing, and your ability to keep programs running safely. We sit down with our live Outdoors NSW ACT Connect and Share community and translate the headlines into what actually matters for outdoor operators: the permanent $20,000 instant asset write-off, continued fuel relief, and major funding signals for act...

Send us Fan Mail The outdoor industry moves fast, but a few shifts right now are too big to ignore. We kick off with an update from the Snow Summit in Thredbo and the latest snow season economics, including how winter tourism supports regional NSW, the ACT, and alpine communities across Australia. With new data pointing to billions in direct and flow-on value and a huge share of spend staying in-r...

Send us Fan Mail AI is quickly becoming the first place people look for answers, and that shift is about to change how customers find your outdoor business and how your team makes decisions. We unpack what that means for outdoor operators, educators, and land managers across NSW and the ACT, while also covering the immediate, practical updates you need for the months ahead. If you’ve felt the pace...

Send us Fan Mail Fuel shortages, shifting compliance rules, and fast-changing marketing and tech are colliding with the day-to-day reality of running an outdoor business. We get practical about what that means for outdoor education providers, adventure tourism operators, and land managers across New South Wales and the ACT, and we share the resources you can act on immediately. We also come back t...

Send us Fan Mail Outdoor work changes fast, and the small details can have big consequences for safety, staffing, and cash flow. We’re sharing a live, practical briefing for the outdoor industry across NSW and the ACT, with the updates we’re seeing right now and the actions that help operators stay ahead. We also reflect on the uniquely Australian “she’ll be right” mindset and why a national prepa...

Send us Fan Mail Fuel prices are squeezing outdoor programs in ways most people never see, and adventure tourism experiences often feel the shock first. We talk through what the fuel crisis means for outdoor operators across NSW and the ACT, why media visibility matters, and how sharing real-world impacts with your peak body helps build stronger advocacy with government. If you’re dealing with can...

Send us Fan Mail A national walking challenge sounds simple until you hear what it can unlock for nature. We’re joined live by Denise Zlotowski from the Australian Conservation Foundation to share the thinking behind Australia’s Biggest Bushwalk, the results so far, and the plan to take it truly nationwide. If you’ve ever wanted an easy way to turn your regular bushwalks into something bigger, thi...

Send us Fan Mail Camp participation is slipping, permit processes can feel harder than they need to, and schools are asking for more outdoor experiences with fewer resources. So we pulled the practical threads together in one live Connect and Share Forum for the NSW and ACT outdoor industry, focused on what you can use right now to run better programs and grow demand. We unpack fresh insights from...

Send us Fan Mail A government facility can be booked like any other venue, or it can become the backbone of a whole new program model. That’s the tension we explore here, starting with rapid-fire sector updates and landing on a timely opportunity from the NSW Office of Sport: a formal request for proposal to use facilities across its sport and recreation centres for seven days or more. We walk thr...

Send us Fan Mail A surge of industry updates sets the stage for a rare, behind-the-scenes look at a park network that could reshape the North Coast. We start with actionable items—Petzl safety alerts for harness D-rings and ice tools, EOIs for Jindabyne’s adventure project and NSW Sport and Rec centers, and the AAAS survey that may redefine knowledge, skills, and dependency across adventurous acti...

Send us Fan Mail Ready to turn recognition into real growth? We unveil the first NSW & ACT Outdoor Industry Awards and show how a thoughtful submission can double as a strategy sprint for your team. From categories spanning education, adventure tourism, therapy, play, events, and supporting services to clear criteria on delivery, sustainability, inclusion, development, and client engagement, w...

Send us Fan Mail Big policy shifts are heading for the outdoor industry, and we unpack them with clarity and care. We start with fast‑moving industry news—AAAS updates shaping good practice and insurance, National Parks timelines for closures and the new Mulumun track, a major tender for the Jindabyne Adventure Park, and key dates for awards, training, subsidies, and the occupational shortage surv...

Send us Fan Mail What does a modern outdoor standard look like when it has to serve schools, clubs, guides, and land managers under one roof? We open the hood on the Adventure Activity Standards and Good Practice Guides review, walking through the timeline, the expert advisory process, and the real-world changes being drafted right now. From redefining dependency and clarifying leadership competen...

Send us Fan Mail We kick off season four with concrete wins on e-bike hire, frank talk on safety and oversight risk, and a roadmap of reviews and consultations that will shape access, standards, and workforce. We also share new chances to lead locally through NPWS committees, PD pathways, and Women’s Week programs. • Upcoming forums on AAAS review, WWCC review, and Great Koala National Park • E-bi...

Send us Fan Mail Big pressures, big chances. We wrap the year by translating fresh McCrindle research into practical moves for outdoor operators across New South Wales, the ACT, and beyond. From the housing squeeze to shifting life priorities and the march of AI, we break down what’s changing and how to lead with clarity. We start with the realities: a persistent housing shortfall that complicates...

Send us Fan Mail A clear shift is coming for outdoor providers who run overnight programs with children—and we brought the Office of the Children’s Guardian to the table to unpack what it means. We start with the big picture: youth participation in outdoor activities is sliding, social media age limits are imminent, and schools are hungry for trusted partners who can deliver safe, engaging camps....

Send us Fan Mail Demand for travel in NSW is holding firm even as consumer confidence dips, and that tension creates real opportunity for operators who can read the signals and move. We dig into the latest Visitor Economy Forum data, spotlight the segments driving growth, and map where adventure and wellness naturally converge to lift spend and satisfaction. If you’ve been wondering which markets...