Bushcraft Survival Skills Course (1-Day Course): $268 (Adult) / $228 (Child)
To Book SCT’s Bushcraft Survival Skills Course Please Use The Online Booking System By Clicking On The Orange Course Dates Button (*Online Booking Fees Apply).
All of our courses here at SCT are at least 50% bushcraft and 50% survival…but our Bushcraft Survival Skills Course is focused on 80% bushcraft skills!
Below is a little on the difference between bushcraft vs survival – while most people might consider the words bushcraft and survival to be interchangeable, they are actually quite different terms.
The two different methods do often overlap when talking about wilderness courses or when out in the field…however, there is a noticeable distinction.
Who Is This Bushcraft Survival Skills Course Relevant To?
Anyone with an interest in bushcraft and who wants to learn additional natural bush skills. It is open to everyone who has completed the Essential Basic Survival Course 1.
What Will I Learn On The Bushcraft Survival Skills Course?
In addition to other skills gleaned from this course, you will learn:
- gathering edibles (using natural plants endemic to Australia to help stave off hunger and boost essential energy)
- using native tree bark as natural tinder
- making a natural toothbrush in the field
- making proper ‘hooked’ tent pegs out of sticks
- making a traditional throwing stick to catch animals
- building a possum snare for a tree
- as well as a number of other highly useful bushcraft techniques as listed in the units below
What’s The Difference Between Survival & Bushcraft?
Survival tends to focus on the key things you need to do in order to stay alive and get back to safety.
Bushcraft tends to concentrate on the skills of living in the wilderness and thriving using natural materials and traditional methods to help you. Something I often refer to as ‘Thrival.‘
Survival
Training in survival techniques is based more around your equipment and was initially conceived to teach members of the military a variety of essential skills quickly, to enable them to survive in a remote environment – long enough to be rescued or to self-rescue from that emergency situation.
It typically relates to being able to survive on your own for up to 72 hours and returning to safety in the fastest way possible.
Real-world survival training concentrates on the priorities of survival and the critical steps to follow in a particular order – depending on the terrain, environment, and situation you’re in, based upon immediate needs (e.g. protection/shelter, warmth/fire, rescue signals, water, food, navigation etc).
Survival skills are really important skills to gain for anyone who enjoys spending time in the wilderness or carries out any activity or work that takes them into remote areas of Australia and beyond.
When you are thrown into a survival situation it means there is the strong possibility that your life is in potential danger.
The priorities that you need to follow in order to survive would be carried out as quickly and effortlessly as possible, such as putting up a basic shelter that will protect you from the elements, or treating / boiling water from a natural water source because that’s the only option available.
The critical actions you take when you’re in a wilderness survival situation will be done to save your life, and you won’t want to waste time or effort constructing anything unnecessary, because you’ll ideally be on the move (assuming you’re uninjured).
You can see an overview of all of our bushcraft and survival courses here.
Bushcraft
On the other hand, bushcraft is more of a natural skill set that involves a deep understanding of the wisdom and bush skills that traditional cultures across the world have used to survive and even thrive in the wilderness for tens of thousands of years.
Bushcraft is the umbrella subject that encompasses all survival training and has a direct link with the land and a stronger connection to nature.
Bushcraft often involves spending long periods of time in the wilderness doing things to make you more comfortable. It is more focused on ways to create things you’ll need from nature in a safe environment where your life isn’t in danger, unlike in a survival situation.
It includes a diverse range of disciplines such as building natural shelters, as well as a thorough understanding of some of these skills – for example: fire preparation & lighting, botany & plant identification, natural navigation, fishing, animal tracking, trapping & snaring, water procurement techniques etc.
THE LIFE & BUSH SKILLS YOU WILL GAIN FROM A COURSE THROUGH SURVIVAL COURSES TASMANIA WILL HELP TO INSTILL SELF-CONFIDENCE, SELF-RELIANCE IN THE BUSH, AND WILL HELP YOU TO SURVIVE IN THE FIELD
“I recently completed the Essential Basic Survival Course 1, and I couldn’t be more impressed. This course is packed with value from start to finish. Alex’s delivery is both informative and engaging, making even complex topics easy to grasp.
What stood out the most was Alex’s genuine passion for survival & bushcraft, and ensuring every participant feels confident and prepared for the bush. He was open to all questions and even went above and beyond to share knowledge beyond the course material.
Just an hour into the course, I was already certain—I’ll be coming back for the follow-up courses!”
“Fantastic Day! Alex is a great instructor – he has a rare combination of incredible knowledge, clear explanations, and patience with his students. Thank you so much for the training, and I’ll see you on the next course shortly.”
“I found Alex to be very knowledgeable and helpful…and, despite being an experienced bushwalker of more than 30 years myself, I was able to learn some very useful skills and tips for surviving an emergency in the wilderness. Thanks heaps and look forward to getting out there again.”
“I had the best time! It was really great to get outside and challenge myself. Alex is a fantastic instructor who explains survival and bushcraft techniques clearly, and has a lot of patience with his students. Thanks again for the training…I’ll see you soon for the next course.”
“I had an absolutely brilliant time! I enjoyed every minute of it…Alex is an excellent trainer! I’d love to do the next stage of the course soon. I would highly recommend this course to anyone keen on learning some great bushcraft & survival techniques and skills.”
“Alex is a fantastic instructor who is extremely empathetic and considerate. He does a brilliant job of ensuring everybody is included, and is confident yet humble with the concepts being taught. He uses engaging examples throughout pointing to his decades of experience. I highly recommend his courses!”
“We both had fun…the survival course was very good and covered many essential topics. The instructor was extremely knowledgeable and adapted to our pre-existing knowledge well.”
“The course was fantastic…I really enjoyed it. I’m keen to learn more, so I’ll definitely be coming back. The instructor’s knowledge base and manner of instructing are both magnificent.”
“The course was really informative…and we certainly learnt a lot! We both really enjoyed it. The instruction was detailed, grounded and provided in a clear, coherent, and engaging manner. It was an excellent introduction to bushcraft and survival, especially for my son who is wanting to go hiking more often. We would thoroughly recommend anyone interested in bushcraft and survivalism to attend this course.”
“I went on SCT’s courses to become more independent when hiking and camping. Through Alex’s courses I have learnt the skills I was hoping to and so much more. I’m now more confident and I’m doing things that I never thought I would. Alex is extremely generous with his knowledge and time, and is very encouraging no matter what level of skill you start with.”
“It was a great day…we had fun on the course and learnt loads! Can’t wait to practise some of the skills we learnt when we’re out in the bush. Some of the places we go are pretty hard to get to.”
“The Intermediate Survival Course 1 I did was great! I learnt how to make a multi-pronged fishing spear, a disc knife, and many other things. I’m really enjoying the courses and gaining lots of knowledge. It just goes to show…the more you learn, the less equipment you need in a survival situation or just on a camping trip even. I consider these skills priceless. Alex is a brilliant instructor and explains everything well and clearly – I appreciate how he’s tailored some things to my personal request.”
“I learnt a great deal from the Intermediate Survival Course 2. Having done all of SCT’s courses, the second intermediate course was a really good progression from the Intermediate Survival Course 1. I’d definitely recommend doing all of the courses.”
“Alex is a true professional of his craft and a great instructor overall. It has been a pleasure to get to learn from him across all of his courses…he has a true wealth of knowledge with immense experience!”
“Alex is very knowledgeable, down-to-earth, and approachable with survival and bushcraft life-skills where you can feel comfortable asking questions while learning out in the field. Hands-on activities including building shelters, finding water, and navigating unfamiliar terrain (and much more!), with real teamwork and without a smartphone, gave me more confidence in handling adversity in the Australian bush. I’d recommend the SCT courses to anyone looking to learn and expand their survival and bushcraft skills with active learning and having an awesome time doing so. I’ve done all of SCT’s courses, and I got a lot out of them!”
“I’ve done all of SCT’s bushcraft and survival courses now, and they’re fantastic! I really learnt a lot, and they have given me so much self-confidence to go out for hikes on my own…even in places I wouldn’t have dreamt to venture into before.”
“The Essential Basic Survival Course 1 was a perfect introduction to overall survival training. As a hiker, having these skills not only makes me more aware of my safety, surroundings, and which essentials to pack — it gives me increased confidence in handling challenging situations that could arise.
Alex is very passionate and informative in this field. I left the class with a great appreciation and respect for survival training and will be taking another class through his company in the future.”
Course Syllabus – Bushcraft Survival Skills Course: $268 (Adult) / $228 (Child)
Duration: 1 day – 8:30am to 4:30pm
The cost includes: 1 day of bushcraft instruction from a fully qualified instructor, hot beverages, land use fees, insurance and your own 1m x 1m square cotton bandana / shemagh to take home. This Bushcraft Survival Skills Course will be held on a small, wild island or in pristine bushland where we can explore and practise more closely being in the field. We’ll be using the wilderness fully to our advantage on this course.
Minimum age: 8 years (customers under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult)
It is a pre-requisite for customers / students to attend the Essential Basic Survival Course 1 prior to attending this course
Skills covered:
- Gathering edibles – using natural plants around you to help stave off hunger, boost essential energy through key macronutrients, and be able to thrive in the wilderness.
- Making a natural toothbrush – using plant material that’s native to Australia and found everywhere (hygiene is important for health even in the bush).
- Building a longer-term natural A-frame shelter – one you can stand up in and incorporate a small fire inside for maximum warmth.
- Using native tree bark as natural tinder to light a fire.
- Making proper ‘hooked’ tent pegs out of sticks.
- Learning the properties of and making a throwing stick for catching animals (something numerous indigenous tribes use all over the world).
- Constructing a simple fish trap – suitable for catching fish and other freshwater animals in creeks, streams, dams, and lakes etc.
- Making a natural bedding platform for you to lay on.
- Making a possum snare for a tree.
Bushcraft relies much more significantly on a maximum use of traditional bush knowledge and skills with only a minimal reliance on equipment.
Survival and bushcraft do overlap in their need for self-reliance, but separate further from each other in their need for connection and the relationship to nature. Ideologically, they have two different foundations.
In the real world, however, we often transition from one to the other – as with bushcraft survival skills they concentrate much more heavily on bushcraft techniques – and at Survival Courses Tasmania we’ll cover much more specific bushcraft techniques on this course.
At SCT, we strive to deliver an all-round education in bushcraft and survival rather than instruction only. This enables our students to gain real-world skills and the right knowledge acquisition, combined with core personal development.
The invaluable life skills you will take with you from an SCT course will help you to grow in self-confidence, resilience and will help you become more self-reliant in the field. Read more in our series of blogs. There’s a course to suit everyone, regardless of your experience in the bush.
Definition of bushcraft.