More than 4500 Scouts and leaders will attend an 11-day Jamboree, believed to be the biggest youth event in the Southern Hemisphere in nearly two years.
‘VicJam’ will also bring thousands of visitors to Campaspe Shire, including 2000 Cub Scouts from throughout Victoria.
Scouts aged 11 to 14 will camp and cook their own meals at the Elmore Events Centre where they will enjoy on-site activities and nightly entertainment, or travel by bus to off-site adventures and overnight expeditions.
On-site action ranges from abseiling, rock climbing, caving, zip lines, bouldering, low ropes, ladders, clip and climb, and horizontal bungee, all the way to drones, robotics, 3D printing, amateur radio, microscope exploration and virtual reality experiences. There will also be an activity where Scouts will save the planet from a “covert alien invasion”, armed only with smartphones, radios and GPS.
Off-site action includes the Echuca Explorer adventure (a mixture of adventure and relaxation including a paddle steamer ride and a visit to the iconic Echuca Ice Creamery) and the Ski, Swim and Skim overnight expedition at Torrumbarry where Scouts will water ski, skim board and relax on the river.
Planning for this $7 million event began four years ago.
In a statement, the organisers said VicJam was a “welcome return to real Scouting after almost two years of mostly online Scouting programs”.
VicJam chief director Jon Willis said VicJam would be a brilliant return to face-to-face Scouting after a difficult two years.
“VicJam is a youth-led camp, and young people from all over Victoria have had their say on what VicJam will look like,” he said.
“They’ve chosen the theme of the camp, debated the clothing designs, trained to be announcers on the radio station and so much more.
“This is their camp!”
VicJam will be taking place from December 29 to January 8.
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