Expedition - Australia 360°
Australia 360° is Veterans In Action’s first international expedition with the aim of taking the Veterans we help on an experience of a lifetime. The expedition will be challenging on many levels and will teach new skills in an environment that is completely different to the one they live in.
The expedition is not something that those taking part will just turn up for on the day and instead they will go through a rigorous training period where expedition skills will be taught which are relevant to the expedition they will be taking part on.
As with everything that VIA do inclusion means becoming a member of a team and working together to achieve the aims of the task. This will include raising the funds for the expedition within the team on organised fundraising events.
VIA will be looking for Corporate Sponsorship to help fund the expedition but as with all expeditions that VIA have run in the past the main bulk of the funding will be from our own efforts.
This will be done as part of the ALIVE Program where fundraising is a powerful tool to help Veterans with their confidence, self-esteem and self-belief and to transfer this to their daily lives.
The plan is to do the expedition in 2014 and the route is being planned as we speak and once planned, a confirmed date will be set taking into consideration weather conditions in certain parts of Australia which will make some routes impassable if done at the wrong time of year.
In the lead up to the expedition, training will begin where the VIA Expedition Team will train participants in the skills that will be used on the expedition. These skills will include Off-Road Driving, Navigation using maps, compass, GPS and natural navigation, First Aid, Bushcraft, Campcraft, Bush Mechanics and Bush Cooking including preparing animals.
This training will be done in different locations around the UK and on VIA events including the Union Flag Walks and in VIA’s Centre in Rossendale, Lancashire.
The expedition will be a 16,000 mile off-road drive (where possible) around the coastline of Australia using two off-road vehicles.
It will be broken down into 4 stages, and 4 veterans will take part on each stage and will join the 4 strong VIA Expedition Team which will be in Australia for the duration of the expedition.
The stages are as follows;
1. Perth to Sydney
2. Sydney to Cairns
3. Cairns to Darwin
4. Darwin to Perth
Veterans joining each stage will be flown out from the UK to change over from those on the previous stage.
The duration of each stage will be between 4 and 6 weeks and each stage will have its own challenges depending on the terrain. At every opportunity the team will camp in the Bush using the skills learnt in the training period before the expedition.
The aims are to deliver a fantastic experience that will challenge each individual both mentally and physically in the many different skills they learn before and during the expedition.
The expedition is open to anyone who has been on the ALIVE Program and who can commit to the time away, taking part on training weekends and attending the fundraising events. It will also be open to Veterans in Australia, of which there are many. They will be able to add their experience of the country to the expedition and also support the Veterans taking part.
