Essentials of Navigation Course
If you long to venture into the wilderness but you're not confident that you can find your way, this course will teach you the essential navigation skills to ensure your safety.
Located in a forest near Melbourne and Geelong, the hands-on workshop style programme includes a morning of lessons and practical activities followed by a challenging afternoon navigation exercise in which to hone your skills. This is the ideal course for anyone looking to increase their navigation abilities for outdoor pursuits such as hiking, trail running, backcountry skiing, mountain biking and adventure racing.
Journeying off the beaten path can be both daunting and dangerous if you lack the navigation skills needed to guarantee your return. Although they are fantastic tools, GPS and other devices cannot be relied upon as the sole means of finding your way.
This course will teach you the fundamental skills to navigate confidently with a map and compass, so you can enjoy the wonderful rewards that await those willing to explore the wilderness.
The course includes instruction from guide(s) with a lifetime of experience navigating in remote wilderness areas around the world, explaining all of the essentials of how to navigate with a map and compass. We operate with a low student to instructor ratio to optimize learning outcomes.
Topics include:
Identifying features of the environment
Reading a map - understanding the topography and technical information
Using a map and compass to plan and follow a route
Techniques for not getting lost and regaining your location
Communicating location in an emergency
Navigating in difficult conditions and challenging terrain
Basics of GPS
Dates: Saturday 9 November 2024 (1 SPOT REMAINING). Saturday 1 February 2025 (NEW COURSE).
Private courses: Contact us to arrange a custom booking.
Location: You Yangs Regional Park, Victoria, Australia (about 1 hour drive from Melbourne or Geelong).
Duration: One day (9:00am to 4:30pm).
Inclusions: Maps, compasses, first aid and safety equipment provided for the day.
Cost: $249 per person.
Gift certificates: Valid for 3 years for use on future courses (subject to availability of places). Click here to order gift certificates.
Book now using our secure online booking system, or contact us for more information.
Whether you take a magnetic bearing in the field and want to use that bearing to determine your position on your map, or you take a grid bearing on your map and want to use that bearing to find your direction in the field, you will need to make an adjustment to allow for the grid magnetic angle. This is how to do it.