School Camps at Somerset
Somerset has been in operation since the early 1980's and is now one of the largest outdoor education centres of its kind in the state, providing outdoor learning opportunities to over 10,000 students each year.

We run Camps for more than 50 Sydney and greater-Sydney schools.

Students embark on a journey-style program, staying each night at a different campsite in 2 person tents. Students complete activities en-route and play an active role in meal preparation, tent setup and group decisions.

Groups are accompanied by a Somerset Group Leader and a School Teacher for the entirety of the program.

Somerset operates from a Base Camp established on the original acres of land purchased in the early 80s. The Base Camp is picturesque and well-appointed with grassy camping areas, toilets and showers, undercover briefing areas, floodlight fields, a sick-room for sick or injured students to rest, the original Somerset Homestead for use by the coordinating teacher and by group teachers as they pass through, and a dining hall for meals and as a fall-back in extreme weather conditions.

Our Operations Office, the heart of our programs, is located at Base Camp and houses our Centre Manager, Program Coordinator and Schools Liaison staff who manage the communications base, program information as well as procedural and policy documentation.

On our Base Camp property we maintain an enormous store of equipment including tents, rucksacks, vehicles, trailers, group gear from spoons to chopping boards, campsite gear from pots to BBQs as well as all activity equipment from harnesses to canoes.

Our campsites are an integral part of the program and form the essence of the camping experience - we strive to maintain them at a high standard. There are over 15, exclusive private campsites resplendent with a LED-lit shelter, benches, drinking water on tap, campfire circle and firewood, flushing toilets with hand-washing sinks, grassy area for tent set-up and teacherÂ’s-tent platform. All of the campsites are accessible by road.

Our Expedition campsites support our privately owned sites providing us the means to extend programs for older groups and Duke of Ed participants.

Our Administration Office, based in Waitara, is the centre for our Duke of Ed programming, as well as Financial and Administration Management. The office compliments the Base Camp operations as a support centre for School Briefings and facilitating meetings.

Somerset is located about 90minutes North-West of Sydney on the glorious Colo River (known as the last pristine river in NSW).

Our Centre operates from a central Base Camp which services over 40km of the Colo valley a network of more than private campsites, many expedition campsites, hiking and canoeing routes into the adjoining Wollemi National Park and onto the Colo and Hawkesbury Rivers and numerous activity bases. Somerset privately owns more than 600 acres. Groups journey throughout the program area spending nights at a different campsite.

Accommodation Details: Other

Catering Details: Full Catering Only