Psst, every activity is included in your ticket for the weekend! The hard bit will be deciding which ones you do.
The first pillar of ExplorerFest is ‘adventure’. Obviously! We’ve included a range of excellent ways to explore the surrounding bushland, beach, and bay of Jimmys Beach at different intensities. Chillax or challenge yourself, it’s up to you!
So what’s on?
Kayaking
We’ve teamed up with local guiding company Lazy Paddles who’ll be bringing a fleet of kayaks to the festival. Guided trips will run in Port Stephens Bay, which is regularly visited by dolphins!
Expect stellar views as you look out to the ocean past the twin mountain headlands of Yacaaba and Tomaree. Paddling west, you’ll feel totally remote as you pass the end of the houses at Winda Woppa and explore the mouth of the Myall River and spot wildlife on Corrie Island Nature Reserve.
Kayaking off Jimmys Beach | Photo thanks to Destination NSW
Rock Climbing Wall
Base Zero are bringing an eight metre high mobile rock climbing wall to ExplorerFest – that’s double your average bouldering gym! There’ll be a range of routes available, so whether you’re a first timer or total gym-rat, expect a challenge (and a beaut bird’s eye view of the festival).
The wall can take four people at once, so channel your speed climbing skills and race them to the top?
The Base Zero monolith is coming to ExplorerFest!
Hiking
We’ve teamed up with Paddy Pallin to host a range of hikes over the ExplorerFest weekend to cater to everyone!
Guided Mt Yacaaba Hike
Yacaaba Headland stands tall over Worimi Country and looks back over the remote townships of Hawks Nest and Tea Gardens. Beautiful angophoras, grass trees, and gnarled banksias cover the mountain and lace monitors cling to the trees.
We’ll be running a series of guided hikes along the beach and up Yacaaba to the viewing point, learning about Country along the way. See if you can spot the festival grounds, or even Barrington Tops if it’s clear!
Hiking along Bennetts Beach to Yacaaba
Sunrise Walks
Nothing like a sunrise walk on the beach, come for a stroll and take in the views, dunes, and coastal wildlife of this incredibly special region.
The sunsets aren’t half bad either
Mini Rogaining – Test Your Skills!
Paddy Pallin are also putting together a mini rogaining challenge on the festival grounds. Dial in your navigation skills and get some tips on how to improve. Your map and compass won’t know what hit them!
Beach 4WDing
Bennetts Beach runs north for kilometres and short of trekking over the dune system, much of it is only really accessible by 4WD.
So we’ve teamed up with the crew at Jeep who are bringing some of their newest 4WDs to ExplorerFest! You’ll be able to sign on to drive (!!) or jump in as a passenger to convoy up the beach, learn responsible sand driving techniques, and experience a super remote part of the coast.
4WDing on Bennetts Beach
Pilates
Sorry core, no weekend off! We’re bringing Alyssa Flannery from Pilates on Surfside to ExplorerFest to run a series of pilates classes out in the open air. Alyssa regularly runs sunrise mat and reformer pilates and loves nothing more than running outdoor classes that connect students with themselves and their surroundings.
Pair it with the onsite sauna and ice bath from Cedar & Salt to really get yourself primed for the day!
Photo by Junseong Lee on Unsplash
Trail Running
If you’re a runner it’d be rude not to go for a trot in this beautiful locale. Hilary from For Wild Places will be along to host trail runs up to Yacaaba Headland to the viewpoint (if you don’t mind a climb) and beach runs for all.
We might even cut a hot lap of Hawks Nest – you’ll pass two beaches and a river in a 6km loop! WAE’s Chief Trail Runner Tim Ashelford will also be along for the runs – because Strava doesn’t take a day off.
We’ll have groups for all abilities so whether you’re a die hard trail runner or you’ve never stepped foot off road, come and have a run and a yarn with us!
Hilary from For Wild Places is an expert at leading group trail runs
Reckon you can squeeze it all in?
With adventure activities running throughout the weekend there’ll be plenty of chances to give everything a crack! And with workshops, masterclasses, talk panels, and heaps of entertainment spaces to chill out in over the weekend, we reckon you’ll find the balance that’s right for you.
This could be you!
Don’t forget you can BYO!
Want to surf, take your bike for a spin, or rig up one of those foil things with the wing? Go for it! Snorkels and sails are all welcome at ExplorerFest. Jimmys Beach is an absolute playground, let’s make the most of it. Heck, bring your bucket, let’s build a sandcastle.
