Guunuwa Program

“Guunuwa” is the Gumbaynggirr verb which means “to live”. The Guunuwa Residential Program is a unique opportunity to enliven your heart, mind and spirit through a year of deep immersion in wild nature, learning primitive skills and earth-based philosophy.

In offering this program we would like to recognise the traditional custodians of the land upon which your learning will take place – the Gumbaynggirr Nation.

The Guunuwa program is a 12 month residential program, with participants devoting a year of their life to listening, learning and living closely to nature.  Workshops held during the year teach a broad range of advanced primitive skills, personal awareness and earth connection tools in small and intimate group settings. While there is a strong focus on community during the year there is also ample opportunity to experience solo time in nature.  It is our vision for Guunuwa participants that both of these pathways will give rise to deep personal healing & transformation.

Non-Residential Participation - A number of Guunuwa 2012 workshops will also be available to non-residential students. These workshops can be viewed on the Guunuwa Schedule page and you can elect to attend the workshops as a series of classes or individually. If you are interested in joining us please be in touch early as all of the classes will be of small group size.

We hope you are as excited about this new range of workshops on offer as we are! Below is some more general information about the Guunuwa Program. To apply for the program or to find out more you can also down load the:

Guunuwa Information Pack

Guunuwa Residential Application Form

Guunuwa Program Information

Participation in the Guunuwa program invites you into a community based, semi-primitive learning environment. The Guunuwa study program gives you the opportunity to develop hands-on experience with a broad range of advanced primitive skills and develop specialist areas of knowledge through both community based and solo wilderness experiences.

The program acknowledges that this unique opportunity for immersion in wild nature will often elicit deep personal transformation and healing. The teachings also offer tools and ongoing support for this process of expanding awareness and personal development.

The following areas of study will be offered during the program. Please read our workshop descriptions for a more in-depth understanding of the workshops and our facilitators:

•          Shelter construction
•          Local indigenous land use
•          Indigenous Communal Living Skills & Mentoring
•          Bird Language
•          Primitive fire and its application in a primitive
           environment
•          Plant identification, bush foods & medicinal herbs
•          Basketry & cordage
•          Primitive pottery
•          Skinning & tanning animal hides
•          Animal tracking & trapping
•          Spear making & hunting skills
•          Awareness & movement
•          Weather systems and interpretation
•          Survival, wandering and bush orienteering skills
•          Vision Quest

These skills are taught through group tutorials, hands on workshops and individual mentoring.  Nature Philosophy instructors and guest instructors who are specialists in their field will teach these skills mainly during the first 9 months of the program. However, the first step for each residential participant will be to consider their basic survival needs and construct a primitive shelter in which to live for the year.

Each new skill which is introduced will build upon the last and when taken as a whole will form a comprehensive naturalist knowledge base for short to long term survival in the Australian bush.

As the year progresses residential participants will be encouraged to apply these skills in both day-to-day activities and in survival settings.

There will be on-going mentoring available for participant’s through-out the year from the Nature Philosophy instructors, local community members and elders. As a community we will come together each full moon to form a women’s and men’s circle. These circles are a place for sharing personal stories and receiving support and mentoring. Our aim as facilitators will be to empower each participant’s personal motivation and passion so they can deeply immerse into this learning experience.

Guunuwa Workshop Dates

The residential year for the Guunuwa program begins with the ‘Welcome To Country’ Ceremony in February 2012 and ends with the ‘Farewell To Country’ Ceremony in February 2013.

If you would like to participate in the year program or in specific workshops during the year as a non-residential student please contact Kate Rydge, Guunuwa Program Manager.