Camp Adair

I love Camp Adair and now so do both my kids. I used to go for a week during the school holidays some 30ish years ago (lordy how that dates me!) and it was one of the best things I did in my childhood. It was scary and fun and totally out of my comfort zone and looking back that was exactly the kind of thing I should have been doing more of.
My son was recently there for his Year 6 camp and it was everything I remembered and more — somehow exactly the same but maintained. Just like me yeah :) The cabins are completely basic but you would not believe how exciting a room of bunk beds can be to a child. The ablution block is a bit rough but does the job and the dining room and dishwashing area unchanged.
The setting is beautiful and the activities are out of this world cool-​ness. Day One and we were straight into the mud-​pit that was the confidence course. Literally head to toe mud and swimming in mudpools. There’s a huge number of terrifying things involving heights, a wicked flying fox and lots of entertaining team building activities.
And then there’s the waterslide — the biggest bumpiest most excellent zoomslide you ever saw going down the side of a hill into a lovely brown swimming hole. There’s a pump to keep it slick and my saddest moment here was realising my back was not up to me hooning down it. I hate getting older.
Camp Adair still runs holiday camps in the school holidays and I can’t recommend it enough for building confidence in children of all temperaments. All meals are provided and the independence does them the world of good.
Most importantly, there’s a lovely family vibe about this place and the instructors are fantastic — part teacher, part friend, part psychologist, they do an amazing job and the kids love them. Awesome place.