On Wednesday, the 6th of July, Melbourne's coldest day in nine years, fifteen excited faces patiently awaited the bus to take them to Onesoical's first EVER Winter Camp. We met at Forest Hill Football/Cricket Club, where everyone with their packed bags was ready for a two-night camp at the Ranch, a 200-acre adventure park on the Mornington Peninsula. Many old and new faces to onesocial were coming to the camp, so it was great seeing everyone interact for the first time. It was even great to see all the parents meet and introduce themselves. As we waved goodbye from the bus, it was finally time for us to hit the road and make our journey to The Ranch.
Our first stop was Rye Pier, where we stopped to stretch our legs, kick the ball around and have some fish and chips for lunch while we waited for our cabins to be ready. We all loaded back onto the bus and had a 15-minute drive to camp.
When we arrived, the adventure park was western-themed; there were old wagons, a jailhouse, a sheriff's office, a blacksmith, an old train, an animal nursery and much more. There were breathtaking views of green pastures and rolling hills; you could even see the ocean.
After settling into our cabins, the first activity on our itinerary was horse riding. Once given horse riding boots to wear, everyone was led around by one of the experienced team members from the Ranch. We rode through the rolling hills of the 200-acre property, where we could also see spectacular views of Bass Strait. The horses were fabulous and very well matched to each rider. The whole experience was calm, friendly and just terrific.
After horse riding, the next planned activity wasn't until tomorrow morning. The rest of the afternoon and evening consisted of playing basketball, having dinner, playing pool, and ping pong in the games room.
It was an early rise Thursday as we had mountain boarding to start our morning. For those who do not know, mountainboarding is a crossover between skateboarding and snowboarding, with elements of other action sports such as BMX. After breakfast, we headed over to the course to meet our instructor. Once we got our mountain board, safety pads, and helmet, we were given an orientation and went straight into it.
One of the first things we learned as beginner mountain boarders was how to fall. They taught us that the best way to fall is to bend our knees fully, lean back and tip over onto our bottom. Lucky we all had this skill down pat because there was a lot of falling between us.
Nic is bending his knees slightly and holding his arms out to keep balanced.
Fox looking like a natural mountain boarder!
Up next was the flying fox. For this activity, we had to harness up and then make our way up a massive hill to get to the top of the flying fox. Once we lined up and got ready, it was at this point that we had a few nervous people. From the top of the flying fox, the view was spectacular, which made it all worth it. The flying fox was a great activity; everyone pushed themselves and had fun.
Jackson and Seb were first up and launched themselves from the platform.
Here comes Tara!
It was now lunchtime, and there were a few hungry bellies, so we had Anthony on the BBQ cooking up a sausage sizzle. It was a typical Melbourne day on day two of camp; one minute, it was pouring rain, and the sun was out shining the next.
After lunch, we had a special gift to give to everyone that came to the camp. We had personalised Onesocial Winter Camp 2022 t-shirts made for everyone to wear and keep forever.
Now it was time for some rock climbing; at this stage, it was pouring down with rain and was quite windy, which made rock climbing a little more challenging for those doing it.
We even had one superstar who made it to the very top! Everyone on the ground was so excited and cheered him on! What an achievement!
As the day was coming to an end, it was time for our last activity, the giant swing! This activity got us all involved. Everyone had to pull on a rope that raised the person in the swing 26 metres high. At this point, your anxiety would build as you'd grip and pull the release cord. The G-force you felt when you pulled the cord and started plummeting towards the ground was a feeling like no other, but then the massive cables take hold, and you swing out. The adrenaline was still pumping as you climbed down the ladder and ran to the haul rope to give your next teammate the ride of their life.
What great teamwork!
Check out this video of Lachie in slow motion.
Well done, Lauryn! We were all so proud of you for giving it a go.
Even Anthony got a little scared!
After a big day full of activities, it was time for some of my famous spaghetti bolognese for dinner. Not long after dinner, a lucky handful had the opportunity to feed some baby lambs. How cute are they!
Now it wouldn't be a camp without a game of friendly trivia run by myself and Seb. There were questions for everyone in this trivia; we had basketball and soccer-related questions, a The Kid LAROI question and even some Ghostbusters questions.
By the end of the day, everyone was exhausted, and after some games of twister and FIFA on the PlayStation, it was time for bed!
Our last morning at camp started with some eggs and bacon for breakfast, with our chefs Alex and Jett on the BBQ, so we were all fueled up for our last activity here at the Ranch.
It was finally time for some archery! Most of our group had done archery at a past onesocial event, so we had a handful of professionals. For those who were new to archery we were shown how to grip the bow, what a correct stance looks like and how to draw, aim and release.
After a couple of action packed days, it was time to say goodbye to all the animals and the friendly staff at the Ranch. We all left with memories that we would remember forever and some even made some life-long friends.
Onesocial's first ever Winter Camp was such a great success. Thank you to everyone that came, and a big thank you to all the parents for your ongoing support.
Stay tuned for Onesocial's Summer Camp.... coming early next year!
- Brooke & the team at onesocial :)