Get Home Alive

Get Home Alive is a practical two day, one night immersive training program designed to give outdoor adventurers the skills, knowledge and decision making tools to manage situations when things don’t go according to plan.

Because in remote environments, the difference between an inconvenience and an emergency can come down to preparation, situational awareness and the decisions you make next.

Over the weekend, you’ll learn how to recognise developing problems before they escalate, manage uncertainty, communicate effectively and apply practical navigation, survival and fieldcraft skills.

Our Philosophy

Prepared people are better equipped to adapt.

Throughout the weekend, we teach you to slow the situation down, establish what you know, identify immediate risks, assess your resources and options, and make deliberate decisions based on the conditions in front of you.

By the end of the program, our aim is for you to recognise when a plan is beginning to fail, stabilise the situation and make practical decisions that give you and your group the best chance of getting home safely.

Program Format

Duration: 2 Days / 1 Night Location: A private, river-based bush campground near Erica in Gippsland, just over two hours east of Melbourne. The campground is accessible by two-wheel-drive vehicles. Accommodation: BYO tent or swag. Toilet and shower facilities are available onsite. Experience Level: suitable for all levels. The program is suitable for bushwalkers, paddlers, backcountry skiers and snowboarders, campers, adventure racers, outdoor enthusiasts and anyone wanting to become more capable and self reliant in remote environments. No previous survival or advanced navigation experience is required.

Meet Your Instructors Paddy Howlett Paddy is an experienced outdoor educator with more than 30 years of experience operating in remote and demanding environments in Australia and internationally.

A former Special Operations serviceman, Paddy’s background includes military survival training, remote-area navigation, fieldcraft, aviation rescue operations and instructing teams in environments where risk management, communication, teamwork and clear decision-making are essential.

He has worked for Babcock as aircrew on rescue helicopter operations around Australia, including HEMS 2 in Victoria and operations based in Horn Island and Adelaide. His aviation rescue experience provides a valuable perspective on what happens at the other end of an emergency call — and why good preparation, accurate information and appropriate decision-making in the field matter.

Paddy is also qualified in Swiftwater Rescue and has extensive experience in bush navigation, survival, paddling, adventure racing and remote expedition travel.

Now based in Gippsland, he brings this experience into civilian outdoor education, helping participants develop practical systems for navigating, preparing for emergencies and remaining effective when circumstances change.

His approach focuses not simply on what to do, but on understanding why you’re doing it and what decision should come next.

Kelly van den Berg Kelly is a professional outdoor educator, mountain guide and qualified Nordic ski instructor with extensive experience across alpine, river and wilderness environments in Gippsland and throughout Australia, as well as international expedition experience.

Her work spans outdoor education, navigation, paddling, backcountry travel and expedition leadership, with a strong emphasis on developing capable and independent participants rather than simply leading people through an environment.

Kelly is Swiftwater Rescue qualified and has completed Expedition Medicine through the University of Tasmania and Canadian Avalanche Association Operations Level 1 training. She also works across mountain and river environments where changing weather, terrain, water conditions and group dynamics require continual risk assessment and decision making.

Her teaching focuses strongly on situational awareness, preparation, human factors and maintaining clear thinking when circumstances change.

Together, Kelly and Paddy combine complementary backgrounds in outdoor education, expedition travel, navigation, rescue environments and remote area risk management.

Get Home Alive draws on that combined experience to teach practical skills for ordinary adventurers facing extraordinary circumstances.

For more info on what you'll learn and inclusions, click Go to Bookings Site.