Welcome to Traditional Australian Bush Skills
G’day,
If you’ve ever wondered how our explorers, pioneers, and bushmen survived and thrived in one of the toughest places on earth, you’re in the right place.
Traditional Australian Bush Skills is about learning and preserving the practical knowledge that has always defined our bush heritage. We don’t romanticise the past or get caught up in the latest gimmickry—we show you the real, hard-earned skills that allowed generations of Australians to live and work in our unique landscapes.
This isn’t “internet bushcraft,” with its focus on imported techniques from Scandinavia or the USA. Those methods have their place—but we don’t teach them unless they were directly used by our explorers and pioneers. Our landscapes are different. Our challenges are different. And our traditional skills have evolved to become uniquely our own. Traditional Australian Bush Skills is dedicated to sharing Australian skills, techniques and stories.
Note that one thing we don’t cover is traditional Aboriginal knowledge—unless that knowledge was widely adopted by our pioneers and bushmen and there are primary sources to prove it. Why? Because traditional Aboriginal stories are not ours to tell. That knowledge belongs to them and it’s up to them to share it - or not.
What we’re doing here is sharing the knowledge and techniques of swagmen, explorers, bushwalkers, soldiers, surveyors and stockmen—folks who forgot more about living and working in the bush than most modern Aussies are ever likely to learn - unless they read our articles of course.
What We’re About
At Traditional Australian Bush Skills, everything we do is based on three key principles:
Respect for the Land: The bush isn’t just a pretty backdrop—it’s a living, breathing entity. We teach skills that respect our landscape and minimise our impact on it. We don’t do this because we’re rabid greenies or anything, we do it because the mark of the true bushman is to leave as few signs as possible. For us it’s a sign of professionalism. Besides, you don’t need to conquer the bush, you just need to understand it.
Practical Knowledge: These aren’t theories or abstract ideas that look good on paper. The skills we cover are the real-deal, field-tested, and tailored to Australian conditions. Doesn’t matter if you’re on the wallaby humping the drum swagman style, working remote, riding the Bicentennial Trail, or 4WD camping with your family, our mission is to continually hand you knowledge you can actually use.
Authenticity: Every technique, every story, and every lesson comes from our own heritage. This is the real deal—knowledge handed down from bushmen, pioneers, drovers, and explorers who knew what it took to survive and thrive out here.
Here’s what you can expect:
Practical Skills: From setting up a bush camp to finding water, these are techniques that work—plain and simple.
Historical Insights: You’ll learn the “why” behind the methods. Why certain techniques evolved the way they did. Why they worked in the specific conditions they were used in.
Stories from the Past: The tales of the bushmen, explorers, and pioneers who came before us. What they carried, how they lived, and what they taught us about life in the bush.
While we’ll tell interesting stories, this isn’t a lecture. It’s not theory. It’s about giving you the knowledge to get out there and experience the bush for yourself, with skills and techniques which have been tested over generations.
Why Bother With This Traditional Australian Stuff?
We live in an age where most of what’s called “bushcraft” has nothing to do with our country or our traditions. It’s all the latest oilskin pack or lightweight stove, or nylon tarp, and imported ideas that don’t always suit our landscapes. These ideas end up integrated into the skills and knowledge of modern Australian bush-goers and they dilute and eventually replace our own traditions.
Our aim is to preserve what’s uniquely ours. The way a swagman actually “waltzed” and lived out of his “Matilda”. The way a drover found water in dry country. The way a surveyor navigated without a map. You get the picture. These are more than skills—they’re part of who we are, and if we don’t record them and pass them on, they’ll be lost.
At the same time, this isn’t just about nostalgia. Our focus is on imparting practical knowledge and skills you can use today, whether you’re heading off for a weekend out bush or just trying to reconnect with the land in a way that’s real and authentic.
We’re not here to sell you a fantasy or pitch you the latest gear. This isn’t about showing off. It’s about sharing knowledge and keeping it alive. It’s about teaching skills that actually work and telling the stories of the people who lived them.
And while we take our work seriously, we’re not here to make it complicated. The old-timers had a way of cutting through the noise and getting to what really mattered. We aim to do the same.
Join Us
Whether you’re here to learn, reminisce, or reconnect with the land, there’s something for you at Traditional Australian Bush Skills.
Pull up a stump, grab a cuppa, and stick around. The bush has a way of teaching you things you probably didn’t even know you were looking for. And we’re here to help you find them.
Cheers,
Grizz