Preparing for your visit

Coordinating your visit

School groups visiting Birrigai will be assigned a Program Coordinator who will assist with the planning and logistics of your visit. They will contact you about six weeks prior to discuss the program and schedule. This will ensure a customised program is developed which will best meet the outcomes you require.

Forms to complete

To assist in providing the best experience possible, all visiting groups must provide the following completed forms. These forms must be returned to Birrigai a minimum of 10 business days prior to your visit.

Final numbers and medical information form

• Final Numbers and Medical Information - Day Trip (157kb)
• Final Numbers and Medical Information - Overnight Camps (166kb)

Allergens and food restrictions

• Allergen and Food Restrictions Form - Birrigai Catered Meals (268kb)
• Allergen and Food Restrictions Form - Morning Tea Only (257kb)

Arrival and departure requirements

For your arrival, visiting teachers / supervising adults are required to bring the following documentation:

Cabin allocation lists

• Cabin allocation lists (overnight camps only) (783kb)

Table group allocation lists

• Table allocation lists (catered groups only) (99kb)

Activity group allocation lists

• Activity group allocation lists (103kb)

Overnight camps

Arrival time

Arrival time is 10:00am unless amended and arranged by your Birrigai Program Coordinator.

Upon arrival your Birrigai Program Coordinator will greet your group and an assisting Birrigai teacher will lead the student cohort on a site orientation tour.

Your coordinator will conduct a comprehensive mandatory site induction for all teachers/supervising adults before activities start. During the induction process the visiting coordinating teacher is issued cabin keys/radios/torches/reverse cycle remotes.

Birrigai applies a minimum visiting teacher/supervising adult to student ratio of 1:20 for overnight visits for all student groups from kindergarten to year 12. Please ensure sufficient adults attend with your group to meet this ratio, including an appropriate gender balance. Please note these ratios may vary with additional adults required depending on the program activity selected and/or additional needs of students.

Cabin cleaning occurs between 9:15am to 10:15am daily. Access to cabins is not permitted during this time however other bathrooms are available for use as required.

Departure time

Departure time is 2:00pm unless arranged when booking or with your Program Coordinator.

All cabins must be tidied and vacated by 9:00 am with luggage removed and relocated to the parking area. An alternative location for luggage will be advised in the event of inclement weather. All equipment provided including cabin keys must be returned to the Administration Office at that time.

Cabin inspections will be conducted by a Birrigai staff member, and any issues identified and/or reported to staff will be noted on the Cabin Inspection Report.

Please note access to cabins is not permitted after they have been vacated to allow for cleaning to take place prior the arrival of other groups.

What to bring

A recommended packing list for students can be found here (122kb).

Students are required to bring their own pillow, a warm sleeping bag, or a quilt with a fitted or flat sheet, and a bath towel. Teacher/supervising adult rooms are supplied with a pillow, sheets, and a quilt however bath towels are NOT provided.

Please note: Birrigai does not supply woollen blankets therefore we strongly recommend referring to the packing list. During the colder months in particular, the need to pack warm sleepwear and appropriate bedding to cater for cold nights is vital.

Meals and dining

All meals are served by Birrigai’s catering team. Visiting teachers/supervising adults are required to assist and supervise students during all meals. Details will be provided during the site induction and prior to your first meal.

Birrigai operates a professional commercial kitchen to provide high quality in-house catering to visiting schools. All meals provided are designed in accordance with the National Healthy School Canteen Guidelines and the catering team can accommodate specific dietary needs. Meals are freshly prepared daily by our qualified chefs and are served in our Dining Hall which seats up to 120 people.

Table duty

To assist in the smooth running of meal services all schools are required to follow the Table Duty procedure. This procedure will be demonstrated by your Program Coordinator before the first meal and visiting teachers/supervising adults will then be responsible for coordinating and supervising throughout all subsequent meals.

One table of eight students under the supervision of a visiting teacher/adult should be rostered to assist for each meal – the Table Duty Allocation list template can be found here (99kb).

Please note the responsibility for supervision of students during meals, including set up and pack down is the responsibility of visiting teachers/adults and not the Birrigai catering team.

• School menu (244kb)

Self-catered groups

Self-catering is only possible for groups with a maximum of 30 guests.

Access to the kitchenette and outdoor barbecue area will be provided to groups who elect to self-cater. The kitchenette is equivalent to a residential kitchen and has all the equipment and utensils needed to cook for up to 30 people.

Visiting groups will be expected to restore the kitchenette and barbecues to a clean and tidy, pre-hire state following use. All equipment including utensils, crockery and cutlery are to be washed and returned to storage areas prior to departure.