Now in full swing, the ACT Government's free school camps program at Birrigai Outdoor School is tracking to deliver 58 camps for around 4100 students by the end of the 2025 school year.
More than 1700 students have attended a free camp since the initiative was announced in February, with 25 schools having participated by the end of last week in a free camp at the outdoor school.
The program was set up to ensure every primary school age student in ACT public schools could attend one free camp at Birrigai during their primary school years. The 2025-26 Budget provides $3.3 million to fund the initiative over four years.
By the end of term 4, Birrigai, near Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and Namadgi National Park, is projected to have delivered a further 33 camps for approximately 2400 students. Planning for 2026 free camps are well underway with all eligible schools already booked in.
Birrigai offers curriculum-aligned programs that include First Nations histories and cultures, outdoor adventure, and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics activities. School camps support curriculum delivery, the development of student wellbeing and a positive school culture.
"School camps are an important and formative part of the educational experience, and no student should have to miss out because of the cost," ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry said.
"The free camps initiative was set up after we learnt through feedback and data that cost was posing a barrier to many young people accessing the valuable experience school camps provide. It complements our other equity programs, including free three-year-old preschool, a Chromebook for every public secondary school student and the Future of Education Equity Fund."
