How wonderful is summer! Beautiful weather and long balmy days provide the perfect inspiration to try a range of activities. CAE looks at five ways we can get outdoors and make the most of summer by filling it with fresh experiences and trying something new.
Volunteer
So many organisations, causes and community groups need helping hands and volunteering goes far beyond the good feeling you’ll get from doing something worthwhile for your community. Volunteering can help you pick up multiple skills and you can apply this experience to your working life or use it as free training if you’re aiming for a career change. Just think, while having fun over summer, you could also be adding sought-after skills to your resume! These include teamwork, organisation, time management, community engagement, creativity and more.
Volunteer positions can range from administration tasks to hands-on practical work, and you can offer your help on a recurring basis or as a once-off. Places that accept volunteers are all around you: animal shelters and farms, conservation and environment organisations, community centres, organisations that help the socially under-privileged, emergency response, recreational festivals and events. Not only do you learn new skills, you meet a huge variety of people with similar interests and have a lot of fun.
Go Hiking
We’re lucky enough to live in a country of extraordinary natural beauty, so pack your trail mix and a few litres of water and spend time on one of Australia’s many hiking trails. Hiking fuels the body and mind, allowing us time away from our daily urban lives. It is also a great way to visit all those areas we have wanted to go to when we ‘had the time’. Each state offers a variety of climates and landscapes. We have rainforest, bushland, mountains and coast – all beautiful and many of historical significance. The advent of social media and online communities makes it easy to find a hiking group in your area. If you’re up to the challenge, you can even advance to overnight pack carries. If you go hiking alone, always remember to tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back. Make sure you check the weather conditions before you go.
Join a Book Club / Read Outside
The only thing more glorious than cosy winter reading is lazy summer reading under a cloudless blue sky! Find a beach, park or beautiful garden, and spend an afternoon with a coffee and some snacks, losing yourself in another world. Create a book list to define your reading goals, or turn it into a social occasion and start or join a book club. Spend the afternoon at a beautiful winery or picnic in the park, discussing the latest book you have read. If this sounds too good to resist, we can help you with all the finer details – take a look at our Book Groups program now.
Craft and Farmers Markets
Gorgeous handmade gifts, homemade sweet treats, local wines and cheeses, one-of-a-kind designs, vibrant homegrown plants and produce – you’ll find all this and more at local craft fairs and farmers markets. Over summer there will be one on every weekend, in little scout halls or arranged around sprawling showgrounds, many with entertainment, petting zoos and food trucks. It truly is a delightful way to spend a summer’s day. You may even be inspired to create something of your own! Let your creativity loose with one of our art courses.
Visit Open Gardens
If you have a green thumb, love gardens or appreciate beautiful design, there are a range of public gardens, open gardens and heritage gardens all around Australia that are open to the public almost every weekend. Many of them also offer entertainment, refreshments, meet the owner and plant sales, making it a fun and relaxing day out. You may even be inspired to tackle your own garden project or bring the outdoors in and visit a flower market to choose some blooms and make your own stunning arrangement. We can give you some tips with our Home and Garden and Floristry courses.
Be inspired to learn a new skill over summer with one of our short courses.