Camping

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Guideline review date: 24 September 2025

This guideline is provided to support schools in implementing the managing risks in school curriculum activities procedure.

The CARA planner (DOCX, 232KB) must be used for the specific school context in conjunction with this guideline considering additional risks, hazards and controls and including environmental, facility, equipment and student considerations.

For activities beyond the scope of this guideline, complete a CARA record using the CARA generic template (DOCX, 98KB).

Activity scope

This guideline demonstrates the minimum safety standard for student participation in residential camping, base camping and lightweight camping for 1 or more nights as an activity to support curriculum delivery.

The Department of Education is committed to ensuring that curriculum activities are planned for and managed in accordance with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld), to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of students, staff and others.

Residential camping occurs at centres that have permanent facilities, such as toilets, showers, kitchen and/or dormitory accommodation. This includes showground camping (e.g. camping in open air sheds/structures or tents with access to toilet facilities).

Base camping involves sleeping in tents in a natural area for 1 or more nights, either at places with no facilities or at camps where some facilities are provided.

Lightweight camping is the use of a temporary site in a natural area for 1 or more nights and requires participants to carry camping equipment to the camping area.

Depending on the scope of this activity, other risk assessments may be required when planning. Curriculum activities encompassing more than 1 CARA guideline (e.g. bushwalking or swimming in locations other than pools while camping) must comply with the requirements of all CARA guidelines appropriate to the activity.

Schools should consider conducting this activity at a Department of Education Outdoor and Environmental Education Centre (OEEC) and consult with OEEC centre staff for risk assessment requirements.

For activities conducted at a non-Department of Education venue, and/or when engaging external expertise, request written risk assessment advice and attach it to this CARA record.

For activities conducted off-site, schools must comply with the school excursions procedure.

Risk level

Medium risk
Accompanied residential camping.

High risk
Accompanied base camping and lightweight camping.

Extreme risk
Base camping and lightweight camping where participants camp with indirect supervision.

Activity requirements

If any requirement cannot be met, the activity must not occur.

A registered teacher must be appointed to maintain overall responsibility for the activity.

Teachers, in collaboration with other adult supervisors of the planned activity, determine additional risks, hazards and control measures relevant to the activity and the specific school/group circumstances in order to lift the safety standard above the minimum identified in the CARA guideline.

Consult review comments from previous CARA records to improve safety standards based on the advice from the previous supervisors of the activity at the school.

Prior consultation and collaboration with local expertise (e.g. Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation—for park alerts and Queensland Fire Department) is required for local advice, emergency support mechanisms and additional supervision requirements to ensure participant and public safety.

Reference to Australian adventure activity standard and camping Australian adventure activity good practice guide (PDF, 417KB) is required when planning this activity.

Permission/permits are required to be obtained from land managers (e.g. Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation—camping bookings and fees, local councils or private landholders), if applicable.

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Students

Emergency and first-aid

Induction and instruction

Consent

Supervision

Principals, in consultation with the qualified adults, make final supervision decisions for the activity that considers the local context.

Appropriate adult supervision must be provided to manage the activity safely (i.e. prevent an incident from occurring and manage an incident if one were to occur, including managing emergency situations). The principal must give active consideration to the minimum standards set in the CARA guideline for the activity, the CARA planner and the risk assessment when determining the appropriate level of supervision.

See number of adult supervisors below.

Participants must adhere to all rules and advice communicated by the facility operator/owner and any safety signage at the facility/location.

Before the activity, all adult supervisors:

must be familiar with the contents of the CARA record, including the emergency and supervision plans.

During the activity, all adult supervisors:

must be readily identifiable
must closely monitor students with health support needs
must provide active and direct supervision—be constantly vigilant, attentive and rescue ready
must comply with control measures from the CARA record and adapt as hazards arise
must provide appropriate supervision, including clear boundaries, for students during unstructured free time.

The activity must be suspended if the conditions become unfavourable (e.g. poor visibility, extreme temperatures, thunderstorms).

Number of adult supervisors

Principals, in consultation with the qualified adults of the activity, determine the final number of supervisors to fulfil instructional, emergency and supervision roles for the local context that consider the nature of the activity, students' ages, abilities and specialised learning, access and/or health needs. In some instances, the final supervision ratio may be 1:1.

At least 2 adult supervisors are required for a group of 20 students. The camping Australian adventure activity good practice guide (PDF, 417KB) should be consulted for supervision ratios.

If the minimum safety standard cannot be met, modify the activity (or elements of it) and/or identify and use the hierarchy of controls to implement alternative control measures to meet or exceed the minimum safety standard (e.g. reduce the number of students participating at any one time).

See frequently asked questions (FAQs) for further support.

Supervisor qualifications

Qualifications support the minimum safety standard for this activity. Principals make final decisions* in determining supervisor capability (competence, relevance and currency) and whether the activity leader meets an appropriate teaching standard.

*See FAQs for further support.

All adult supervisors must comply with the working with children authority—blue cards procedure.

Qualified adults for the activity

Recovery/emergency—CPR, first aid, rescue

An adult with current emergency qualifications is required to be quickly accessible to the activity area.

Supervisors must have CPR and first aid qualifications relevant to the activity. Emergency qualifications may include:

An adult with concussion management knowledge or training is recommended. Consult concussion in sport resources.

Medium risk activities

At least 1 adult supervisor is either:

a registered teacher with competence (knowledge and skills) in residential camping activities
an adult supervisor, working under the direct supervision of a registered teacher, with competence (knowledge and skills) in residential camping activities and the potential hazards.

High risk activities

At least 1 adult supervisor is either:

a registered teacher with competence (knowledge and skills) in teaching base camping and lightweight camping skills and the potential hazards
an adult supervisor, working under the direct supervision of a registered teacher, with qualifications relevant to camping activities from the sport, fitness and recreation training package or similar.

Extreme risk activities

At least 1 adult supervisor is either:

a registered teacher with qualifications relevant to camping activities from the sport, fitness and recreation training package or similar
an adult supervisor, working under the direct supervision of a registered teacher, with Certificate III in Outdoor Leadership or Certificate III in Sport and Recreation or similar.

Refer to the competencies outlined in the camping Australian adventure activity good practice guide (PDF, 417KB) for guidance.

See FAQs for further support.

Facilities and equipment

The qualified adult supervisor of the activity, in consultation with the principal, determines the requirements for facilities and equipment appropriate to the local context.

Location must be suitable for the activity being undertaken. Undertake a reconnaissance of new or infrequently used locations to ascertain suitability. Consider the geography when planning the route, to avoid walking along cliff edges (slipping hazard) and below cliff faces (falling rocks). Plan alternative routes in case of emergency situations (e.g. bushfire, thunderstorm, extreme temperature, king tide).

Participants must wear personal protective equipment as relevant (e.g. long-sleeved shirt and pants for all weather extremes, wind and rain jacket and suitable enclosed footwear).

All equipment must be used in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

Establish and employ a process for checking for damage for all equipment used in the activity.

A retirement schedule must be developed to replace equipment by manufacturers' nominated expiry date or when significant wear causes a hazard.

Personal equipment for all participants including, but not limited to:

individual drinking containers with each participant carrying 2–3 litres of water for each day
food supplies in excess of the requirements of the duration of the camp, including emergency rations for 24 hours more than the initial planned duration
insect repellent, sunscreen and personal hygiene items as necessary
toileting equipment (if applicable)
a bag for rubbish
suitable sleeping bag/linen, as required
suitable torch and spare batteries
waterproof containers for all equipment that can be damaged by water.

In addition to the above, for extreme risk level, personal first aid kit for all participants to include:

compass and map and the skills to use them
waterproof matches / BBQ lighter for cooking purposes.

Common hazards and controls

Further to those listed, include any additional hazards and control measures considering the local context of the activity.

Environmental hazards	Control measures
Animal bites/diseases Stings	Observe wildlife from a safe distance. Instruct students not to feed wildlife and how to respond to approaching wildlife
Poisoning Infection	Adhere to established practices regarding the use of insect repellent, outlined in insect viruses and allergies. Showground camping to be set up in a designated area away from restrained animals (e.g. sheep or cattle)
Environmental conditions Weather Surrounds Surfaces	Assess weather conditions prior to undertaking the activity, inspecting the intended location in order to identify variable risks, hazards and potential dangers. Follow the school's sun safety policy, including appropriate clothing, sun protection (e.g. sunscreen) and shade facilities when outside. Ensure tents are not erected under large trees. Brief all participants on: purpose of the activity and potential hazards (e.g. falling branches from trees, thorned flora, steep slopes, wild pigs) basic first aid procedures for biological hazards they may encounter (e.g. snakes, ticks, leeches). Constantly monitor surroundings for weather, terrain and wildlife hazards over the duration of the camp. Follow the managing excessive heat in schools guidelines when participating in very hot or extreme heat conditions. Monitor participants for cold related illness (e.g. hypothermia) in cold weather conditions. Use torches at night when moving around site
Facilities and equipment hazards	Control measures
Manual handling Lifting equipment, manipulating/moving students	Use correct manual handling processes when lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or carrying (e.g. hoists, wheelchairs)
Heat sources	Open flames (e.g. camp fires) are positioned, built, monitored and extinguished appropriately. Utilise cooking methods (e.g. closed kitchen, barbecue, camping stove, open fire) that are appropriate for the health, maturity, fitness, suitability and competency of participants, adhering to CARA guideline food production. Position food preparation, shelter and sanitation to avoid any potential physical and health hazards
Student considerations	Control measures
Injury	Students aware of the location of emergency and first-aid equipment
Physical exertion Exhaustion and fatigue	Conduct warm-up/cool-down activities. Continually monitor participants for signs of fatigue and exhaustion. Ensure drink breaks occur regularly. Make water available for individual participants between drink breaks
Student issues Student numbers High risk behaviours Medical conditions Separation from the group	Brief all participants on: appropriate behaviours to help keep themselves safe during the camp and procedure should a participant become separated or lost from the group. Maintain contact between all group members through regular checks on group numbers. Implement procedures (e.g. buddy system, roll marking mechanisms) to account for all participants before, during and after the activity
Visibility	Have students wear easily identifiable clothing (e.g. high visibility shirts). Ensure staff can easily recognise those students with health support needs and are familiar with their needs

Additional links

Disclaimer

This information is developed and distributed on this website by the State of Queensland for use by Queensland state schools only.

Use or adaptation of, or reliance on, this information by persons or organisations other than the State of Queensland is at their sole risk. All users who use, adapt or rely on this information are responsible for ensuring by independent verification its accuracy, currency and appropriateness to their particular circumstances. The State of Queensland makes no representations, either express or implied, as to the suitability of this information to a user's particular circumstances.

To the full extent permitted by law, the State of Queensland disclaims all responsibility and liability (including without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages and costs arising from the use or adaptation of, or reliance on, this information.

Links to external websites are for convenience only and the State of Queensland has not independently verified the information on the linked websites. It is the responsibility of users to make their own decisions about the accuracy, currency, reliability and correctness of the information at these external websites.

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