South Coast Chats : Valley Outdoors
People ~ Producers ~ To Do ~ Trip Planning

South Coast Chats : Valley Outdoors

  • Kate Mather
  • 10 September 2023

Having a chat with the team at Valley Outdoors you realise its all possible! With so many projects and packages being announced and collaborating across the coast its an experience we are happy to recommend and love to enjoy!

Where is your south coast business based?

Valley Outdoors is proud to have our business home on the traditional lands of the Dharawal people in the Gangagruwan, Kangaroo Valley. While we’re based in the Valley, we work across the Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands too.

Tell us about it and why people love it so much?

The Gangagruwan, Kangaroo Valley is Australia’s most scenic flatwater paddling venue and it is the Canoeing Capital of Australia.  With a huge array of campsites and numerous arms of the Kangaroo River, Upper Shoalhaven River, Lake Yarrunga, and numerous small creeks to explore. And we love the Upper Kangaroo River and the Lower Shoalhaven too!

But it’s not just Canoeing and kayaking of course. It’s a full nature playground: amazing hikes, camping, mountain biking, tracked and untracked hiking, camping, birdwatching, fishing, and more. The venue is the gateway to the Morton National Park and Ettrema Wilderness. Two hundred thousand hectares of National Park which extends into other parks almost uninterrupted to the Victorian Border.
And at just over 2 hours from Sydney and Canberra – it’s great for a short break or a lifetime of exploration.

Give us some examples of what makes your business unique?

We’ll just pick 3:
Our whole team believes that everyone should spend more time in nature, together. And we know that when people really slow down and take the time to be in nature that that is when they really get to connect to what’s important: family, friends, country, and more. We’re all about maximising that time and opportunity for connection.
While we’re a relatively new business, we’re actually made up of a bunch of “old heads”. We’ve been stomping around the local bush here for over 20 years, and we’re not shy about sharing our favourite spots. That experience also means you can rest assured we’ve got all the safety angles covered.  Lastly, we’re committed to providing and continually improving services to our diverse community. No one should miss out on experiencing really wild adventures because of their ability. We offer solutions to enable people with a range of abilities to participate in outdoor activities. Let us know how we can help you get outdoors!

You have so many great reviews what’s your secret?

Thanks for noticing!
Aside from the amazing places we visit and the premium equipment we provide, the number one thing that those reviews say about us is that we care. You’ll see the words caring, professional and patient come up a lot.
So often we have families that are nervous about adventures with young children, or non-swimmers who are anxious about water – and no shortage of people who are afraid of heights! But that’s no obstacle at all. Our team want to make sure that you have a safe and enjoyable time in the outdoors. We simply take the time to grow your confidence and skills so you can share the joy we find in the places we go and the activities we do.

Why do you love being part of South Coast Experiences?

Because of the people we meet!: The guests that we host on adventures in the outdoors, but also all the other amazing local businesses that we get to work with when delivering experiences for those same guests.
We’re not embarrassed to say that we also subscribe to the South Coast Experiences newsletter so we can see all the great new experiences that pop up in our own backyard. Why would you holiday anywhere else?

Any plans or announcements you would like to share?

The last year has been a wild ride – we launched a huge number of new experiences, we opened our outdoor gear store (find us in the Valley!), we now have the largest range of canoes in the Southern Hemisphere, and we launched the inaugural “Canoe Carry Championship” at the Kangaroo Valley Show. We also established some great partnerships with amazing people like Katrina from Caterina catering, and the incredible team at Gadhungal Marring. Oh! And we hosted the Festival of Canoe and Kayak – Australia’s number one recreational paddling festival (which will be on again in 2024!).  But if you wanted the latest news – hot off the press – then you can’t go past our BIG canoes. We have two 30-foot (9 metre!) 14-seater “Voyageur” canoes that have just landed from Canada. These are fantastic for work groups and teams because they are inherently stable, require no experience, and allow everyone (no matter their ability) to share some time together in nature. They are exclusive to Valley Outdoors and we take them right around the Shoalhaven. We’re currently building some amazing packages around these boats with our partners, but if you’re interested in a Christmas Party for your team then get in quick!

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