What did you used to do when you were growing up?

Backyard cricket?  Tadpole fishing?  Hide & Seek?  Walking to school, climbing trees, playing at the park?  We all know that life has changed for ever for today and tomorrow’s younger generation. From playing on iPads and game stations to watching television and working on computers, children seem to be spending more and more time indoors.

So what are the benefits for children playing outside, like the good old days?

– Creativity (outdoor play is great for encouraging children’s creativity – imaginations are often stimulated by the objects around them)

– Health (with more room to play in children are more active when they’re outside which helps them to build strong bones and good fitness levels, burning off extra energy and calories. And sunshine, even in winter, means children naturally absorb vital vitamin D and breathe in fresh air)

– Learning (playing outside helps children to develop their learning abilities through play and interaction with others and the environment)

– Social skills (in outdoor spaces children naturally come out of their shells and become more social, playing together in games and activities, talking to different children and making new friends)

– Well-being (the freedom outdoor play encourages children to get rid of built up energy, enabling them to become calmer and ultimately helping them to be more focused when in the classroom)

– Explore (outdoor play equipment has a little more risk than indoor toys, so encouraging children to try activities they might be a little afraid of, explore challenging play trails or complete outdoor challenges helps them to become more confident and self-assured)

– Independence (in safe outdoor spaces children can find some freedom away from direct adult supervision. This helps them to learn independence when socially interacting with other children, as well as learning to play by themselves. They learn how to take turns playing games, to pick themselves up then they fall and to become independent and self-reliant)

So get your family together and explore the great outdoors!

Live Wire Park is the perfect place to reconnect, to explore and to challenge yourselves with loads of electrifying fun.

Your kids will love you for it!

Recharge your employees’ batteries!

Power up your clients!

Get your colleagues’ pulses working in overdrive!

Treat them all to an electrifying day of outdoor adventuring at Live Wire Park.

We can energize your group with team building activities and create collaborative corporate packages to suit budgets, preferences and time frames. A day at Live Wire Park is the ultimate transforming group bonding experience and adrenaline-charged day out.

A corporate structure must be kept healthy in order to perform at its best.  When a team gets sluggish from burnout, disillusionment, disappointment or confusion in the workplace, a company’s stability will break down too and will be unable to fulfill its vision.

Outdoor team building activities are designed to refresh, rejuvenate, rebuild and re-energise so that targets can be set and reached effectively and whole-heartedly.  When a team shares a common goal, the goal becomes so much more achievable.

If you are thinking about or planning your next corporate team building session, look no further than Live Wire Park. The Super Circuit features 53 high intensity activities that can be completed in a two hour period. It will challenge the physical and mental abilities of the most seasoned high ropes lovers and test an individual’s endurance, agility and problem solving skills.  With tailored experiences for groups of up to 20, with multiple groups at a time, these high powered activities will get your team back on track and heading in the right direction.

https://livewirepark.com.au/book-now/

What outdoor, adrenalin filled, action packed team building exercises can achieve:

Increased Productivity

Outdoor team building games enhance the overall productivity of a group.

Teamwork.  Trust.  Performance.

Improved Team Motivation

Activities for group development improve overall motivation.

Confidence. Participation. Appreciation.

Developing Problem Solving Skills

Action packed, super-charged activities promote critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Challenges. Innovation. Efficiency.

Promoting Creativity

Outdoor team building activities bring participants into a whole new setting, away from a stressful and familiar environment.

Collaboration. Integration. Results.

Getting to know eachother

Socialising and making friends in the workplace is one of the best ways to increase productivity in the office. Not only does it increase morale, it allows for the office to work more cohesively to solve everyday workplace issues.

Communication.  Socialisation. Celebration.

You know what they say – Together Everyone Achieves More!

First class accommodation and facilities are available within a few minutes of Live Wire Park.  The Cumberland Hotel and Mantra Hotel in Lorne can host large numbers for corporate conferences.

https://www.mantra.com.au/conference-venues/

http://www.cumberland.com.au/cms_uploads/docs/conference-package.pdf

If you haven’t heard about WinterWild, now is the time to pay attention. This brand new festival, launched in 2017, returns to Apollo Bay next month. It is Victoria’s answer to Hobart’s Dark Mofo – bringing a world of dark arts to the beautiful surrounds of the Otways. 

“After the 2015 Christmas Day fires burnt a light on the horizon, the Colac Otway Shire was closed and the economies of its coastal communities ground to a halt. Out of the support offered by Regional Development Victoria to boost the economy, we will rise from the ashes – building a winter arts festival that showcases the best Apollo Bay has to offer. We are taking aftermath of destruction and transforming it into creation.”

Apollo Bay is an idyllic seaside village located on Victoria’s iconic Great Ocean Road, bound by the wild Southern Ocean and surrounded by the Great Otway National Park – a dark wet forest that survives from the Gondwanan era.

Traditionally a summer haven, winter in Apollo Bay brings with it a different kind of magic. The aptly titled WinterWild festival celebrates Mother Nature’s elements at their most extreme, so this event is not for the faint-hearted. Some events will be held outdoors, and rest assured be it cold, wet or wild, the show will go on. So come prepared with waterproof jackets, layers of clothing and sturdy shoes.  And don’t forget your beanie!

The program features live music and arts across two weekends with the festivities kicking off around large ocean-side bonfires before moving in to explore the town of Apollo Bay. The festival features roving performers, projection art, musicians, artists and writers, and culminates by going up in flames (yes, literally) with the burning of a festival sculpture.

Themed ‘Death’ and ‘Birth’, the first weekend of the festival runs from August 10 to 12. ‘Death’ will feature live music, audio visual projections, walking tours, poetry and workshops. The second weekend, ‘Birth’, runs from August 24 to 26 and features more live music and late-night acts.

The festival’s ‘Feastiality’ event on Friday August 24 will be run by caterer and chef Peter Ford, with a menu based around ‘hunted and gathered’ food like venison, pork, seafood, wallaby and root vegetables – accompanied by a burlesque performance from Moira Finucane. Both weekends will include screenings of eco-horror film Terror Nullius, and offer crowd pleasers like bonfires, DJ sets, a wide range of food and cocktails of course.

“In the forest, there is no life without death. All things live, and all things die. The Mountain Ash, when it is fallen, sighs a deep gasping breath before it dies. The remains of its body are reclaimed by the forest floor. The life of an animal is taken, but it is only an illusion that its spark is extinguished. The soil we walk on is fecund with death, an ecology of bodies and decay that is the substrate for all life. There is no darkness without light and there is always light within the darkness. Death is the lover of Life. The last gasp is the first breath as Life rises ecstatic from the marriage/deathbed, ready to birth again. The Quietus is ephemeral, transforming always into candescence, the alchemical spring of liquid gold that flows through all life. The light that sings and dances. The blissful revelation of unified movement that spins ultimately back down into beautiful silence. But nothing lasts forever. In the end, everything stops, including time, and even death and life reveal themselves to be illusory. Everything stops, and we transcend.” Roderick Poole, Director

http://winterwildapollobay.com.au/

So what is adrenaline anyway?

Adrenaline is a hormone that is released as part of the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response that helps us respond quickly to danger (real or perceived). We feel it during intense high pressure situations and it manifests as a rush, a feeling of blood pulsing through our blood and brain.  It may start with an increased heart rate and sweaty palms, and often turn into a sense of euphoria.

When we step out of our comfort zone, challenge ourselves with something new, experience a thrilling activity or face our fears, our adrenal glands dump the stress hormones called cortisol and adrenaline into our bloodstream. We feel a heightened state of physical and mental alertness, and this instinctive intense response is an adrenaline rush.

If you’ve ever enjoyed a scary movie, been on a rollercoaster, or ziplined at Live Wire Park, you may have felt excited, full of emotion, hyper talkative, and even euphoric afterward. That’s because an adrenaline rush has heightened your senses.

This burst of human jet fuel can have incredible benefits!

Working efficiently is definitely a benefit – whether a burst of adrenaline pushes you through a fear barrier to achieve something beyond your comfort zone, or helps you burst through a mental barrier to achieve a task on a deadline. When the body is flooded with adrenaline, the brain is engaged, focused, and able to handle cognitive tasks more quickly (like having a strong cup of coffee!)

Stress can be draining on your energy, but adrenaline can have the opposite effect and actually boost your immune system. And while stress can make you feel wound up as tight as a drum, adrenaline soothes muscles and encourages them to relax so you can breathe easier as well. (Interestingly, asthma sufferers are sometime injected with adrenaline to help relax the bronchioles in the lungs).

Bursts of adrenaline have also been known to slow the ageing process by circulating antioxidants through your system, combating free radical that cause ageing and tissue damage.

An adrenaline rush can boost our immune system, heighten the pleasure of experiences and most importantly, increase our self-confidence. Stepping out of our comfort zones to experience something new, to face a fear or to try something beyond our sense of security sure makes us feel nervous, a little scared or downright terrified, but afterwards we feel an incredible sense of accomplishment and in turn, confidence.

Confidence helps us explore possibilities beyond what we thought possible, beyond what we thought we were capable of, and beyond our own self-inhibiting barriers that we set up for ourselves throughout our lives. Melancholy, depression, loneliness, insecurity and self-doubt can start to disappear when we take the first, unnerving step into a world of self-assuredness.

So go on, join us for self-propelled ride into a world of adrenalin-fuelled accomplishment, self-awareness and gratitude for the great outdoors!

Lorne is the original land of the Gadubanud (King Parrot) people who occupied the rainforest plateau and rugged coastal area of the Wada Wurrung to the northeast, Gulidjan to the north and Girai Wurrung to the west. Today the Gunditjmara people are the traditional custodians of Gadubanud lands.

Formerly known as Louttit Bay, the area was named after a sea captain who transported wood from the area and helped move cargo from a strickened ship in 1841. Europeans began moving into the area in the mid 1850s and the town was renamed Lorne after the Marquis of Lorne who married the daughter of Queen Victoria in 1870. Lorne expanded rapidly with a school, hotel, hall and library being built from 1870 to 1890. Camping and tourism gained popularity with improved access to the town with the opening of Great Ocean Road in 1924. By the 1950s Lorne had become one of Victoria’s favourite holiday destinations.

We love everything about the place we call home. Set on the peaceful cove of Louttit Bay, the fresh sea air and white beaches are beautiful all year round. The gentle waves create a peaceful scene and ensure families can safely enjoy the waters for boating, swimming, fishing, stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking.

Then there’s the cosmopolitan atmosphere. Over the years Lorne has become home to fabulous accommodation, relaxed cafes, fine dining and late night bars, along with family-friendly options for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

There’s a buzzing arts community too and a relaxed Mediterranean atmosphere, all in the foothills of the Otways.

The Great Otway National Park is a nature lover’s playground with misty waterfalls, giant ferns and ancient forest. And the nearby Surf Coast Walk is home to rich ochre cliffs and the leafy green eucalypts that line the coast of Bass Strait.

The Great Ocean Road is one of the world’s most scenic coastal touring routes, spanning 243 kilometres along the stunning coastline of Victoria’s south-west – with panoramic views, breathtaking headlands, glorious beaches, delightful river estuaries and lush rainforests.

The stretch between Lorne and Apollo Bay is considered by many to be the most picturesque section of the Great Ocean Road, and just outside Apollo Bay the road winds through the centre of the Great Otway National Park and Port Campbell National Park to the most famous section of the Great Ocean Road – the 12 Apostles – which have been carved out of the headland by the fierce waves of the Southern Ocean.

So come and visit us soon, and enjoy all the magic and breathtaking beauty of our little pocket of the world.

www.livewirepark.com.au