+ What is the difference between the Cater and Self-Cater rate?

Some of our sites allow the booking organiser to select whether the stay will be either catered or self-catered. A catered stay includes all meals and access to the tea and coffee station.

A self-catered stay includes access to a commercial kitchen located at the site booked, no meals or tea/coffee will be provided by Youthworks. Once an option is selected the entire duration stay will have rates that apply to that selection. Therefore, a catered camp cannot claim self-cater rates for any attendees.

+ What is included in Catered Rates?

Youthworks has set meal times and meals are organised by the Centre Catering Coordinator in standard Australian cuisine. Youthworks can cater for the following special diets: vegetarian, non-dairy, gluten free/wheat free, no egg, no shellfish, as well as selective meats such as beef, pork and chicken.

Special requests for types of meals will need to be presented by a group organiser at least two weeks prior to arrival. We aim to do our best to meet requests though we cannot guarantee all requests will be able to be fulfilled.

Standard meal times are 8 AM Breakfast, 12:30 PM Lunch, and 6 PM Dinner. These meals times are flexible up to 30 minutes either side of standard meal times. The centre staff must receive a program that indicates meal times otherwise standard times will be assumed.

+ I have made a booking enquiry what is the next steps?

Youthworks Conference Centre staff will respond to your booking enquiry to see if we have the right venue that fits your budget, dates and size. If you would like to lock into a site and date, then Youthworks will send you a booking form with a deposit request.

Once a booking form (contract) is sent, the group organiser will have two weeks to send Youthworks a signed booking form with payment to secure the booking.

+ How will Youthworks invoice for part-time guests?

Youthworks Conference Centres will invoice per person for their time onsite in relation to the rate on the booking form. Sites that are hired for a flat rate will not have a part-time breakdown. For guest staying part-time here is how we calculate the stay:

Catered group:

1 night = dinner, supper, breakfast, m/tea and lunch (no dinner on Friday)

1day = m/tea, lunch and a/tea

Additional main meal = $12 (applied to visitors or if day guests stay for dinner)

Self-cater group:

1 night = 4 PM to 2 PM

1day = 10 AM to 4PM

Here is an example of the formula we apply to part time guests over a weekend:

Sat AM to Sun PM= 1 night + day rate

Fri PM to Sat PM, OR Sat PM to Sun PM = 1 night

Day visitor for Sat or Sun = 1 day

+ Are there restrictions of what can be brought on a site? Eg: pets, fireworks, food.

Yes. We do not allow pets (documented service animals are allowed), nuts and any food products that contain nuts, candles, fireworks, weapons, pornographic material, or alcohol containing more than 15% alc/vol to be brought on site. We welcome the group organiser to contact us about any items they would like to bring along.

+ What bedding is provided?

Every bed has a pillow, mattress protector and blanket or doona. Linen (bed sheets, pillowcase and towel), are not included in the standard rates. Guests must bring their own linen or sleeping bag/pillow slip. Linen packs can be hired for $20 per person at each of our sites, though must be arranged prior to arrival by the group organiser to ensure the linen pack is ready on arrival.

+ We would like activities, how do we know the rates and how to book?

Activities are available, though they vary at each site what there is to offer. Our activities are divided into Standard and Premium rates, just ask the Centre staff at the site you have booked about the rates. Activities can be booked up to 4 weeks prior to arrival by the group organiser, after this timeframe the centre staff will notify you if the activity can be arranged. There is a low probability of activities having availability less than 4 weeks from the start date.

Activities will be added to the final invoice, though will not contribute to the minimum charge for the use of a site. Activities that are cancelled prior to the week before camp will be removed from the invoice. Activities cancelled less than 6 days before the arrival date will remain on the invoice.

+ Can we consume alcohol during our stay?

Youthworks Conference Centres allow beer and wine to be brought onsite to be consumed during meal times of your event, only by those over the age of 18 and not for the purpose of a party. We allow this as a privilege to groups and just ask that our parameters are followed. However, if we believe that during our after the stay the parameters of legal and/or responsible consumption has been disregarded then we reserve the right to terminate your booking without refund, issue a cleaning fee, and remove privileges for future bookings.

+ Is there air-conditioning?

All Centres have air-conditioning in the main meeting room. Blue Gum Lodge, Koloona, and Waterslea have air-conditioning in the bedrooms as well as in the dining room.

+ Who is Youthworks?

Youthworks Holiday Camps are part of the Youthworks division of Youthworks, the not-for-profit Youth and Children’s ministry arm of the Sydney Anglican Church. Youthworks Holiday Camps have been running fun, safe Holiday camps for thousands of young people for more than 50 years, and we're committed to providing camps of the highest standard.

+ Who looks after the campers?

Youthworks Holiday Camps are lead by teams of Christian volunteers from churches all across NSW. A ratio of 1 leader to 5 campers helps ensure campers are supervised and looked after 24 hours a day. All leaders are required to complete a number of child protection checks and attend training sessions and team meetings before attending camp.

+ How do I get to the venues?

You can find directions and maps to our centres here.

+ Will my child's camp be sharing the venue with anyone?

No, your child's camp will be the only one using the venue. While we do have multiple venues at some locations e.g. Shoalhaven contains our Waterslea and Koloona venues, Youthworks always gives exclusive use of venues to the groups booking them.

+ What does my child need to bring to camp?

Once registered, your camp may provide a packing list. If not though, there are some suggestions of what to bring here. Keep in mind that this is a general camp list, and you should exercise your own discretion e.g. HSC Study Camp students will probably need to bring a laptop or tablet.

+ Do they need to bring linen?

Yes. We provide a mattress, pillow and blanket, and we put a mattress protector on all our beds. However, we still request that you bring a sleeping bag or full linen to camp, including a pillow case.

+ Are there allergy friendly options available?

All our sites implement nut-aware policies and all meals on our menu do not contain nuts (e.g. No satays or Nutella), however our kitchens are supplied with ingredients that may contain traces of peanuts/tree nuts. If your child has a life threatening/anaphylactic allergy, please call our friendly catering staff to discuss a catering solution for your stay via our contacts page. We can also cater for gluten/wheat/dairy free and vegetarian diets.

+ What is involved in the Christian part of the camp?

Each day on camp there will be a Bible talk and then small discussion group time giving campers a chance to talk about issues in more depth, and to ask the leaders questions about God and life.

+ How safe are the outdoor activities you offer? Are your instructors qualified?

Our activities' sites undergo regular inspections by qualified contractors, as well as updated risk assessments every three years as part of our standards and procedures.

Youthworks outstanding safety record is due in no small part to our professional staff. All of our guides hold the relevant qualifications for the activity they are running, typically a Certificate III or IV in Outdoor Recreation. They also regularly take part in further education and training.

Youthworks is also a nationally-recognised Registered Training Organisation (RTO), and is certified to train our staff in-house as part of our Outdoor Ministry Traineeship.

+ Is there a bushfire plan in place at your venues?

All our sites are constantly in contact with the Rural Fire Service (RFS). At times of higher fire risk we let the RFS know the number of people and types of groups we have at our sites. The RFS include our needs in their evacuation planning, which we adhere to in the event of an emergency. Youthworks staff are all trained in responding to different emergency scenarios and we regularly conduct emergency drills at all our staffed sites.

+ Is there mobile phone reception at the sites?

Mobile phone reception varies across our sites. Port Hacking and the Blue Mountains are pretty good, while Shoalhaven and Kangaroo Valley can be patchy. We always recommend not contacting your child while on camp, unless in an emergency.

+ Can I pay for camp in installments?

If you select to pay by credit card you will be unable to pay in installments. If you need some flexibility in paying for your holiday camp please contact the Youthworks Holiday Camps Coordinator before registering and they can help make payment arrangements.

+ Do you provide financial assistance for students?

We don’t want anyone to miss out on the opportunity of attending a Youthworks Holiday Camp. While the camps are certainly invaluable, they do cost a lot to run. Youthworks Holiday Camps have a financial assistance program available to campers who cannot afford to pay the full cost of camp. Campers are asked to contribute whatever they can to the price of the camp and then the balance is paid from the financial assistance fund which comes from donations from others who also understand how valuable Youthworks Holiday Camps are.

If you require help in paying for the cost of a camp you can download a Financial Assistance Form here. We’ll give you a call to discuss your assistance after you have returned the completed form by email to holidaycamps@youthworks.net.

+ Can my child transfer from one holiday camp to another?

Yes you can. Just contact the Youthworks Holiday Camps Coordinator to arrange this.

+ Can I cancel my child's camp registration once it has been paid?

For our cancellation policy please see our Terms and Conditions on the online registration site.