Bay of Fires Wellbeing Walk for Doctors
ACRRM Accredited
November 28 - December 02, 2024 | $4,295
For all enquiries and bookings please contact Tasmanian Walking Company on (03) 6392 2211 or email
ACRRM Accreditation Hours
This walk has been accredited by the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine for four hours of Additional Continuing Professional Development Requirements and eight hours of Educational Activity.
- Learning Areas
- Leader (LDR)
- Musculoskeletal (MSK)
- Communicator (COM)
- Professional (PRO)
- Curriculum domains covered
- Domain 1 - Specifically: Patient-centred care and teamwork
- Domain 7 - Specifically: Continuous learning, teaching, ethical care
- Domain 8 - Specifically: Resourcefulness, independence, flexibility and professional networking
- Assessment information
- Impact evaluation
- Survey about changes in practice and attitude
- Reflection essay - 500 words
- To Be returned within 4 weeks of trip to gain a certificate
- Context
This activity is primarily targeted towards doctors experiencing or at risk of burnout.
Rural doctors are particularly at risk due to social and professional isolation, their personal connection with many of their patients, their inability to easily take leave and holidays, and their increased scope of care and responsibilities
The activity involves evidence-based tools and techniques, and education regarding self-care, patient care, professionalism and ethics, however just as important for rural doctors is the ability to completely remove ourselves from our demanding lives with no phone or internet, family or social demands.
Lastly, the ability to network, share stories and support like-minded doctors is likely the biggest benefit of this activity.
- Workshops
Our days begin before breakfast with an optional meditation. Our walks provide time for reflection and contemplation. The journey importantly offers precious opportunities for one-on-one conversations with Sheena and Natalie. Each afternoon and evening at the lodge we engage in workshops and journalling at the lodge. Each night finishes with a post-walk body-check. The workshop content will be tailored to the groups and include the following:
Letting Go. Re-discover your inner strengths!
The power and healing of Mindfulness in everyday life!
Rediscover your own North Star!
New Beginnings.
Fit Mind Coaching - Sheena Polese
We help people identify their inner and natural character strengths so they can unlock the key to thriving. We take time to explore values, reassess and reprioritise what is important to you. Using research, we explore the importance of emotional intelligences and use a wellbeing model that enables valuable reflection, appreciation and intention setting for sustainable change.
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We explore what is flourishing, the importance of hope, the value of slowing down, and we show how time in nature restores the body and soul. We incorporate pre-work, on the ground fun activities and worksheets, the science of reflection and journaling, meditation and mindfulness practices, all with an evidence base.
Sheena Polese is a Development and Leadership Coach,MSci (Psych Coaching) Syd Uni, Mindfulness, Wellbeing and Change Practitioner. The current President of the Australasia NSW Branch of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) an Associate at the Positivity Institute and is highly trained in Stages of Adult Psychological Development, Mental Toughness, Global Leadership Wellbeing Diagnostics and Mental Health, is a Mindfulness practitioner and a Facilitator of Immunity to Change. Sheena runs her own Coaching practice, designs and delivers development and wellbeing programs and has co-facilitated Leadership and Development trips with Outward Bound Australian and Australia for UNHCR in Uganda. Webpage | LinkedIn
Dr. Natalie Burch
Natalie Burch trained in Queensland as a GP Obstetrician before moving to Tasmania in 2001 where she has been a rural generalist in northeast Tasmania where she has lived, worked and raised her family. Owning a practice, consulting in private practice and working on call at the district hospital as well as raising her family of three children she well knows the face of burnout.
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She has long been a passionate medical educator teaching all levels of students and training doctors, in private practice, with RACGP, ACRRM and Remote Vocational Training Scheme. Currently she is piloting an innovative supervision model in her practice and local hospital, runs the Observer program at the Launceston General Hospital for International Medical Graduates, and is studying a Masters in Health Professionals Education.
In 2020 having sold her practice and trying to survive the Covid crisis she was introduced to bushwalking by her best friend. There she found the peace and strength to continue to care for her community, colleagues, family and most importantly, herself. Her focus is now doctor well being - creating environments and cultures that celebrate doctors as whole people in well communities and cultures.
Rather than trying to balance our work and life, constantly trading one for the other, we can integrate our lives, bringing our whole selves to work, to home and to the community we live in. When we are walking our whole selves are walking in time with the country and creatures around us. On this journey we can walk together, come back into focus, reintegrate those fragmented parts and pause for a while.
Natalie has awards for Tasmanian Rural Doctor of the Year, Distinguished Service Award for ACRRM and Supervisor of the Year Tasmania for Ochre.
Bay of Fires Signature Walk (5-days)
Day 1: Red Feather Inn
No walking
Preparing for a big walk is crucial, that is why we start our walk the night before at our walker base at the historic and quaint Red Feather Inn.
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Here you will meet your guides as they take you through what to expect from the next six days and conduct a gear check. After our short briefing, the night of celebration begins - Your Bay of Fires adventure is finally here! Get to know your fellow walkers over a dinner of local fare, cooked for you by the in-house chef and paired with local wines. The rooms at Red Feather Inn are designed for your comfort, giving you the perfect excuse to head off to bed early and get a restful night's sleep before your early start the next day.
Day 2: Launceston to Mt William National Park
Approximately 4 hours walking
It's time to lace up your walking boots and feel the sand between your toes. Our walk kicks off at Boulder Point in Mt William National Park. On clear days, you can catch sight of the Bass Strait islands of Flinders and Cape Barren to the north.
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We'll settle down on a sheltered beach along the coastline for lunch, surrounded by native birds, rare shells, and marine treasures. From the get-go, your guides will start unravelling the fascinating tales of the Bay of Fires - its ancient inhabitants, pioneering explorers, and the story behind its fiery name.
After approximately four hours of walking, we'll reach Forester Beach Camp, nestled discreetly amidst secluded dunes. These cozy semi-permanent tents will be our home for the night. Kick back on the deck with a glass of local wine, take a refreshing dip, or explore the unique dune landscape while your guides whip up some mouthwatering Tasmanian cuisine.
Day 3: Exploring the Bay of Fires Coastline
Approximately 7 hours of walking
Following a relaxed breakfast at the camp, we walk south, absorbing the coastline’s bold colours and solitude. Along the ridgelines of sand dunes, views extend across heathlands and out to the ocean.
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This morning, we'll navigate a tidal creek, so be prepared! The creek's depth can vary from shallow to waist-deep. Our knowledgeable guides will scout the optimal route and assist with carrying backpacks.
Our lunch destination is a secluded beach nestled behind the dunes near Eddystone Point Lighthouse. Here, we'll have the opportunity to explore the historic lighthouse and its enduring tale before embarking on a trek along expansive beaches leading to the renowned Bay of Fires Lodge.
Upon arrival, indulge in afternoon tea and optional spa treatments. It's recommended to pre-book if you wish to luxuriate in the outdoor tub or enjoy a pampering session at the spa.
Come evening, venture into the library, cast a line off the beach or have your hosts deliver a cold drop while you dip toes into a foot spa on the back deck. Dinner is a Tasmanian long-table affair, featuring produce from the island matched with fine local beer and wine.
Day 4: Kayaking and enjoying the area
Approximately 6 hours kayaking/walking
Rise early to the native birds accompanying the dawn, waking to the aroma of a hot-cooked breakfast and freshly brewed coffee. If it's a sunny morning, breakfast on the deck can reward you with whale spotting and dolphins surfing the waves.
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Later in the morning, kayak down Ansons River and experience the riparian ecology of this winding waterway. Cross the bird-rich waters of Ansons Bay and conclude with a stroll over the dunes of Abbotsbury Peninsula back to the lodge.
After dinner is when the native wildlife wander out - keep an eye out for wombats, wallabies, Forester kangaroos, possums or even a Tasmanian devil. Don’t forget to look up! The night sky from this pristine coastline is an awesome spectacle.
Day 5: Return to Launceston
Approximately 1 hour walking
Following a leisurely breakfast at the lodge, there’s plenty of time for a morning swim or final spa treatment before we depart the lodge. Unlike our other walking, today we venture through eucalypt forests and coastal heathland. We’ll enjoy a forest lunch to the sound of native birds, including the endemic green rosella.
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Upon our return to Red Feather Inn there will be time to raise a glass to the four wonderful days spent together.
Our Exclusive Accommodation
The Bay of Fires Signature Walk features superb exclusive accommodation located within footsteps of the pristine Bay of Fires beaches.
- Forester Beach Camp
Nestled in a protected dune swale behind a glorious white sand beach, Forester Beach Camp has been designed as a demountable seasonal structure.
Twin-share rooms with timber floors, canvas rooves and full kitchen facilities provide perfect seclusion in a setting of unspoiled beauty. Private wash areas and composting toilets provide comfort without harming the environment.
We've obtained special permission to operate this camp within the National Park, so close to the beach and yet so private. Here, you can swim or snorkel in the shelter of a natural, rock-ringed 'harbour', enjoy your meals on the outdoor decks or picnic on the beach under the biggest starry night skies.
- Bay of Fires Lodge
Set on a hilltop, 40 metres above the pounding of the sea and surrounded by National Park, the Bay of Fires Lodge is the only building on 20km of outstanding coastal wilderness.
Enjoying views up and down the pristine white sandy beaches in an area of great significance to the Aboriginal community, a truly ecologically aware building has been gently let into the landscape. Two long timber and glass pavilions allow maximum connection to the landscape with minimum impact on the environment: all building materials - Tasmanian hardwood and plantation pine - were lifted in by helicopter or hand carried to the site.
The lodge is autonomous in providing and managing its existence. Here you will experience true communion with nature in an accommodation that combines simplicity of design with comfort and warmth. In the magnificent living area with its large timber deck and open fire, you'll enjoy delicious meals prepared with the freshest local produce, accompanied by fine Tasmanian wines. Solar power provides the lighting, while hot showers and comfortable hotel beds add a touch of luxury at the end of each day's activities.
All accommodation at the Lodge is twin or double share, with king-size mattresses.
There is a small library which is comfortable and cosy looking out over the ocean. This is a great place to sit back and relax or look through our selection of books and magazines.
Itinerary Details
Bay of Fires Wellbeing Walk for Doctors
November 28 - December 02, 2024 | $4,295
- Price: Walk fee + Facilitator Fee
- 4 Day Guided Walk (Twin Share)
- One night stay at Red Feather Inn
- Each trip requires a minimum of 8 guests to be confirmed four months prior to departure and a maximum of 10 guests (Twin Share).
Bookings
- Phone: (03) 6392 2211
- Email: enquiries@taswalkingco.com.au
- or complete the below enquiry form
Terms and Conditions
Our standard booking terms and conditions apply to all bookings. In addition:
- Cancellations
- more than 90 days from the scheduled departure date, a fee of $350 per person will be charged with the balance payment refunded;
- within 90 days of departure, no refund is available. Bookings are transferable to another name.
- Minimum numbers are required three months before departure.
Inclusions
- Return transfers between Launceston and the and the start & finish of the walk.
- 1 night at Forester Beach Camp and 2 nights at Bay of Fires Lodge twin share (Signature Walk).
- All meals and non-alcoholic beverages plus a selection of Tasmanian wines and beer.
- National Park's pass for the duration of the walk.
- Use of a backpack and Gore-Tex jacket for the duration of the walk.
- Two qualified guides for the duration of the walk.
- Accommodation on night one at Red Feather Inn.
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We're here to help 9am – 5pm Monday to Saturday, otherwise, email us anytime and we'll be in touch.