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Australian Adventure Activity Standard and related Good Practice Guides

The Australian Adventure Activity Standard (AAAS) and related Good Practice Guides (GPGs) provide a voluntary good-practice framework for safe and responsible planning and delivery of led outdoor adventure activities with dependent participants. The formation of the Aust. AAS and GPG’s have been supported and funded 2016-2019 by a meeting of the State and Territory Sport and Recreation Ministers of Australia.

Safety requirements shouldn’t change just because you cross a state border. That is why state outdoors bodies came together and developed the Australian Adventure Activity Standard (AAAS) and related Good Practice Guide’s (GPGs).

The good practice framework is provided in:

  • The AAAS – this addresses the common ‘requirements’ for all types of adventure activities
  • The Core GPG – this provides additional information to help support implementing the AAAS
  • The various activity GPGs – these provide guidance specific to the various activities.
Shows how the Standard, Core good practice guide and activity good practice guides fit together.s

Activities covered

The activities included are are listed below. Click the link to go to the activity page to read online or hit the download button to get a PDF copy.

Get more information

For an overview of the history of the AAAS & GPGs and how they were developed go to the history page here.

FAQ – Has anything changed from pre-release to release version?

Unless noted in the version history on page 3 of the document, the final release version guidance has not changed from the pre-release version. Inland water paddle craft GPG has a change made from the pre-release version as noted on page 3 of the document.

For more frequently asked questions go to the FAQ here.

The activities included are in the following table:

Activity or document name

Download or document cross reference

Australian Adventure Activity Standard (AAAS) – The standard for good practice risk and safety management of led outdoor adventure activities.

Core GPG – Guidance for common good practice for all adventure activities.


Abseiling & Climbing GPG – Guidance for abseiling, climbing and bouldering on natural and artificial surfaces.

Abseiling – abseiling on natural or artificial surfaces

Angling GPG – Guidance for terrestrial angling including wading and ocean facing rock fishing.

Bushwalking GPG – Guidance for day and overnight bushwalking and orienteering.

Camping GPG – Guidance for campsite set up, camping and cooking.

Canoeing

Depending on the type of water body involved, see enclosed & coastal waters paddle-craft GPG or inland water paddle-craft GPG

Canyoning GPG – Guidance for horizontal and vertical canyoning in wet and dry canyons.

Caving GPG – Guidance for horizontal and vertical caving.

Challenge courses GPG – Guidance for high and low challenge (ropes) courses and adventure/initiative games.

Climbing – climbing on natural or artificial surfaces

Cycling, Cycling Touring and Mountain Biking GPG – Guidance for learning to cycle, cycling, cycle touring and mountain biking.

Diving – snorkel diving

Enclosed & coastal waters paddle-craft GPG – Canoeing, sit in & sit on top kayaking and stand up paddleboarding on enclosed & coastal waters.

Horse Trail Riding GPG – Routine and advanced horse trail riding.

Inland water paddle-craft GPG – Canoeing, inflatable, sit in & sit on top kayaking, rafting and stand up paddleboarding on inland waters.

Kayaking

Depending on the type of water body involved, see enclosed & coastal waters paddle-craft GPG or inland water paddle-craft GPG

River sledding

Ropes courses (high and low ropes)

Sit on top kayaking

Depending on the type of water body involved, see enclosed & coastal waters paddle-craft GPG or inland water paddle-craft GPG

Snorkelling GPG – Snorkel swimming and snorkel diving.

Standard (Australian Adventure Activity Standard)

Stand up paddleboarding (SUP)

Depending on the type of water body involved, see enclosed & coastal waters paddle-craft GPG or inland water paddle-craft GPG


Traditional owner acknowledgment

The Outdoor Council of Australia and the Australian AAS Steering Committee would respectfully like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners, their Elders past, present and emerging, for the important role Indigenous people continue to play in Australia and most especially on the land and waters used for outdoor activities and recreation.