Paul Kirtley – Frontier Bushcraft – Campcraft
Bushcraft Survival Australia presents
A Bushcraft Survival Australia hosted event
Bushcraft Survival Australia is excited to announce that we will be hosting Paul Kirtley from Frontier Bushcraft UK to run two of his world acclaimed courses here in Australia at our Nambucca Heads location. Tracking & Nature Awareness and Campcraft & Axe Skills.
Campcraft & Axe Skills Course with Paul Kirtley
This practical, skills-focused course is designed to develop confident axe use, effective campcraft, and reliable systems for living and cooking well outdoors. Led by Paul Kirtley, the course brings together core campcraft skills including camp set-ups, everyday axe and knife use, knots and lashings, and practical camp cooking. The emphasis throughout is on sound technique, good judgement, and practical skills that stand up to repeated use for life in the bush.
About the Instructor
Paul Kirtley is regarded as one of the UK’s leading professional bushcraft instructors and has been teaching bushcraft skills since 2003. Paul established his bushcraft school, Frontier Bushcraft, in 2010, and under his leadership, it has become known as one of the highest-quality bushcraft training providers globally. Paul’s teaching emphasises sound technique, efficiency, and good judgment in remote settings. In 2021, his book Wilderness Axe Skills and Campcraft was published by Schiffer Publishing, bringing his approach to axe use, campcraft, and tool care to a broader audience.
Alongside his camp-based teaching, Paul has undertaken extended wilderness journeys in remote regions of Europe, Scandinavia, and North America. On long journeys where camps are set up, used, and broken down repeatedly in different places each day, efficiency and sound technique matter. It is this experience that shapes many of the course’s priorities. Poor knots waste time and cordage, while disorganised camps and inefficient systems sap time and energy, and unsafe cutting tool techniques increase risk.
Axe skills form an essential part of the course. The axe is Paul’s favourite woodcraft tool, valued for its versatility and effectiveness in a range of tasks in the bush and around camp. His approach to axe work emphasises control, efficiency, and safety, with techniques chosen for their everyday usefulness.
Knots, ropework, and lashings feature throughout the programme. Paul learned his first knots as a child from his uncle in the Merchant Navy, building on this knowledge through Scouting and decades of outdoor life. This cumulative experience informs a structured approach to knotwork, focusing on knots that consistently earn their place through repeated, real-world use.
Paul is excited to bring a bespoke Campcraft course to the students of Bushcraft Survival Australia, sharing a range of techniques and knowledge well-suited to extended outdoor living in the Australian bush.
What the Course Will Cover
Selecting the Correct Tools for the Job
Here, you will gain an understanding of the different types of axes, saws, and knives and choose the right tool for the job. During the course, you will get hands-on experience in using different tools for various projects. You’ll also make additional improvised woodcraft tools, including an improvised frame saw.
Caring for Your Tools
We’ll cover all the essentials of caring for knives, axes, and saws. This will include various methods of sharpening blades suitable for the home course, as well as more field-expedient methods for use in the bush.
Everyday Axe Techniques
To make the best use of an axe in the bush, you need to be comfortable with common types of axes and able to employ them efficiently for the jobs that always need doing. These techniques will include various methods of chopping and splitting, including the all-important safety considerations that will keep you safe from injury, which is more important than ever when you are in remote situations.
Carving Techniques and Projects
Woodcarving is a satisfying pastime for many. Moreover, being able to fashion items from wood is a valuable skill in the bush, whether making utensils and tools for your camp or repairing and improving equipment you have brought with you. We’ll look at carving with axes, knives, and other specialist tools, as well as materials and methods for achieving a fine finish on projects.
Campcraft for the Bush
Being able to make items, structures, and rigs for your camp from materials you find in the bush means you can carry less gear. Even if you are travelling by vehicle, this is a bonus, and if you are travelling on foot, it is imperative. You’ll learn how to make a variety of functional pot hangers, cooking rigs, racks and more. We’ll also investigate various ways of rigging larger tarps for group areas and kitchens.
Knots, Ropework and Lashings
An essential element of quickly and efficiently rigging camp set-ups is knowing the right knot for the job. Tying the proper knots in the right way also means you can be efficient when breaking camp and moving on. There’s nothing worse than trying to unpick a tangle of cord and a jumble of jammed knots when you want to get a move on. Further, some of the structures we can build around camp best rely on solid, reliable lashings that don’t waste our precious cordage. Plus, we want to keep our cord and ropes tidy and ready to deploy, without tangles or snags.
Camp Cookery
One of the benefits of being able to construct organised camps, create sturdy cooking rigs, and split all the firewood we might need is the ability to cook more elaborate meals while out in the bush. So, another focus of this campcraft course will be putting the techniques and tools to good practical use, cooking a range of tasty meals in the camp oven and more.
Campcraft & Axe Skills Course syllabus
- Understanding different types of axe
- Choosing an axe fit for purpose
- Understanding types of saw blade
- Making an improvised buck saw
- How to spot a dangerous axe
- How to care for your axe
- How to sharpen an axe
- How to sharpen a knife on an axe stone
- Everyday axe safety
- Firewood splitting – fundamental techniques
- Optimal use of a chopping block
- Splitting firewood when you have no block
- Efficient pole cutting
- Making gluts
- Carving techniques for a general-purpose axe
- Carving useful implements such as spatulas and serving spoons
- Making field expedient chopping boards
- Classic adjustable pot-hanger designs
- Larger pot hangers, tripods and cranes
- Green stick camp grills
- Camp oven cooking, from baking to casseroles to roasts
- Improvised candle lanterns
- Producing quick and easy clothes pegs and coat hangers
- Production of effective tent pegs for larger structures
- Pitching larger tarps
- Tensioning a rope using mechanical advantage
- Application of useful camp knots
- Lashings with rope and wire
- Throwing a rope
- Hoisting techniques
- Coiling a rope
Accommodation
This course is run entirely outdoors from an expedition style base camp, and you will be sleeping in your own camping equipment that you will bring (see clothing and equipment list).
Amenities
This course is run entirely outdoors in a field environment. 
A screened trench latrine and gravity fed canvas bush shower in a secluded private spot, along with strict camp hygiene measures will give a natural wilderness expedition feel to your experience as well as teaching you essential outdoor toilet etiquette and how to leave no trace. You will be taught how to wash with limited water and stay clean in the bush. Our measures are low-impact and environmentally friendly.
Food
All food will be provided on the course. There will be full opportunity for each student to learn and practice some outback bush cooking. Indeed within cooking rigs and other cooking-related campcraft being part of the course, cooking meals is also an integral part of the experience. Equipment for cooking will be provided for use during the course.
Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, biscuits and fresh water, as well as a fruit bowl will also be provided at the base camp.
Whilst we try to cater for most dietary needs (vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, lactose intolerant etc.), we cannot cater for lifestyle choices or fussy eaters due to the remote nature of our courses. You can supplement the provided food with your own snacks/food, but unless you are allergic/intolerant, you will be expected to eat the food supplied.
We have limited the amount of information and recommendations in this document to keep it as a useful checklist to use while packing for your course.
WHAT WE CAN PROVIDE
Refer to the BSA Kit List page for a list of items we can loan you.
WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING
You don’t need to spend lots of money on specialist clothing or equipment for this course. What you will need is some basic outdoor clothing and camping equipment.
All specialist tools are provided for use during the course, including axes, saws and various carving tools.
If, however, you have an axe or two, or carving tools, that you would like to bring along with you, that is perfectly fine. We’ll check their suitability for the various tasks throughout the week.
CHECKLIST
Required items
- Day pack
- Bushcraft knife
- Folding saw
- Outdoor leather work gloves
- Paracord – 5-10 metres
- Water bottle(s) or bladder with a minimum of 2 litres carrying capacity
- Head torch and spare batteries
- Small first aid kit including personal medications.
- Loud whistle
- Notebook and pens/pencils
- Shelter and sleeping equipment for the week
- Mug, plate, cutlery
- Mosquito head net
- Toilet kit (toilet paper, hand sanitiser, matches, doggy/Ziploc bag)
- Toiletries kit
- Insect repellent
- Sunscreen
- Spare batteries and power banks (for your personal use)
- Clothing appropriate for the season (including wet weather gear, enclosed footwear and hat)
- Spectacles/glasses or contact lenses (if you wear them)
Optional items
- Multitool
- Pocket sharpening stone
- Ferro rod
Bushcraft and survival training is closely intertwined with nature, the sun, stars, natural resources and the weather. There is no electricity. Therefore modern 40 hour week timetables you are used to need to be adapted.
Lessons will be taught both day and night and at unusual hours to accommodate nature, natural daylight hours and traditional cooking times using fire and natural resources. Some lessons and activities will take longer than others and some are sun and weather dependent so you need to remain flexible as things don’t always go to plan.
Traditional cooking using fire takes time so we will generally cook at night so we can maximize daylight hours for other tasks and activities so evening mealtimes might be later than you may be used to. There are a lots of skills to be learnt on this course so expect long days and later nights than you may be used to.
This course is run from an expedition style camp, entirely outdoors. You will need a reasonable level of health and fitness to maximise your participation and enjoyment of the course.
Please be aware this is not a wellness retreat!
View frequently asked questions on our dedicated FAQ page.
If your question is not answered on the FAQ page, please contact us.
This opportunity is only available to people who have already completed the Bushcraft Survival Australia Fundamental Modules 1 & 2 courses.
Duration: 7 days, 6 nights
Price: $2800
Number of places: 15
Course meeting time: 3.30pm on Day 1
Course finish time: 4.00pm on Day 7
Upon making your booking you will receive a link to the participant consent form (which must be filled out and returned immediately), along with other documentation about what to bring and where to go.
Cancellation policy
- Cancellations made within 6 weeks of a course start date will be refunded less 20%
- Cancellations made within 4 weeks of a course start date will be refunded less 50%
- Cancellations made within 2 weeks of a course start date - no refund
BSA PRESENTS:CAMPCRAFT & AXE SKILLS WITH PAUL KIRTLEY
| Date | Course | Venue Subject to change | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10/05/26 - 16/05/26 | Paul Kirtley – Campcraft & Axe Skills | SubTropical (Coffs Coast), NSW | Book Now |
