Record Numbers for Great Aussie Camp Out

Oct. 20, 2011 - PRLog -- 20th October 2011

Record Numbers for Great Aussie Camp Out

In excess of 6500 Australians camped out overnight on Saturday 15th October as part of the annual Great Aussie Camp Out (GACO), smashing the 2010 numbers by over 2000.

GACO also coincides with National Camping Day, and has demonstrated again the merit of getting Aussies out and enjoying the great outdoors.

The Australian Camps Association (ACA), who auspices the event, now will attempt to ratify Saturday’s outstanding success by registering the event with the Guinness Book of World Records, a process which will take some weeks.

Some campers got right into the spirit of things and posted photos of their GACO experience on the website – www.greataussiecampout.org.au. Others shared their progress with the world on Twitter.

According to ACA Chief Executive, David Petherick, GACO is a highly effective vehicle for raising the profile of outdoors activities, camping and adventure all over the country. “With a 40% increase in numbers on 2010, the forecast growth of GACO huge for the next few years,” he said. “I’d like to thank all the registered participants who made GACO the huge success it was, and the public, corporate and government support will only grow from here. I just think it’s so important to introduce kids to the variety of experiences they can have outside. It’s good for their health, it’s terrific for making friends, it’s good for parents, and it’s good for the outdoors industry.”

With an increasingly obese and sedentary community, the health and social benefits of spending time participating in outdoor activities in the company of family and friends are well recognised and documented. GACO was established in 2010 to get more Aussies outdoors more often.

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For all media enquiries, please contact:
David Petherick, CEO, Australian Camps Association
Ph: 0402 844 861 or 03 9430 2900
Email: dpetherick@auscamps.asn.au
Web: www.auscamps.asn.au

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The Great Aussie Camp Out (GACO) brings together thousands of Australians for one big night where they share the experience of camping out under the stars! Register for free as a participant of GACO .