Educate. Inspire. Enable.
About Us
The Grampians - Geologically, a uniquely formed mountain range. Ecologically, one of the most diverse National Parks in Australia. Culturally, home to ten’s of thousands of years of human history. All of this in a destination that offers some of the best opportunities for outdoor activities and adventure sports.
Based right in the heart of the Grampians, Absolute Outdoors is the key to connecting people with place and unlocking the true Grampians experience.
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Our experiences range from the more gentle, easy going outdoor activities with breathtaking views, to hair raising adventure activities for all ages and abilities. We offer canoeing, rock climbing and abseiling, as well as a range of uniquely crafted experiences all in either half, full or multi-day packages.
As an experiential tour operator, no matter how you spend your time with us, our goal is to share our home with you in a safe, engaging and informative way leaving you with a deeper understanding of yourself and your destination - The Grampians.
Our Mission
"To educate, inspire and enable YOU to build a connection between people and place through the medium of adventure."
Our History
Our story began back in 1989 when a small group of friends begun organising social adventure trips to the area. Like all good things, these trips grew in size and popularity, leading to a need to charge a fee to continue sustainably. The ethos of these trips was based around sharing experiences, learning, connecting people together, and with the places they are visiting. Although Absolute Outdoors has changed forms and evolved significantly over the years, our ethos remains the same - to share, learn, experience and grow.
Our Purpose
"To continually improve the health and sustainability of our community and the environment."
Our Team
Adrian is passionate about the outdoors and sharing experiences. Having dedicated most of his life to outdoor pursuits, both his own and assisting others in theirs, Adrian has accumulated over 11 years of experience across the adventure travel, guiding and outdoor education sectors. A spontaneous crossing of the Kokoda track focused Adrian's imagination on the great impacts that adventurous experiences can have on people. Since then he has endeavoured to make the world a better place, one adventure at a time. 25+ international expeditions and countless school camps later, Adrian's focus is on exploring the adventurous opportunities in the Grampians and how best to share them with the world.
Mitch brings over 20 years of retail experience to the team, the last 7 in the outdoor industry. As a self-confessed gear nerd he is passionate to the point of obsession about outdoor gear and has been recently told by his partner that he doesn’t need another hiking pack (he totally does!). An experienced traveller and hiker, when Mitch is not at Absolute Outdoors he can be found walking up mountains and recently completed the Australian Alpine Walking Trail. If you have any enquiries about hiking and camping gear feel free to flick Mitch an email, he loves solving problems and would love to hear from you.
Jim grew up an hour from the Grampians. He has amazing memories of regularly walking with his family there and having his Dad teach him to climb at Summerday Valley. After completing a degree in Outdoor Education and then gaining a teaching qualification, Jim began working as a guide for Absolute Outdoors in 2014. After a couple of stints guiding with Absolute Outdoors and travelling overseas to hike, climb and travel, Jim chose to focus on his teaching career for a number of years. He has now come back to work as our Education Program Manager. Jim looks forward to creating the best possible programs for each school in the places he loves.
Emma is a passionate and experienced outdoor enthusiast. With a deep love for nature, she finds joy in exploring the outdoors through activities such as running, hiking, and camping. Over the past decade, Emma has dedicated herself to trail running, embarking on adventures across North America, New Zealand, Nepal, and various regions of Australia. Originally hailing from Adelaide, she made the move to Halls Gap to pursue a Cert IV Outdoor Leadership traineeship with Absolute Outdoors. Emma's adventurous spirit and multiple working years in customer service make her a valuable asset to the Absolute Outdoors team.