Start with a Scout Badge: Rediscover a Hidden Gem

It has been a long time in the making, but finally, Dallas Brooks Park has its own embroidered cloth Scout Badge. The badge depicting the hills and tracks of the campsite is available for sale from Scout Merchandise Online. The badge is a stunning addition to your camp blanket or camp shirt and the proceeds of the purchase go towards a renewed energy to promote and care for the Scout Park at Upper Beaconsfield.

Making the New Scout Badge

Buried amongst some archival material, an as-new sticker was found. Probably dating back to the early 1970s when stickers were common on the rear windows of cars and caravans, the sticker captured the attention of one of the Management Committee members. With its bold colours and retro styling the sticker could not be ignored. Just as children and adults had collected stickers in the 70’s perhaps it was time to re-purpose the design for a new generation of users of the Park.

With the help of the Victorian Event Merchandise team, the original sticker has been brought to life as a bright, quality embroidered (not printed) scout badge. The green hills, the blue eucalypts, the tracks, and the blue sky surrounded by the sunny positivity of the yellow border, the new badge captures the feel of the Dallas Brooks Scout Park. (For those of you who have visited the park on a bleak, wet, windy winter’s day you might need to use a little imagination!)

Back to the Beginning of the Park

The Scout Park began with the purchase of 120 acres back in 1952 by Caulfield District Scout Association. At the time there were up to 15 vibrant Scout Groups in Caulfield. Weekend and school holiday Troop camps were regular along with District Events and Adult Training Courses peppered throughout the year. The site has been an integral part of Scouting’s leadership program for over 70 years.

The adjacent 30 acres from the former St Kilda District was passed to the care of Caulfield District some years ago, making the overall site one of the most amazing bush sites within 45 minutes of Melbourne. The site has been the venue for camp and bushcraft training, camping competitions,  construction camps, navigation training, bike riding, water activities, Rover vigils, and Venturer environment projects. The scope of use has been a reflection of the dedication and imagination of the youth and adults of Caulfield District

The Middle Years

The Ash Wednesday Bushfires knocked the stuffing out of the Caulfield Leaders who had worked so tirelessly on the Park. From the 1990’s there were several structural changes in the Victorian Branch of the Scout Association. District, Area, and Region reshuffles and amalgamations resulted in a loss of focus on Dallas Brooks Scout Park whose care had shifted to Glen Eira-Stonnington District. Although there are regular users of the Park, there has been limited infrastructure improvement for many years. Some would say that the Park has become “a little tired”.

The Future: Everything old is new again.

Miraculously, the campsite has survived long enough to be re-discovered by a new generation of users. Moving away from the glitz and glamour of urbanized amusements and glamping, there has been a resurgence of appreciation of the advantages of the Dallas Brooks Scout Park site. Maybe the COVID experience in Melbourne has awakened an understanding of what is important.  Whatever the reason, the future has arrived and it is time to get moving on reviving this slightly jaded, faded campsite. What better than a bright badge to get us going!

How to get involved:

Would you like to be part of a new vision of Dallas Brooks Scout Park? Would you like to run your next survival camp at the Park? Would you like to feel the freshness of the Upper Beaconsfield morning air? Would you like to design a retaining wall or revegetate a clay wash-away camping area or build a new shelter for a winter’s stormy downpour?

Would you like to help move some fallen timber, have a BBQ with friends, watch the sparks fly from a campfire, wield a post-hole digger, lean on a shovel or throw in some dollars for the paint for the window frames of the huts?  Or maybe you have some other ideas.

If so get in touch, be a part of the conversation or at the very least purchase a scout badge for your blanket to help us continue the journey of the unique and precious place known as Dallas Brooks Scout Park, Upper Beaconsfield, Victoria