Our Team
The Adventure Plus management team of highly qualified outdoor education experts all share a keen love of the outdoors and inject enthusiasm and high energy into every Adventure Plus program and activity.
They are supported by a long-standing, loyal team of Adventure Plus staff who are all equally as committed to ensuring ‘Adventurers’ get the most out of every Adventure Plus Adventure experience.
ANDY CARLILE
AKA: MR JACK OF ALL TRADES & TELLER OF 'DAD JOKES'
My job: Co-Founder & CEO
Years with Adventure Plus: Since the beginning. Amy and I started Adventure Plus in 2011.
Years in the outdoor education industry: 25 years
The life lesson I like to share: Life will present you with many problems and challenges. It’s how you tackle those problems and challenges, using resilience and self-confidence, that will enable you to confront and conquer anything that life throws in your direction.
I’m an expert in: I’m good at designing and managing the overall logistics, organisation and execution of our programs. I like to ensure that I have every ‘i’ dotted and every ‘t’ crossed so that any Adventure Plus program we run is seamless, risk adverse and designed to ensure the best possible outcomes for everyone involved. I’m also very good at understanding the many differing viewpoints that exist within a team of people and then working out the best way to blend those differing approaches or ideas together so that the team is united and best placed for success. I also think I’m very funny…
My favourite moment with Adventure Plus: It’s now – being able to reflect on where we were at the beginning, to where we are today - and looking at all the incredible adventures we’ve done and the achievements we’ve helped people realise is incredibly rewarding. That scary moment when we first made our dream of running an outdoor adventure business a reality seems so long ago. To be living that dream and helping others achieve theirs is amazing.
What I love most about working in outdoor education: I love being able to design and implement programs that enable us to share incredible experiences with others in the great outdoors. It’s fantastic to see so many of our outdoor adventurers then develop the same passion for the outdoors and unlock an awareness of the environment that surrounds them.
In my spare time, I like to: Spend time with my family, go caravanning, four-wheel driving, fishing, mountain biking, skiing, play with remote control cars and work on cars… and when I’m not doing any of that, I like relaxing.
AMY CARLILE
AKA: FITNESS & WELLNESS JUNKIE
My job: Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer, Catering & Dietary Director
Years with Adventure Plus: 10
Years in the education and health / fitness industry: 16
The life lesson I like to share: Resilience – you have to get up, shake it off and get going again. It’s important to keep trying because that feeling you’ll feel when you reach your goal will be like nothing else imaginable.
I’m an expert in: Business Management, Organisation and Dietary knowledge. I inject passion into everything I do. I am constantly researching and investigating the best nutritional meals we can offer to ensure that the food people eat when they’re on our outdoor adventures is the best, most nutritious and delicious camping food possible.
My favourite moment with Adventure Plus: I love receiving phone-calls and emails from parents who want to thank us for having their children participate in one of Adventure Plus camps. To hear that their child had the best camping experience they’ve ever had, or achieved something they didn’t think they could, is incredible.
What I love most about working in outdoor education: I love seeing what Adventure Plus delivers. I love it when people return from being on one of our programs and they all have that ‘buzz’ where they’re re-telling stories about what they did, saw, achieved and experienced on their outdoor adventure. Most of all, I love that we can deliver education in the best possible place… the great outdoors!
In my spare time, I like to: Go running, go to the gym, walk my dog Tank, go to the beach.
MATT BROOKS
AKA: THE ARMY GUY
My job: Corporate Program Manager
Years with Adventure Plus: 3 Years
Years in the outdoor education industry: 28 Years
The life lesson I like to share: Take the time to reflect on each experience – those that you shared with others and those you had on your own. Find out what can you take forward to make you a better person and think about what you can do to perform better the next time you are challenged.
We all make mistakes – so take the time to reflect and learn so that you get better.
I’m an expert in: Having spent time on the battlefield working in the Army Adventurous Training Wing/Army Leadership School, my areas of expertise and the strengths that I bring to the Adventure Plus are in my leadership, facilitation and reflection skills.
My favourite moment with Adventure Plus: My favorite moment is always conducting reflection at the end of a program or the day. I like to ask our adventurers to reflect on their experience, what they have achieved and what they will take forward with them into future experiences.
What I love most about working in outdoor education: It’s the best office in the world. It’s incredibly rewarding seeing others learn and benefit from the experiences they have in the great outdoors.
In my spare time, I like to: Go rock climbing. In my 30 years of rock climbing I’ve been lucky enough to travel all over the world, have climbed cliffs that no-one else has climbed before me, have represented my country, seen and experienced amazing cultures, met incredible people and given myself a few big scares. I also love kayaking – spending time in the river environment calms and yet challenges me and has led me to experience incredible places with fantastic people and teams.
DAVE ARNUP
AKA: MR RELIABLE
My Job: School Manager
Years with Adventure Plus: 5 years
Years in industry: 16+
The life lesson I like to share: I like encourage students to realise that the greater the challenges they have to overcome in life, the greater the reward. I like to tailor my programs to suit students and their experience – as well as enabling them to challenge themselves and see what they can truly achieve.
I’m an expert in: I have extensive experience in cross country skiing, cycling, canoeing, rafting and kayaking. I’m also really good at risk management and logistics and I love to challenge myself by creating difference experiences and programs for outdoor education. I’m also a qualified paramedic, so if there’s ever the need for medical assistance, I’ll be there and ready to assist.
My favourite moment with Adventure Plus: I really loved the first program I worked on with Adventure Plus when we went exploring outdoors in South West Victoria.
What I love most about working in outdoor education: When I was growing up, my best mate’s Dad was an outdoor education teacher. He took us on all sorts of fantastic outdoor adventures – from white water rafting and cross country skiing to 4wd camping trips and amazing adventures in remote areas of Victoria. That was when I realised that a career in the outdoors was for me.
In my spare time, I like to: I love to spend time outdoors with my family, preferably somewhere near water. I love whitewater rafting and spending time exploring our amazing landscape on my mountain bike.
JACKSON CAMPBELL-BROWN
AKA: MR POSITIVE
My Job: School Manager
Years with Adventure Plus: 1 year
Years in industry: 1 year
The life lesson I like to share: Always remember to be present and immerse yourself in the moment. There’s little point in dwelling on what has been, or what might be. It’s so much better to embrace the moment you’re in.
I’m an expert in: Finding the positive in every situation.
My favourite moment with Adventure Plus: I have so many to be honest, but one that really resonated with me was when I was sitting on top of Mt Arapiles eating lunch after a morning of rock journeying and climbing. It was a wonderful sunny day and I remember looking out over the patchwork of paddocks as I laughed and joked with other leaders and students. It was such a great moment. But knowing what it’s like to be part of the Adventure Plus team, I am quite sure that there will be another experience just around the corner that will trump this to become my new favourite moment.
What I love most about working in outdoor education: I grew up on a farm near Corryong in north east Victoria, so from a very young age I’ve loved being outdoors. Most weekends I would spend riding motorbikes or exploring the bush. I love having a job that means I get to spend so much time outdoors. It’s great to have a job where I get to educate young people about all the wonderful things that the Australian bush has to offer. I also find it incredibly rewarding to work with students, particularly when they’re really being challenged by their experience. I love to see the determination that so many of them show when they challenge themselves, persevere and make it through to the end. It’s really special to be able to witness the comradery that students develop as they support each other and bond over their shared experiences.
In my spare time, I like to: I love to spend time with my family and my friends. I have lots of hobbies and I enjoy being outdoors and keeping active – whether it be fishing, bushwalking, climbing, hunting, canoeing, playing footy or just getting outdoors and lending a hand on the family farm.
MITCHELL KNOX
AKA: THE ENTERTAINER
My Job: Outdoor Educator
Years with Adventure Plus: 7 years
Years in industry: 7 years
The life lesson I like to share: I like to teach students how to overcome the challenges that they may face in life by thinking outside the box. I also like to show them how great life is outdoors – particularly when you’re away from technology and other distractions.
I’m an expert in: I like to see problems as challenges and work out the best way to overcome them. This is something that I like to apply to my outdoor programs and activities.
My favourite moment with Adventure Plus: My favourite moment came when I did my very first program with Adventure Plus seven years ago. It was a 12 day program at the Great South West Walk. I saw a group of boys work hard to challenge themselves and develop their skills to such a great extent that by day six, they were leading the trip themselves. The teacher and I felt like we were along for the ride. To see the incredible change in their attitudes, skills and sense of self belief was amazing.
What I love most about working in outdoor education: I love meeting new people, but what really inspires me is when I see people looking at things in a different way, challenging themselves or conquering their fears – or at least taking some small steps to get there.
In my spare time, I like to: I like to read, build, go camping and spend time with my friends.
PAT THOMPSON
AKA: THE BUSHMAN
My Job: Outdoor Educator
Years with Adventure Plus: 1 year
Years in the education and health / fitness industry: 3 years
The life lesson I like to share: One of the most important life lessons that I like to share with kids is that they need to learn that sometimes it’s OK to be uncomfortable. When they experience the discomfort or unease of mentally and physically challenging situations, but they’re doing so in a safe and supervised way through our outdoor education programs, they soon learn that they grow in character and build their own resilience. It’s rewarding to be able to teach young people to embrace their discomfort, because it leads to greater things for them as a person.
I’m an expert in: I’ve spent a considerable amount of time researching and gathering knowledge on bush survival techniques, including knowing how to cook and eat plants and animals that you find in the wild. I’m able to identify native plant species and know which are poisonous and which are edible. I really love sharing this knowledge with students and it generates some great conversations with them. I also have really good organizational skills and like to keep things tidy and orderly. And I’m a fast learner and am able to adapt to situations really quickly and easily.
My favourite moment with Adventure Plus: One of my favourite moments with Adventure Plus was when we were canoeing on the Glenelg River with an amazing group of Year 9 students. All of a sudden, an eagle swooped down and caught a baby duckling that was swimming along the river and then flew off with it in its beak. Kids love exploring remote wilderness areas and seeing what nature is really like in our epic landscape. To see how nature really ‘works’ with the ‘circle of life’ and what animals do in the wild, added yet another layer to their outdoor experiences that day.
What I love most about working in outdoor education: I love helping kids to reconnect with nature and ‘re-wild’ themselves. It’s so rewarding to see them embrace being outdoors and to experience the pure joy of being part of nature. You can quite literally see them change their outlook and grow as a person. It’s awe inspiring to be alongside kids when they experience some of the most pure and memorable moments of their lives.
In my spare time, I like to: I like to go spearfishing and spend time swimming along the coast. When I’m not at the beach, you will find me in the high country exploring, hunting deer or trout fishing. When I’m at home, I like to chill out doing leathercraft, woodcraft or spend time working on my 4WD.
CHLOE FRANGALAS
AKA: THE ORGANISER
My Job: Outdoor Educator
Years with Adventure Plus: 2 years
Years in industry: 2 years
The life lesson I like to share: There are so many when it comes to outdoor education, but the main lesson that I like to stress with my groups is that no matter what, you will get through it. I like to reiterate this every evening at the campsite, to encourage the students to know in their heart of hearts that no matter how hard a situation might feel at the time, if they just keep putting one foot forward after another, they will get through. It might feel like the end is never going to come, but if you keep persisting, time goes by and you will get through even the most mentally and physically challenging situations.
I’m an expert in: Building relationships with the students and encouraging them to build them with themselves and each other. I like to maintain a healthy group dynamic and use what I call family decision making, where the entire group makes decisions together, based on everyone’s needs in the group. At the end of each day, I facilitate a heart-warming debrief where students are encouraged to give shout outs toothers for the helpful, thoughtful, supportive or kind things they may have done for someone else in the group. I’m also really good at staying calm and positive in the most challenging of circumstances and I like to keep it real, so I don’t sugar coat anything - which I find students respond to really well and seem to respect.
My favourite moment with Adventure Plus: I love Fridays, when we’ve finished an outdoor adventure with a group and I can look at my group and see the positive changes in each and every one of them. I love to share in celebrating the successes and achievements we’ve all made as a group and it’s incredibly special to know that you’ve been part of making a difference, be it small, medium or large, in each student’s life in just one week. It’s the best feeling and one of the great things I love about being part of the Adventure Plus team.
What I love most about working in outdoor education: The people. Working with great people at Adventure Plus makes coming to work more like getting to hang out with your friends every day. Even better still, I get to spend time with young people, experiencing challenges and making memories in the beautiful outdoors. It’s so rewarding to see the changes in students from Monday when they first venture outdoors with us, to when they return home on Friday
with a changed mindset, challenges met and overcome and a visible spring in their steps. To be able to experience this every week is just wonderful. I love going on camps and adventures in my own spare time, so being able to share this joy with a group of students each week is awesome. It’s so rewarding to say goodbye to students at the end of the week because I can see just how much they have changed and grown over the week. From starting the week not knowing any of them, to having created amazing bonds and shared memories together over the course of the week is a true privilege.
In my spare time, I like to: Go backpacking, surfing, swimming in the ocean or channeling my ‘inner Grandma’ to keep myself entertained with different arts and crafts like painting, embroidering and gardening.