FAQs

Cubtopia is the 8th NSW Cuboree, a five-day standing camp run by Scouts NSW that brings Cub Scouts together from right across the state. It's a big step up in independence for most Cub Scouts: camping with their Unit, trying new activities, and making friends from other Groups and Regions.

Cubtopia runs from 15 to 19 April 2027 at Cataract Activity Centre, Appin. Arrival and departure times, and the day-by-day program, will be published closer to the event.

Cubtopia is run under Scouts NSW policy by a volunteer Cuboree Organising Committee: a Chief Director supported by a team of Directorate leads covering areas like Program, Health & Wellbeing, Sites & Services, Administration, Transport & Logistics, and Finance. See Contacts for the full team and how to reach them.

Cataract is a bushland site near Appin with sealed roads and walking tracks, and permanent toilet, shower, kitchen and dining facilities across its camping grounds. It's a sizeable site with a mix of tree-shaded and open ground, mostly bare and hard underfoot, and sloped in places, so expect some solid walking between your camp and the activity areas.

Camp sites at Cuboree are unpowered. Water and sewer lines run across the site to shared facilities, but there's no power connection to individual Unit sites, so Units typically bring their own solar lighting. For more on the venue itself, visit the Cataract Activity Centre website.

Cub Scouts attending Cuboree camp together in a Cuboree Unit, split into smaller Patrols, and supported by a team of adults: a Unit Coordinator, a Health & Wellbeing Leader, and several other Unit Leaders and Helpers covering things like activities, catering and camping standards. Unit and Patrol sizes for Cubtopia will be confirmed closer to the event, but the structure is broadly consistent with past Cuborees.

A Line Leader is an adult who camps with a Cuboree Unit and looks after Cub Scouts day to day. A Service Leader is an adult who works across the wider event instead, in areas like program, logistics, admin or finance, rather than camping with a Unit. A Junior Service Leader (JSL) is a Scout or Venturer Scout who takes on a similar support role to a Service Leader.

See Pricing, Roles & Eligibility for age requirements and costs for each role.

Your role is agreed between you, your Region Liaison Leader and the Cuboree Organising Team, based on your experience, availability and what the event needs. If you're not placed as a Line Leader camping with a Unit, you'll be allocated to a Service Leader role instead.

You'll be assigned to a Directorate team, such as Program, Sites & Services, Transport & Logistics, Administration, Health & Wellbeing, or Finance, and work set hours within that team for most of the event. Exact duties vary a lot by team; your Team Leader will brief you on what's involved and try to make sure you get some variety and downtime.

Expect a mix of rotating activity bases, evening entertainment, ceremonies and free time with your Unit, bookended by an opening ceremony on arrival night and a closing ceremony before you head home. The detailed day-by-day program for Cubtopia hasn't been finalised and will be published closer to the event.

The program is still being developed. Past Cuborees have run rotating themed activity bases alongside Patrol activities, evening entertainment and functions; Cubtopia's specific activities will be announced as the program comes together.

We'll know from your registration if a birthday falls during the event, and your Unit will make a fuss of them on the day. Family won't be there to celebrate, but you're welcome to send cards or a small gift to open on site, or celebrate properly once they're home.

Pack everything into one clearly labelled bag: clothing (including warm layers, as it can be hot by day and cold at night), sleeping gear, toiletries, a mess kit (plate, bowl, mug, cutlery), and a torch. Electronic games, radios, mobile phones and food from home aren't needed or permitted on site.

Your Cuboree Unit Coordinator will issue a detailed kit list closer to the event. Bear in mind you'll need to be able to carry your own bag, so pack only what you can manage.

Day wear should be comfortable, sun-smart and ready to get messy; older shoes are a good idea, since not everything survives the week. Evenings get cold, so bring warm layers for after dark. For the opening ceremony, wear your Scout uniform shirt and Home Group scarf; for the closing ceremony, wear your Cuboree shirt and hat. Your Unit will confirm what to wear for travel days.

Cuboree registrations have typically included a Cuboree shirt, hat and event badge, plus coach transport, food and activities, with Units organising their own tents and camping gear. Final inclusions for Cubtopia will be confirmed alongside pricing on the Pricing, Roles & Eligibility page.

Cuboree is a tenting event. Cub Scouts share a tent with other Cub Scouts of the same gender, usually supplied by their Scout Group. Line Leaders and Parent/Adult Helpers bring their own tent and can't share with youth members, including their own children. Service Leaders and JSLs camp on a separate Service Leader site. Caravans and similar non-tent accommodation aren't permitted on Unit lines.

Food is centrally supplied and planned to keep everyone fed through an active week. Cuboree Units collect their food daily from a Quartermaster's Store and self-cater as a team; Service Leaders and JSLs are centrally catered through a shared dining area.

If you have a special dietary requirement, make sure it's recorded in full on your registration, talk to whoever is cooking for you about what it means in practice, and bring at least a day's backup food from home in case anything needs sorting out early on.

Coach transport is organised centrally for all NSW attendees, with timing details released closer to the event. If you need to arrive early to help set up your Unit's site, or need an early or late departure, that's arranged through your Unit Coordinator or, for Service Leaders and JSLs, your Directorate.

Independent travel (making your own way rather than taking the coach) needs to be applied for ahead of a published cut-off date. Contact cuboree@nsw.scouts.com.au if this applies to you.

Cars aren't permitted on the camping lines during the main event; a car park is provided near the site entrance. Each Cuboree Unit can generally keep one trailer on their site if it's in active use for storage, additional or empty trailers are moved to the main car park.

Most states run their own Cuboree-style event. NSW members are welcome to attend an interstate Cuboree as well as Cubtopia, but Cubtopia comes first, and interstate travel needs the usual Scouts NSW approvals through your Region Commissioner.

Cuboree is an inclusive event, but it assumes participants can camp in a tent, walk reasonable distances over rough ground, use standard toilets and showers, and manage without power. If your child's needs sit outside that, get in touch with the Cuboree team as soon as you register at cuboree@nsw.scouts.com.au so we can plan appropriate support together.

Medication should be packed in a clearly labelled Webster pack (or equivalent) with pharmacist instructions, and handed to your Unit Coordinator or Health & Wellbeing Leader when boarding the coach. Each Unit has a Health & Wellbeing Leader who supports youth members with medical, medication and wellbeing needs, and a fridge is available at Sub Camp HQ for medication that needs refrigeration.

Let us know through your registration and we'll send you the relevant management plan to complete, such as an anaphylaxis or asthma plan, ahead of the event. A limited number of all-terrain wheelchairs are available on request. St John Ambulance provides first aid on site for anything beyond what your Unit can manage, with hospital access nearby if needed.

Yes. Every Unit has a Health & Wellbeing Leader with child protection responsibilities, backed by Sub Camp Health & Wellbeing Leaders and a senior on-site Health & Wellbeing team with access to the State Child Protection Team. Any legal or child protection matter should go to the Director of Health & Wellbeing or the Cuboree Chief Director; see Contacts for details.

Please don't come if you're unwell in the days beforehand; illness spreads fast in a camp of this size, so stay home and let your Unit Coordinator know, you can join later with medical clearance. If you're unwell on site, your first point of contact is your Unit's Health & Wellbeing Leader or the Sub Camp first aid base. It's also common to feel a bit off-colour for a day or two after the event given the pace and change of routine, let us know if you think it's more than that.

Cuboree runs a strong welfare culture at every level, from your Unit through to a professional support team for the whole event. If you're struggling, or notice someone else who is, tell a Leader and support will come.

For homesickness specifically, staying busy and connecting with your Unit generally helps more than a phone call home. Your Unit's Health & Wellbeing Leader can help manage this if it becomes a problem.

No, everyone on site, including contractors, needs to be pre-registered; there's no general visitor access. A small number of invited guests, such as ceremony speakers or sponsors, are handled separately, contact the Chief Director if you have a request like this.

Reception at Cataract is patchy and varies a lot by provider, and there's no power on site to charge devices. Cub Scouts are generally better off leaving phones at home; if you're sending one with your child for peace of mind, it's worth weighing that up. Cuboree can't take responsibility for lost, broken or stolen devices.

Alcohol isn't permitted anywhere on site while youth members are present, consistent with Scouts NSW policy at all youth events. Smoking and vaping are discouraged on Scouting premises and restricted to designated areas away from youth and fire-risk zones; smoking outside those areas can result in being asked to leave the site.