Nothing entirely prepares you for Blaze. Even so, you should prepare. Blazing Swan takes place 275 kilometres from Perth, Western Australia. , It occurs annually over the Easter weekend and takes place on a site with minimal water and facilities. In the spirit of RADICAL SELF RELIANCE you should bring what you need, or partner with others in the spirit of COMMUNAL EFFORT to bring what you need together. And in our principle of LEAVE NO TRACE you should take it all away with you afterwards. This all takes planning - so let’s talk about that.
You’ll need to consider how you’re taking everything to and from the event… safely.
One of the biggest risks is getting to and from the event. Make sure your vehicle is suitable, in good condition and can carry the load. Overpacking and having an overweight vehicle will put extra pressure on your tyres and change its weight distribution.
You may need to practice pack and cull some of what you’re taking.
Our community has experienced serious car accidents and we don’t want it to happen to you.
Prepare yourself
Food and Water
Medications
Prepare Yourself
Bring your authentic self. A sense of adventure and a sense of humour and wonder and fun. Also bring plenty of tolerance, patience and kindness. Make time for others - and time for yourself.
Food and Water
Blaze serves to remind us what it takes to be alive. You will need to bring water, at least 4 litres per person per day, and good sustaining food - there are no shops, no stalls, no food trucks to buy from - money is of no use at Blazing Swan. Bring drinking water frozen in containers and you can pre-order ice for pickup daily on site. Plan your meals so that you make the most of fresh food early in the Event, and save those things that don’t need to be chilled till last. If you are transporting gas bottles look up the safety guidelines on the internet - you don’t want a leaking gas bottle inside your vehicle.
Medications
Bring any medications with you and keep them secure. The nearest pharmacy is about 60 kilometres away, and it’s probably shut and the event doesn’t do pass-outs. If you have an Epipen bring it, and make sure some fellow camper knows how to use it. If you have any life threatening medical conditions or allergies, make sure you have a Medic-Alert bracelet or necklace on you at all times - it’s also a good idea to say “Hi” to the Medical Team at the start just to give them a heads-up if required.
Clothes and Bedding
Kulin nights are cold. Use layers of clothing, and make sure they’re labelled if they’re dear to you. Having a photo is helpful if you lose a jacket or a hat. Scout the Op Shops before you come and find something pre-loved that you won’t miss so much. A guide to themed clothing events will appear in our Social Media in the lead up to the event.
You’ll need a hat. It keeps your head warm at night, and stops the sun baking your brain by day. For bliss, bring lots of thick socks and a thick dressing gown.
Shelter
It will rain and flood. It will be freezing cold and baking hot. Winds routinely reach 60 to 100 kilometres per hour. And if it's not doing that, it's sunny and hot and you'll want somewhere to escape to.
So bring shelter….and secure it to the ground with pegs or stakes three times longer and thicker than you’ve ever seen in your life. And bring some kind of Thor’s hammer (and Thor) to bang them in with. Bring a light rake to clear the area under and around your shelter. Use only heavy duty gazebos, and secure them with star pickets alongside each leg. If it’s a tent, put it up at home to get familiar with it and check for missing pieces or damage. You’ll probably pick a nice day to do that. That will be nothing like you’ll find at Blaze, but enjoy the experience. Label all your gear.
And if you’re not camping savvy, check out how to be on the internet.
