I’m the kind of person who can’t stand to miss out on things. If there’s fun to be had, I want to be there. So I thought to myself one day, “Why not take people along for the ride?”  

Big Stick Adventures is about creating amazing experiences that help people live life rather than simply view it through the lens of a camera. You don’t have to be super fit to take part. You just need a good attitude and be prepared to give things a go. 

As for me, I’ve been into outdoor sports and activities for as long as I can remember. An addicted surfer for 20 years, one-time professional sprinter and with some 200 SCUBA dives logged, I’ll pretty much give anything a shot. During three years living in Papua New Guinea I organised travel adventures for friends that ranged from riding tyre tubes down rapids, to surfing isolated reef breaks with a smoking volcano as the backdrop.  

Yes, I used to have an office job. But after 12 years as a Collins St banker (complete with an Economics degree and post-grad in Leadership Management), I realised company mergers and acquisitions no longer fired me up as they once did. So I left Melbourne for the surfing heartland of Torquay to get my priorities straight. I reckon it was a pretty good decision.  

These days I spend my time thinking up awesome itineraries and programs that are punctuated by exciting experiences. And while our ideas initially centred on the Great Ocean Road, our imaginations have already led to itineraries taking in the Victorian Alps, Pacific islands and beyond.  

The team at Big Stick shares this zest for life, adventure and fun and the commitment to share it with others. To be honest, few of them think what they do here is work, which is exactly the kind of workplace I envisaged.  

And what about our name? As you might imagine, there are plenty of theories as to what a Big Stick refers to. It’s quite innocent really. A “stick” is just another name for a surfboard.  The bigger the “stick”, the bigger the wave you can ride.  The bigger the wave, the bigger the thrill.  So to harness a serious thrill, you’re gonna need a Big Stick.  

See you there.  

Brett Hollis - Director