Venturers hiking in costume
Follow the yellow brick road, climb every mountain, see every sun rise, relax and don't stress. Even if you're little, you can do a lot.
This year's Easter Venture will be a musical extravaganza, where teamwork and courage meet the rhythm of adventure.
You and your team have been entrusted to launch yourselves into a curtain raising smash hit of a stage show at Easter Venture. With the ultimate blending of well-known musicals such as The Wizard of Oz, Frozen, Matilda, Singing in the Rain, and The Sound of Music; to name a few.
Set sail with Moana and Maui, sing in the rain, and solve the mystery of the opera. Relish a little nonsense, now and then, and have an entertaining time!
EV really is much more than just a hike.
See you at EV 2024.
An example of a simple, yet effective, costume
An example of another simple, yet effective, costume at EV 2022
Does your team need ideas for theme? Remember, anything that is related
to musicals and Broadway is 'in theme' for 2024 - particularly if you can twist it in some way!
Some of the best costumes we've seen have been some of the simplest. Make sure that you can hike easily in your costume - that is, that you don't get too hot and it isn't heavy. Why not incorporate your costume into your hat and make it something to keep the sun off you and your pack?
Here are some ideas we've compiled to get you started. But of course, be prepared to think outside the box and come as something else if you'd prefer.
| Year | Theme | Location | Hikers |
| 1959 | Rostrevor / Ashton / Woodhouse | 139 | |
| 1960 | Adelaide Hills / Woodhouse | ||
| 1961 | Adelaide Hills / Woodhouse | ||
| 1962 | Colonial Venture | Adelaide Hills / Woodhouse | |
| 1963 | 1,000 Islands | Adelaide Hills / Woodhouse | |
| 1964 | Adelaide Hills / Woodhouse | ||
| 1965 | All Arabian Trek | Gawler / Torrens Gorge | 140 |
| 1966 | Saga of the Vikings | Deep Creek | 160 |
| 1967 | The Wild West Show | Philcox Hill / Kuitpo Forest | ~180 |
| 1968 | The Gathering of the Clans | 240 | |
| 1969 | Project Tauri | South Coast / Yankalilla | 250 |
| 1970 | Eden Valley | 300 | |
| 1971 | Krishnev Takes a Holiday | Nairne/Harrogate | 450 |
| 1972 | Delamere | ||
| 1973 | Alligator Rush | Melrose | |
| 1974 | North - ? | ||
| South - Quest for the Golden Fleece | Delamere / Tunkalilla | ||
| 1975 | North - ? | Williamstown | |
| South - The Year of the Lash | Finniss / Kuitpo Forest | ||
| 1976 | North - ? | ||
| South - Operation Ripe Charlie | Eden Valley / Mount Crawford? | ||
| 1977 | North - ? | ||
| South - ? Modified EV, no hiking |
Roonka | ||
| 1978 | Quest for the Holy Grail | ||
| 1979 | North - ? | ||
| South - The Great Gangster Gadabout | Hallett / Mount Bryan | ||
| 1980 | |||
| 1981 | Tarsus vs the Empire | Mount Crawford Forest | |
| 1982 | Spy vs Spy | Kuitpo Forest | |
| 1983 | Cancelled due to Ash Wednesday bushfires | ||
| 1984 | Behind the Magic Mushroom Alternative EV - multiple location bases around SA |
Woodhouse and expedition locations | |
| 1985 | Victory or Death | Mount Crawford Forest | |
| 1986 | Kuitpo Forest | ||
| 1987 | Midnight at the Oasis | Second Valley / Delamere | |
| 1988 | Alice in Wonderland (Mad Hats for Cool Cats) | Clare Valley / Hallett | |
| 1989 | Magical Mystery Tour | Fleurieu Peninsula | |
| 1990 | I Saved the World (Super Heroes) | ||
| 1991 | The Wild Wild West | ||
| 1992 | Daring Deeds on Trusty Steeds (Knights of the Round Table) | ||
| 1993 | Freaked Out Flower Venture | ||
| 1994 | The Saga of the Seven Seas (Pirates) | Deep Creek | |
| 1995 | Chicago Shenanigans - Roaring Twenties Venture | ||
| 1996 | Space - the Final Frontier | Watervale / Clare | |
| 1997 | The Sizzling Seventies | Brookefield / Armstrong / Roonka | 150 |
| 1998 | Around the World in 80 Hours | Robertstown / Burra Gorge | |
| 1999 | Fractured Fairytales | Kuitpo Forest / Kangarilla | |
| 2000 | Good vs Evil | Mt Bryan / Hallett | |
| 2001 | 2001 A Space Oddity | Deep Creek | |
| 2002 | Mobsta Mayhem ^ | Mt Crawford Forest | |
| 2003 | Middle Earth Madness | Kuitpo Forest | |
| 2004 | Action Figure EV - The Toybox Rebellion | Mt Crawford Forest | 74 |
| 2005 | Dawn of the Living Dead | Brookefield / Armstrong / Roonka | 68 |
| 2006 | Jungle fEVer | Wirabarra Forest | 82 |
| 2007 | Motion of the Ocean | Mt Bryan | 82 |
| 2008 | Time Trippin' | Woodhouse | 75 |
| 2009 | World Domination | Terowie (Tilkilkie) | 88 |
| 2010 | Fractured Fairytales | Mt Crawford Forest | 92 |
| 2011 | Spaced Out | Wirabarra Forest | 44 |
| 2012 | Rockin' World Tour | Kuitpo Forest | 69 |
| 2013 | Game On! | Mt Bryan East (Caroona Creek) | 92 |
| 2014 | Around the World in 80 Hours | Mount Crawford Forest | |
| 2015 | Hike at the Museum | Kuitpo Forest | |
| 2016 | Bush Bashed | Bundaleer Forest, (Bundaleer North, near Jamestown). | 69 |
| 2017 | Lost at Sea | Mt Bryan East (Caroona Creek) | 49 |
| 2018 | Happily nEVer After | Mount Crawford | 84 |
| 2019 | EVil Dead | Kuitpo Forest / Woodhouse | 85 |
| 2020 | Not held | ||
| 2021 | Spaced Out | Barossa Goldfields | 98 |
| 2022 | Welcome to the Jungle | Mount Crawford | 87 |
| 2023 | Conspiracy Theory | Para Wirra | 98 |
Help us compile this list! If you have an addition or a correction to the list above, then please email easterventure@sa.scouts.com.au
Contributions by: Graham Hill (former BC Senior Scouts & EV Originator), Michael Woodward, Minky Cockshell, Julian Stone, John Rockliff, Amanda Taylor, Julia McTier, Greg Roberts, Bruce Leibhardt, Janette Leibhardt, Bob Ellis and Sandy Ellis.
^ The 2002 activity was held by Theme Team as an EV alternative after that year's official event was cancelled due to low numbers. In the spirit of Scouting, we've considered this activity an 'official' Easter Venture.
List last updated 22 January 2024