Central Goldfields Shire residents encouraged to be active through Adventure Bingo

Central Goldfields Shire Council is encouraging its residents to get physically active while having some fun at the same time by taking part in Adventure Bingo – an initiative by Healthy Loddon Campaspe.

Healthy Loddon Campaspe (previously known as Healthy Heart of Victoria) is an initiative aimed at improving health outcomes in the Loddon Campaspe region. The initiative was developed in response to the region showing higher than Victorian average rates of obesity, chronic disease and high-risk health behaviours.

Healthy Loddon Campaspe (HLC) projects are designed to focus on those parts of the community that are the least supported to help encourage healthy eating and get more people, more active, more often.

There are six local Councils involved in the initiative – Campaspe Shire, Central Goldfields Shire, City of Greater Bendigo, Loddon Shire, Macedon Ranges Shire and Mount Alexander Shire.

Adventure Bingo invites residents to get involved, either online or via hard copy, by walking one of six trails across the Loddon Campaspe region. Through the initiative, participants spot points of interest listed on a grid during their walk and once they’ve spotted three items in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal line, they’ve got Bingo.

Locally, the Central Goldfields Shire Council Adventure Bingo walk is located in Dunolly. Hard copy maps and Bingo cards are available for free at Dunolly Library, Dunolly Primary School, Dunolly Kindergarten, Dunolly Bakery and the Maryborough Library or residents can participate online by scanning the QR code.

Healthy Loddon Campaspe is also giving residents the chance to win one of 50 $20 sports store gift cards via a series of prize draws. Entries are open from now until Friday 5th May, with five weekly draws starting from Tuesday 11th April. Residents simply need to complete Adventure Bingo online to go into the draw.

Healthy Loddon Campaspe Coordinator, Alicia O’Brien said Adventure Bingo encourages physical activity, especially for children and families, in their local region in a fun and simple way.

O’Brien notes “It also provides residents and visitors alike with a free, self-guided opportunity to explore walks in our region at any time that suits them.

“The 2022 Australian Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Young People indicated that whilst most children and young people in Australia have access to public open spaces such as parks and playgrounds, just one quarter are meeting the national physical activity guidelines for their age. We hope that by encouraging people to participate in Adventure Bingo, it will provide a fun, free reason for children and families to be more physically active.

“Walking is also the most popular form of physical activity in our region, according to statistics from the Active Living Census, and Adventure Bingo plays on this popularity by providing residents with a fun activity to participate in when out on a walk.”

“You can get involved both during the prize period or afterwards when you can challenge friends and family to see who can get Bingo first.”

Other Adventure Bingo walks are located in Gunbower, Bendigo, Boort, Romsey and Maldon.