20-21 July 2024: NSW SES Navshield 2024

Navshield is Australia’s premier wilderness navigation event for emergency services and search and rescue personnel. Organised annually by the NSW SES Bush Search and Rescue unit, this highly regarded event brings together teams from across Australia and overseas to test their bush navigation skills in real-world conditions.

Each year, participants will traverse 100 square kilometres of challenging wilderness terrain—armed with only a topographic map and compass—to locate as many checkpoints as possible within a 24-hour period. The event location changes annually, with the 2024 edition to be held in the remote Ghin-Doo-Ee National Park, a few hours’ drive from Sydney.

Navshield continues to play a vital role in strengthening Australia’s emergency preparedness. Open to emergency services, search and rescue organisations, bushwalking clubs, outdoor groups, and rogaining associations, the event fosters interagency collaboration, skills development, and real-time problem solving under pressure.

Connectivity Innovation Network at Navshield 2024

The Connectivity Innovation Network will participate in Navshield 2024 to trial its Large Area WiFi (LAWiFi) System—developed in collaboration with the University of Technology Sydney, the University of Sydney, and industry partner Pivotel Satellite. The system will be deployed independently of the official event infrastructure to evaluate its performance in a live emergency training scenario.

With a remote environment and the potential for unpredictable conditions, Navshield will provide an ideal opportunity to demonstrate LAWiFi’s ability to maintain connectivity when traditional networks are unavailable—further validating its role in supporting communications during disaster response and recovery.