Luke Vandenberg

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Australia
Melbourne, VIC
Luke Vandenberg

Australian film-maker, adventurer, farmer who loves to take his kids on experiences outdoors, teachi My name is Luke Vandenberg.

I am passionate about taking my children on wild adventures and teaching them life lessons through story telling and nature.

16/11/2025

New video up on the channel.
I have been inspired by the traveling farm hand worker and how they would often camp in rough locations in rural areas. Often known as the swagman (Australian term) or hobo (American term) in the 1900s, especially around the great depression, they would travel from farm to farm looking for work. This could range from sugar cane cutters in the north, sheppards and shearers, loggers, fences etc I've done plenty of camps as a swagman on the road out in the bush, but when arriving at a farm, they could be given a range of different quarters from a nice room with a bed, to sleeping in a hut, or out in a farm shed. Also tried to create a traditional hammock using a thick oilskinned canvas bedroll that I have. Hammocks were certainly around during this time, but often used on ships. The jungle hammock was something used in ww2 by soldiers as well. It was a great little campout where I look more into the history of this stuff.

29/10/2025

New film up on patreon

26/10/2025

My new film where I head out for 5 days into the Australian outback as an 1800s explorer is now available for purchase on patreon. You can also sign up to my Patreon or youtube memberships and watch for free. I am very proud of this edit and this trip. One year in the making with not just the research of the area and the walk I did, but a few months studying the stories of the old outback explorers. Because I do not have any sponsors, I had to fund the trip myself which was quite a bit. So by selling the video for a few dollars I can hopefully cover costs. I took a lot of time going over this edit and I'm confident it's a product worth selling.

13/10/2025

Last week I completed a trip I have been dreaming up for over a year now. I've had my eyes on Outback Australia considering we have some incredible unique history of exploration in this area. The Gammon Rangers had caught my eye as somewhere with big mountain peaks, gorges, canyons, outback plains, dry river beds .. And it's a lot quieter then it's busy cousin to the south, the flinders rangers.
Over the last few months I have been doing a deep dive on the stories of the outback explorers, those men like Sturt, Stuart, Burke and Wills, Eyre, Giles etc and I've been inspired by the hardships they faced.
My idea was to do 5 days, walking around 60kms off track and cross country, exploring remote wilderness in the outback and doing it all with the kind of clothing and gear an 1800s explorer could have. Not to mention a small amount of rations available to them at the time to eat. I went hungry, felt exhausted, got some heat exhaustion, and felt that tinge of anxiety when my water was running out and all I had was a tip that there should be water up a certain gorge .. wondering if I would find it.
This is a huge one to edit, I have over 200gb of footage to go over and I'll be in the editing room for a couple of weeks on this one. But stay tuned because it will be a bit of a highlight project for me and I plan to make this one of my best videos yet .. full of adventure and history.

05/10/2025

Some shots of my latest merch!! All goes towards helping the channel.
You can find the Link in my bio, or visit thebeardedbushranger.theprinterbar.com
If you are interested in stickers then send me a direct message or email [email protected]

03/10/2025

Well I've finally done it! Some merch is now up and available to purchase. Link in Bio
First of all these are design concepts I came up with that I wanted to be happy with and would wear myself. The shirts are 100% cotton and I'm happy with how they came out and the quality of the shirts!
You can find the Link in my bio, or visit thebeardedbushranger.theprinterbar.com
This is a great way to help support the channel and get something in return! This is just a beginning step and from here I would like to look at selling some more specialty bush crafty stuff!
If you are interested in stickers then send me a direct message or email [email protected]

22/09/2025

Some photos from my new video.
Inspired by the mountaineers of the late 1800s and early 1900s, I head out with Leigh to the Bluff in the Victorian High country, to test ourselves in heritage gear and how this kind of equipment performed for the old timers. Video out now on Youtube.

16/09/2025

4 years ago I headed out on my first ever snow camp with my eldest two children. For a coastal boy this was new territory. We all shivered the night away (at -7.c) with cheapo kmart styled camping gear. I was a rookie and it showed, but a new interest was sparked.
One year later I rolled up a good sleeping bag into a swag and headed out with my mate to explore 3 days of remote backcountry in the snow. This has been a yearly tradition now every July, and the following year (2024) saw me head out again with him, with a mixture of modern plastic lightweight gear, and some waxed canvas stuff.
But I was inspired by those Canadians doing snow survival camps with no sleeping gear, so that same year I did my first winter survival night sleeping out in the open by a fire to keep me warm.
This year of 2025, I've managed to head out 4 times in the snow, determined to do it with only traditional style gear. Canvas, wool, leather etc I wanted to prove this year that you can easily get by snow hiking and camping without the modern stuff, and do it just like old mountaineers did. Including hot tent camping for the first time with , traditional gear survival challenges with no sleeping bag and exploring hidden huts. This last week I headed out with Leigh from to test out a prototype chair frame pack of his, we spent 3 days climbing the bluff and had some pretty awesome alpine conditions. The idea being that I was inspired by the hikers and mountaineers of the late 1800s and early 1900s. I now feel fully confident to hike and camp in cold wet snowy conditions in our high country, but also feel locked in and comfortable to do it with only heritage gear. This is entirely possible and is a wonderful way to camp.
The mountains and the alpine country will continue to be a place I go for adventure. 2025 was a great season, and I'm looking forward to how I can push it even bigger and better for 2026.
Video will be up on Sunday, so stay tuned.

24/08/2025

New video on the bearded bushranger channel.
This area of the high country had a lot exploring during the early 1900s, including a track that was commissioned to be cut through the mountains as a way to connect mining and logging towns, as well as access for early tourists. As a result, little shelters were built as a place of refuge in the cold winter weather. I explore one of these remaining relics of history in a hut that feels lost to time. It was bloody cold out here on this night and I really only had the hut and the fire to make sure I could get through the night.
Video up now

20/07/2025

New video up on the bearded bushranger where I head up to the Vicco high country in the middle of winter with and
We spent 3 days in the tipi hot tent and cooked up a feast, and hunkered down with the snowy weather that hit us. It was a great trip full of laughs, banter and awesome scenery.
Make sure you check it out.

Address

Melbourne, VIC

Website

https://www.youtube.com/c/LukeVandenbergFilms

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