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With many Australians currently restricted to indoor activities indefinitely, and the school holidays looking to prove a challenge for those with active children at home, one man is pivoting his business to revolutionise the way families can ‘self-isolate’ this Easter.

Global trampolining empire Flip Out was created in 2012, with original founder and entrepreneur Brent Grundy seeing his franchise extend to over 90 locations across 12 different countries, and landing the 39-year-old on some of Australia’s prestigious ‘rich lists.’

As the owner of a near 7,000 acre land in the Blue Mountains region, Mr Grundy was in the midst of building an outback resort theme park, when plans were halted dramatically a couple of weeks ago. Recognising the increasingly rapid Covid-19 situation facing all Australians during this time, Mr Grundy has put his theme park plans on hold and instead thought of an exceptionally unique opportunity to give families time to escape from the city and enjoy the great outdoors, whilst still abiding by the current restrictions.

What was to be the theme park, has now turned into a ‘Outback Escape’ – a Build Your Own Bunker initiative, that will give 10 Australian families or up to 20 maximum, the chance to build their own bunker or isolated cabin on a remote property, far away from society and the worries of Covid-19. Each of the families participating will also have the chance to win $15,000 if they create the most aesthetic and functional “Outback Escape Bunker.”

Each family team will be given a 40-foot high cube container away from any other family, where they can cut it in pieces or any shape they like. A range of machinery will be available to weld it back together as desired and the bunkers will be equipped with all the materials needed to complete the build. Assets such as fireplaces, all glass windows, floorings and doors, insulations, bathroom amenities, toilets, as well as tools, stone/timber mills and power equipment including huge generators are available to help cater for all electricity needs. A dedicated onsite engineer and team of builders will be available to consult with.

Grundy, who is regarded as a trailblazer in the children’s entertainment industry says, “Although my theme park plans have been put on hold, I still want to give families the chance to get creative and build something truly exceptional. It’s sad that we’re living in times where all those apocalyptic and contagion movies and video games are becoming a bit of a reality. But some people are obsessed with these things, so Outback Escape is like ‘The Block meets Survivor,’ and will be a fun chance for people to bring these concepts to life.”

Taking the activity to new heights, Grundy has also employed the use of a monstrous helicopter, which is able to lift the entire bunkers off the ground, giving participants the chance to choose their desired location for their isolated cabin among the elements, including mountain tops, cliff ledges and other spots where there are amazing views.

“Now feels like a good time to be bold and do something out of the box. With how quickly rules and regulations are changing in Australia, there’s a need for business owners, especially those in the entertainment and hospitality industries, to adapt quickly and genuinely think about how they can get creative with customers.” Grundy continues.

If children of participating families are a bit too young to get in amongst the building fun, there will be a plethora of outdoor activities available on the property including fishing, animal spotlighting, monster truck rides, nerf gun wars, quad bike riding and buggies. Food, groceries and amenities will be provided to all participating families throughout their time building.

The competition opens on Friday 27 March, with families from across NSW* asked to upload a 1-2 minute submission video onto YouTube using the hashtag #OutbackEscapeBunker, or emailing info@outbackescape.com.au – outlining why they feel their family has what it takes to survive the elements and build their own “Outback Escape bunker.”

The competition will commence on Sunday April 9th, with participants allowed 30 days to complete the Outback Escape Bunker challenge. The winner will be selected based on their ability to transform the bunker into a liveable and well-designed space, taking home $15,000 cash. All runners up will be allowed to visit their bunker one weekend every month, free-of-charge throughout the year, for 12 months.

Mr Grundy is available for interviews, as well as open to discussions with production companies, who might be interested in filming this adventure so more families can experience the fun.