Marion Smith, Joint Region Manger for Wimmera Girl Guides said the organisation started using the site in 1969, when an "old-school" shelter shed was moved into place.

"It's a very beautiful spot, but it began as a very basic campsite in that it didn't have a lot of facilities, but the facilities were ideal for the guides to learn survival skills."

"There were no kitchen and rudimentary toilet sites, and over the years, the Dimboola girls and Wimmera district developed it, so it now has a kitchen, sitting area, toilets and showers and a large sleeping dormitory."

"In about 2011 it suffered significant flood damage of around $40,000 which had to be worked through, so we had a to get a new generator and place it on higher ground."

Mrs Smith said by holding camps at Arura they were able to teach the girl guides valuable life lessons in independence, having a good attitude, developing friendships and working as a team.

"We call it the 'Patrol System', so they've done all sorts of outdoor camping," she said.

"Just in recent times we've been able to get some canoes so they can take part in water activities, and they've also learnt the skills of indoor camping where they've had to work out menus and cook food."

Horsham Girl Guides unit leader Wendy Rowe said it presented an opportunity for the girls to put the skills they had been learning into practice for the first time.

"They very much enjoyed themselves and talked lots about it after camp," she said.

"Canoeing is one skill most of them hadn't done before, as was cooking in gusty winds. For some of the younger girls it was the first time they slept in a tent."

The winners of the Golden Billy camping skills competition were Warracknabeal Girl Guides, led by 13-year-old Charlie Inkster.