Bushcraft is the use and practice of skills to survive and thrive in a natural environment. It encompasses a broad set of wilderness living skills, including foraging, hunting, fishing, firecraft, shelter-building, water sourcing and purification, knot-tying, wood-carving, tool and weapon making, and natural navigation. A subset of bushcraft known as woodcraft focuses specifically on survival skills for woodland or forest environments, while fieldcraft refers to its military or tactical application.
Etymology and History
The term bushcraft originally referred to skills used in the Australian bush. The word has been in use in its current sense in Australia and South Africa since at least the 1800s. The word bush in this context is likely a direct adoption of the Dutch bosch (modern Dutch bos; "forest"), used in Dutch colonies for uncleared woodland and later extended in British colonies to refer to rural, un-farmed districts still in a state of nature.
Historically, the term appears in several notable works:
- Francis Galton's The Art of Travel (1854) originally bore the working title Bushcraft or Science of Travel.
- Ernest Favenc's The History of Australian Exploration from 1788 to 1888 (1888).
- Miles Franklin's My Brilliant Career (1901).
- Jeannie Gunn's We of the Never-Never (1908).
The term was popularized in the Southern Hemisphere by Les Hiddins (the "Bush Tucker Man") and in the Northern Hemisphere by Mors Kochanski, who published Northern Bushcraft in 1981. It gained widespread currency in the United Kingdom largely through the television programs of Ray Mears. Other notable promoters include Cody Lundin, Les Stroud, and Dave Canterbury.
Core Skills
Bushcraft skills provide the basic necessities for human life:
- Food: foraging, tracking, hunting, trapping, fishing.
- Water: sourcing and purification.
- Shelter: building from natural materials (e.g., A-frame shelters, bark lean-tos, snow caves) or using improvised tarps and tents.
- Firecraft: creating fire using natural materials, including techniques such as the bow drill.
- Tools: proficiency with bushcraft knives, axes, saws, and billhooks; ability to craft tools and weapons from natural materials.
- Knot-tying: essential knots include the reef knot (square knot), figure-8 loop, improved clinch knot, clove hitch, and snare noose.
- Navigation: natural navigation without map or compass.
Trademark
The word bushcraft was registered as a service mark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by Bushcraft USA LLC on November 12, 2013, for use in connection with online forums. This registration has been a subject of discussion among the bushcraft community, though as of 2021, the mark has not been publicly enforced against other Internet forums using the term.
Further Reading
- Daniel Stables, "Why bushcraft is booming again," BBC Travel (13 March 2023).
- Mors Kochanski, Northern Bushcraft (1981/1988).
- Richard Graves, The 10 Bushcraft Books.
Busbetrieb Aarau
Busbetrieb Aarau AG (BBA), also known as Busbetriebe Aarau or branded as BBA Bus Aarau, is a Swiss public transport operator serving the city of Aarau and surrounding areas in the Canton of Aargau, Switzerland.
Key Facts
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Private company (Aktiengesellschaft) |
| Founded | 1955 (as a cooperative); 1960 (as AG) |
| Headquarters | Neumattstrasse 20, 5000 Aarau, Switzerland |
| Area served | Aarau and surrounding communities in Aargau and Solothurn |
| Management | Dominic Zürcher (CEO), Marco Nietlispach (Operations) |
| Employees | 144 (2025) |
| Revenue | 21,964,142 CHF (2025) |
| Passengers | 9,598,825 (2025) |
| Fleet | 41 low-floor buses (14 standard, 22 articulated, plus others) |
| Routes | 7 bus lines |
| Network length | 55 km |
| Stops | 105 |
History
The company was founded on 1 October 1955 as a cooperative (Verein) by three drivers using two rented vehicles, with the Wynentalbahn managing operations. The original network consisted of seven lines covering 16 km, serving the villages of Buchs, Rohr, northern Suhr, and the Aarau city districts of Gönhard, Zelgli, Telli, and Scheibenschachen.
In 1960, the cooperative was converted into a joint-stock company (Aktiengesellschaft) under the name "Busbetrieb Aarau AG." The network was expanded several times. In 1976, BBA took over routes to Obererlinsbach, Küttigen, and Biberstein from the Swiss postal service (PTT), extending the network to 38 km and requiring a fleet of 19 vehicles. A bus depot was built in the Telli district. In 1986, BBA took over the Barmelweid line from the clinic of the same name, and in 1990 a new line connected the communities of Eppenberg-Wöschnau, Schönenwerd, and Gretzenbach.
From 2002 to 2018, BBA operated under the umbrella brand AAR bus+bahn together with the Wynental- und Suhrentalbahn (WSB). Vehicles of both companies prominently displayed the AAR bus+bahn branding, though the companies remained legally distinct. In 2018, WSB became part of Aargau Verkehr AG (AVA) and the AAR bus+bahn brand was dissolved. BBA now operates under its own brand with its own management team.
Fleet
BBA's fleet consists of 41 low-floor buses, including:
- Articulated buses (22): 19 Mercedes eCitaro electric buses, 6 Solaris diesel buses, and 1 MAN Lions City.
- Standard buses (14): 12 Volvo 7900H hybrid buses and 2 Solaris Urbino 12 LE buses.
Route Network
BBA operates seven lines serving the city of Aarau and eight additional municipalities in the cantons of Aargau and Solothurn:
| Line | Route |
|---|---|
| 1 | Küttigen Kreuz – Aarau Rathaus – Aarau Bahnhof – Buchs Wynenfeld |
| 2 | (Barmelweid –) Erlinsbach Oberdorf – Erlinsbach Dorfplatz – Aarau Rathaus – Aarau Bahnhof – Telli – Aarau Rohr Unterdorf |
| 3 | Aarau Bahnhof – Wöschnau – Schönenwerd – Gretzenbach Weid |
| 4 | Suhr Bahnhof – Aarau Bahnhof – Aarau Rathaus – Biberstein Ihegi |
| 5 | Circular: Aarau Bahnhof – Goldern – Zelgli – Aarau Bahnhof |
| 6 | Suhr Bahnhof – Kantonsspital – Aarau Bahnhof – Aarau Wöschnauring |
| 7 | Circular: Aarau Bahnhof – Zelgli – Goldern – Aarau Bahnhof |
Tariff Integration
BBA is a member of the A-Welle tariff network, which provides zonal ticketing across various modes and routes in the region, including Aargau S-Bahn rail services operated by Swiss Federal Railways and Aargau Verkehr.
Website: www.busaarau.ch
