While its country and western sounding name might be a little out of place in the industrial surrounds of Bayswater, Arrow Rest Archery is a great indoor centre if you’ve ever thought about taking a lesson in archery. For one and a half hours, Arrow Rest Archery provides its customers with an introductory lesson into archery including the basics like how to grapple a bow and arrow. Then, there’s plenty of time to shoot arrows as many times as you like in the time spare.
Being a leftie, I wasn’t too sure how my coordination skills or aim would hold up, but I was quickly kitted out with a left-handed bow. The teacher was easy to understand and informative, giving me more confidence that I could do this. He even assured me that some of the world’s best archers are left-handed. After getting accustomed to holding the bow, loading the bow with an arrow, pulling the bow and taking aim, I was keen to let a few arrows fly.
Within a short space of time, the class (a mix of adults and kids) was shooting off arrows into targets. The set-up is perfect – padded targets were placed within ample distance so we could hit the target without feeling like we weren’t getting anywhere. All that was left to do was perfect our aim and try to score a bulls-eye.
We did need to remember that we were dealing with weaponry so every precaution was taken to ensure our safety – not loading bows when people were standing in front of us, keeping well behind the yellow line when shooting and putting our bows on a rack before we gathered up our arrows. Half-way through the class, we were given a short break to give our arms and shoulder muscles a rest and we were all treated to a complimentary icy pole.
As soon as the break concluded we were back to shooting our arrows and popping balloons our instructor had set up for us. I must admit, it took me a little while to master the side-on stance, stretching my arms as required and ensuring my arrow was loaded properly. I have no idea how Genghis Khan and his warriors managed all of this, all while riding full speed on horseback so many hundreds of years ago. Though, the class did ensure that a bulls-eye can be achieved. All you need is a little patience, steadiness and a sense of fun!
Arrow Rest Archery offers 90-minute archery sessions from Monday to Saturday. Bookings are essential and can be made online. Adults $20 and children $15. 12/21 Power Road Bayswater Victoria 3153. Phone 0437 943 374 or 9729 1290.
