Whether you live in Australia, or are keen to visit and give back, there are so many worthwhile volunteering and charitable opportunities located throughout the country. You’ll get to help good causes, meet inspiring people, have fun, improve your knowledge and do something beneficial to others.
How You Can Help
From helping elderly and disabled people, to working with refugees and indigenous rights, to getting hands on with animals, and helping nature and the environment, you can finds many rewarding programs.
Locations
Projects can be joined in all major towns and cities like Sydney, Adelaide, Cairns, Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne. A lot of nature, conservation and wildlife based programs are based in rural locations.
Rewarding Projects
If you’re thinking about hitting Australia during your gap year, you definitely want to consider helping the native animals like kangaroos, koalas and the Tasmanian devil. As a volunteer you will be involved in field monitoring and wild management of animals, helping locate and doing trapping at various sites in places like the Outback, Queensland and Tasmania. A typical survey lasts 11 – 12 days.
While team leaders trap and release animals, volunteers assist with scrubbing and cleaning traps and scribing. You will four-wheel-drive into breathtakingly beautiful places that very few people get to see and help this amazing but seriously endangered animal. Food, accommodation and transport to the worksite and back are included, but volunteers must get there on their own.
For anyone with an interest climate change and conservation, there are lots of nature based projects in spectacular locations.
If you are keen to work with people, impoverished communities or the elderly, there are lots of charities operating throughout the country seeking assistance. These opportunities are more likely to appeal to locals.