Travel to the beautiful coastal town of Albany for an experience of a lifetime!  Volunteer in a hands-on and greatly beneficial role as an animal caretaker and tour guide! The Biodiversity Park is a brand new edition to Whale World and needs people like you to help educate visitors while giving them an interactive and hands-on experience with kangaroos, koalas, and the Western Australian woylie, a fascinating marsupial with declining populations throughout the region.

As one of 17 global diversity hotspots, this region is not to be missed by anyone interested in conservation, ecology, and all flora and fauna!  The Lonely Planet named Western Australia's South West region as one of the TOP TEN most desirable holiday destinations in the world for 2010, saying, "it offers variety in spades!”  And it does ... the sheer size, amazing natural wealth, awesome scenery and huge variety of plant and animal life make Australia an essential destination for anyone with a passion for nature and wildlife. 
 

PLACEMENT OVERVIEW

Location: Albany, Western Australia Start dates: Available all year round, you choose your start and finishing dates. Duration: From 1 week to 12 weeks or longer, subject to visa requirements Requirements: No qualifications needed, but you should be adaptable, enthusiastic and use your own initiative. You should have a good level of English and enjoy talking to people. Minimum age 18. Compensation: Unpaid Price: If you fly directly into Albany: From £695 for 1 week, ranging to £1,895 for 12 weeks. If you fly into Perth: From £845 for 1 week, ranging to £2,045 for 12 weeks Full Price List and other Currencies      What's included: ►Arranging your Programme, ►Full pre-departure support and assistance, ►Payment Protection insurance ►Meeting you at the nearest airport/station ►All accommodation ►Food ►Transfer to the placement site ►In-country team support and backup ►24-hr emergency support ►Free T-shirt ►Certificate of Completion. What's not included: Flights, travel insurance, cost of visa, transfer to and from Albany, return transfer to the airport.

Albany Biodiversity Park is a new venture currently in the final stages of development by Whale World.   Whale World is a successful Heritage Museum based at the old whaling station on Flinders Peninsula. The aim of this project is to better promote and interpret the preservation of animal life at the Centre, and to provide a consistent level of support for the animal care staff over the busy summer period.  You'll provide vital support to the daily operation of the 'Walk on the Wild Side' exhibits and provide a ‘face’ of Discovery Bay. Volunteers who are skilled or semi-skilled to better interpret the exhibits will be greatly appreciated and will offer an enhanced experience for visitors.    You'll also support the staff in daily animal care tasks.  The animal care duties are needed throughout the year, while tour guiding duties are generally only needed during peak visiting times (such as during the holidays in December and January and around Easter).  In general, the park is open to the public from 9am - 5pm every day of the year except Christmas Day. Work on this project is very varied, but if you have any special interests you'd like to pursue, you'll be  given the opportunity, e.g. behavioural studies, working with the project organiser in designing a term time education program, designing a visitor satisfaction survey, designing and undertaking ecological monitoring, etc. Also on this page: Work Content Requirements Project Location What you gain from this Project Accommodation Travel & Visas   Back to Top

WORK CONTENT:
On arrival, you will be given a full introduction into the project and your duties, to include training on:

• Cleaning animal enclosures
• Preparing food for animals
• Basic daily health checks for the animals
• Tour guiding – this will include training on familiarisation with material, general tour delivery, and may will include a visit to a local ecotourism operation to receive instruction on guiding from a qualified professional.
• Training and supervision in undertaking any specific projects you wish to pursue in ecological projects (Rosie is an Ecologist with around 10 years experience in the environmental field), or in other maintenance tasks in the fauna exhibit
• Other general assistance in the fauna exhibit as appropriate

There may be local, day-volunteers on site for tasks such as weeding or trail maintenance.  You would be welcome to join them for the day if you wish.

DAILY DUTIES:

• Cleaning animal enclosures and water troughs, refilling water troughs

• Preparing food for animals – chopping fruit, vegetables, meat, etc., for night feeds

• Replacing eucalyptus leaf for koalas

• Helping to feed animals – feeding currently being done on a 2-day rotation, involves putting out feed, filling up hay-nets etc.

• Writing behavioural and other observations in recording journals

• General cleanup, e.g. raking paths, sweeping up in food prep area

OTHER COMMON JOBS:

• Mulching enclosures – preparing mulch, bagging it and spreading in enclosures

• Other animal care jobs, such as replacing old eucalyptus / acacia browse, adding it to other enclosures

• Improving habitats in enclosures to raise the animals' quality of life, e.g. planting, adding rocks and logs etc

• Cleaning out swans pond

• Forking (raking) wombat enclosures

• Assisting with maintenance jobs as required, according to skill level and type of job (No one is required to do anything they are uncomfortable with).

GREETING / GENERAL VISITOR INFORMATION:
As a greeter, you will be ‘floating’ around the wildlife park, greeting visitors as they come in and answering any questions they may have about the displays.  You will also seek to be proactively engaging visitors in learning about the animals at the park and about conservation efforts in effect.

TOUR GUIDING:

Volunteers may undertake daily tours for visitors.  Tours will be conducted on:

• Kangaroo encounters – visitors walk with the guide into the main kangaroo enclosure, where they will learn to tell the difference between a kangaroo, wallaby, and euro (also known as a wallaroo), learn about wildlife rehabilitation, what to do if you find a kangaroo run over etc, as well as Macropod biology (the marsupial family), and the chance to pat and feed the kangaroos, have pictures taken, etc.

• Koala interaction / feeding – koalas are fed mid-late morning every day. They are quite active during this time and visitors can interact with the keepers whilst they feed Frank and Bruce. At other times of the day a tour can be run giving more information while visitors are observing the koalas, and more often than not visitors will get a chance to pat a koala, although picking up koalas is not permitted.

• Western Australia locals – another tour which can focus on local Western Australia wildlife on display, mainly highlighting the plight of the woylie in the wild (Brush-tailed Bettong, Bettongia penicillata). Although woylies are nocturnal and therefore not that visible during the day, the park does have a few on display which are visible to the public.

All of these tours are designed to be fun and interactive, rather than just information sessions. All of the activities listed above will be rotated so that you receive training in all aspects and get the opportunity to gain experience in each of the roles. 

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS  

• Excellent level of spoken English is required for tour guiding, as are excellent communication skills to interact with visitors and staff.

• A good level of fitness, a love for the outdoors and animals, and a willingness to get dirty!

• A good level of enthusiasm is required.  You should also be able to show initiative, and be the sort of person who will enjoy being based in a national park

• Previous experience in environmental education / tour guiding / wildlife care will be highly regarded, although it's not essential as training will be provided.

• Minimum age of 18, no upward limit on age as long as you're physically fit and active.

PROJECT LOCATION  - SOUTH WEST COAST
Albany is 420 kilometres (260 miles) south of Perth, the Western Australia state capital, and is located on the very southern tip of Australia.  As a maritime city, many beaches surround Albany, including  Middleton Beach, Frenchman Bay and Muttonbird Island, great places to visit on weekends. 

Agriculture (wine), fishing, and tourism currently make up much of the economy of Albany.  Prior to the 1950s however, whaling employed much of the population.  Since then, this is a great area to go whale watching!  This is a beautiful coastal area with lots to do and see!

CLIMATE
Albany has a Mediterranean climate with generally warm summers and cool, wet winters.  The city is situated on what is promoted as the "Rainbow Coast", an appropriate title given the significant frequency of days with both sun and drizzle or showers.

July is the wettest month, whilst rain occurs on two days out of every three during an average winter.  The driest month is February and during the summer it rains on average about one in every four days.

WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:

• An exciting, never-to-be-forgotten adventure into Australia.

• The enormous satisfaction of helping animals and the environment, and knowing that you made a contribution to their wellbeing and sustainability.

• New skills, more confidence, a greater understanding of a different culture, invaluable personal and professional development.

• An entry on your CV or résumé that will put you head and shoulders above most others in the job market

• And best of all ... an unforgettable experience!

 
Got any questions? Please email us:
info@travellersworldwide.com

Got any questions? Please email us:
info@travellersworldwide.com

Your accommodation on this project is a refurbished whaler’s cottage.  It is located in a small heritage-listed complex next to the Whale World Museum – inside Torndirrup National Park.  The cottage is on-site and you need only walk to your work site!  

Your accommodations are equipped with all of the amenities you will need, including a fully-supplied kitchen, laundry washing machine, barbecue on the back porch (it is Australia after all!), and bathroom, complete with a shower (with hot water!) and Western-style toilet.  You will share a room with one other volunteer and the bathroom will be shared between all of the volunteers staying in the cottage.  There is also an area where you will be able to hang out and watch TV and movies (DVD player) as well as play games and get to know your fellow volunteers.  

This is a self-catering placement and food is not included on this project. You will be able to do a weekly shop at the local supermarket and kitchens are provided at the accommodation so that you can cook for yourself.  

View of the project site, compliments of the City of Albany

You have two arrival options: You can either fly directly to Albany OR you can fly into Perth and travel to Albany by bus..

If you fly directly to Albany, you'll be welcomed at the airport by a representative from the project and taken to your accommodation to be introduced to everyone.

If you choose to fly into Perth airport (Perth is the capital city of Western Australia) where you will be welcomed by our Australian Volunteer Liaison Officer or another one of our staff. They will then transport you to a city backpackers where you will stay for one night to give you time to catch your breath and relax after your flight.

You will be met by us again the following day and given an orientation.

You will be met by us again the following day and given an orientation.  After the orientation you will be taken to the Esplanade bus station, located in the Central Business District, where you will be transferred onto a South West coach. The drive down to your project location takes 2-3 hours, mostly along the coastal road and you'll be driving through some beautiful land- and seascapes. When you arrive, a staff member from the Backpackers will meet you at the bus station and take you back to the hostel.

You have the option to arrange your own flights or we can assist you with your flight arrangements. If you would like us to do this for you, we will liaise with you regarding available flights and dates to suit you. All arrangements for your flight bookings/payments will be fulfilled by Murray Rogers Travel Limited, ATOL No. 6856. Where possible, we arrange for two or more people to travel on the same flight and we will let you have the names and telephone numbers of other volunteers on your flight, so that you can chat to each other or even meet up before leaving for your placement.

Where possible, all flights we arrange for you have changeable return tickets because many of our volunteers choose to extend their stay once they are in their destination country. Changeable return tickets enable you to do so, within the limits of your visa and the level of your air ticket, of course. If you choose to book your own flights, you should endeavour to get a changeable ticket.

We can also arrange your flight dates to give you additional time at the end of your project for travelling around and sightseeing - this is a fascinating and wondrous country!

VISAS: We will liaise with you about specific requirements, if any, and make the Visa process very easy.   

To read about the excellent Support & Backup we provide before you leave and during your programme, please click here.