UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH WILD DOLPHINS! This fascinating and very worthwhile project give you high levels of personal satisfaction and you'll contribute to the well-being of dolphins, in one of the most beautiful parts of Australia! 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.

FREE WEEKEND IN PERTH DURING YOUR PLACEMENT: Explore this delightful city! You'll stay in a Backpackers in the heart of Perth, on the doorstep of vibrant North Bridge, famous for its bars, clubs and restaurants. You'll be met at the coach station and taken to the Backpackers, then you're free to explore the city. You'll return to Bunbury by coach on Sunday afternoon, ready for work on Monday.

PLACEMENT OVERVIEW

Location: Bunbury, Western Australia Start dates: Available from beginning October to the end May - you can choose your start and finish dates within this period. Duration: From 6 weeks to 12 weeks, subject to visa requirements Requirements: No qualifications needed, just lots of enthusiasm and initiative. You should have a good level of English and enjoy talking to people. Minimum age 18. Compensation: Unpaid Price: £1,945 for 6 weeks, ranging to £2,695 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 ►Transfer to your placement site ►All accommodation ►Free Weekend in Perth, including accommodation ►In-country team support and backup ►24-hr emergency support ►Certificate of Completion. What's not included: Flights, travel insurance, cost of visa, food, daily transport to and from project, return transfer to the airport.

Your project is based at a non-profit Centre committed to dolphin research, education, conservation and tourism based in the South West Coast of Australia. The Centre enables people to interact with Bottlenose dolphins in a variety of ways. There are up to 100 dolphins living in the Bay and groups of them regularly visit the shallow waters in front of the Centre. The Centre was opened in 1994, and is the first Centre in Australia dedicated entirely to dolphin research. WORK CONTENT: Being a volunteer at the Centre can be a wonderful experience, you meet people from all around the world, not to mention the dolphins! However, your time as a volunteer will involve a lot more than being in the water with the dolphins. Talking and answering questions is a very important part of your role. Eighty percent of your day will involve talking to people who come down to the beach to see the dolphins, thus educating them about their characteristics and making them aware of how crucial it is to conserve these wonderful animals. Here are some of the tasks you may be involved with: Talking to visitors on the beach - explaining what the Dolphin Centre does. Assisting to coordinate the Interaction Zone when dolphins visit. Managing the front entrance and Dolphin Room area. Participating in ’’Coastcare” activities and assist with current research projects. Assisting with the research program, recording observations in the bay and monitoring dolphin visits to the zone. Inputting the research data into databases for analysis General maintenance and cleaning. Tour guiding through the Interpretive Centre for the general public, tour groups and school students. The work that you'll be involved in depends on what is available at the time of your placement. Also on this page: Training you'll receive Hours of Duty and Work Schedule Project Location Requirements What you'll gain from the Project About the Dolphin Centre About the Dolphins of Koombana Bay Accommodation Travel & Visas Back to Top

TRAINING
You'll learn a great deal through the training course which covers a wide range of issues and skills and includes presentations from a selection of guest speakers relevant to the operation of the Centre. Regular volunteer meetings are held to ensure you are kept up-to-date with the latest issues regarding marine mammal management and the operations of the Centre. After having completed a minimum of 20 hours training, you'll receive an official Volunteer T-Shirt which will identify you to the public as a trained representative of the Centre.

The Centre relies on the assistance of volunteers to advise visitors on the operations and ethos of the Centre, help manage the dolphin interaction program, actively participate in their research program and act as a guide. Staff members attend monthly meetings, as well as regular video and BBQ nights, which you'll be invited to attend. By volunteering, you will achieve a great sense of satisfaction knowing that you are assisting in a worthwhile project to increase public awareness about dolphins and other marine life.

Hours of duty and Work Schedule
This project is a minimum of 6 weeks and a maximum of 12 weeks. You’ll work between 20-40 hours a week, with weekends off. 

This placement is definitely for animal loving enthusiasts who are willing to work hard and aren’t afraid of getting their hands dirty - the rewards are well worth it! Whilst volunteering is rewarding in itself, time spent at a project such as this is an excellent springboard for traveling around Australia. Meeting other volunteers from around the world, and listening to their stories and recommendations can give you the confidence to travel and experience more.

PROJECT LOCATION
This programme is located in the stunning south west coast in the third largest city in Western Australia. The city is small but a major commercial centre in Western Australia and acts as a hub to the local area about 2½ hrs drive south of Perth. Described as the real Australia. It is located on a spectacular peninsular surrounded by blue waters of the Indian Ocean, a bay and an inlet. A vibrant port city with a strong maritime history, the area is renowned for its quality lifestyle and unique blend of nature surrounds and top quality facilities.

The area other features include Western Australia's southern-most mangroves, rare basaltic rock and nearby Tuart Forest. A colourful "cappuccino strip" of sidewalk cafes and a variety of waterside dining options offer numerous opportunities to taste the wonders of the local produce. These cafes and the award-winning

• Population: 57,744

• Established: 1836

• Location: 180km south of Perth (the capital city of Western Australia)

REQUIREMENTS:

• You should be a hands-on person who loves the outdoors.

• You should be in good health and reasonably fit and able to work in a team.

• You should be prepared for some hard physical work, especially during the summer time when it can get extremely hot.

• You should be willing to get stuck in and get your hands dirty.

• Also flexible and be prepared to move around the City and go wherever you're needed.

• You should also be fluent in English and enjoy talking to people.

• Very Important - you will need to use your initiative and be very proactive, be patient and determined.

• Like most conservation work, there are spiders and snakes in some locations, so you should reconsider this project if you have a fear of these.

• Lastly, self-reliance and independence will help you make the most of this wonderful opportunity!

WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:

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

• The enormous satisfaction of helping dolphins and knowing that you made a contribution to their ongoing conservation.

• 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!

ABOUT THE DOLPHINS OF KOOMBANA BAY

Dolphins and whales belong to the order Cetacea. The order Cetacea is broken down into two different groups or sub orders - baleen whales (Mysticeti) and toothed whales (Odontoceti). Dolphins are small toothed whales (Odontocetes) and belong to the family Delphinidae. There are approximately 30 species within this family.

The Koombana Bay dolphins are Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). They have beaks that are short, usually only 7-8 cm long, wide and rounded, with a lower jaw which protrudes conspicuously beyond the upper. The line of the mouth is soft and curves upwards at the back to give this species its familiar, faintly amused facial expression.

Bottlenose dolphins can stay underwater for 8-10 minutes, however the average “down time” is 2 or 3 minutes. When a dolphin dives the blowhole shuts completely, otherwise their lungs would fill with water and they would drown.

DID YOU KNOW?

• Bottlenose dolphins, like all whales and dolphins, are warm blooded mammals. They breathe air and the females give birth to live young.
  The Gestation period for a female is 12 months and she will nurse her calf for 2-3 years. The mother will always wean her calf before giving birth to another. Therefore she is able to calve every 3-4 years.

• Calves weigh approximately 30 kgs at birth (0.5 to 0.9 metres in length) and can grow to seven times their body weight in the first year. This is possible due to the very fatty milk fed by their mother.

• The weight of Bottlenose dolphins will vary from 110 kilos to 400 kilos. Their length can range from 1.5 to 4 meters.

• It is estimated that wild Bottlenose dolphins can live for 35-45 years. This is longer than the previously thought 25-35 years. However life expectancy of dolphins is hard to measure as they live so much of their lives out of human view.

• Dolphins are sexually active all year round, although mating season in Koombana Bay takes place in the spring and summer months.

• A female dolphin will mate with many different males. Males will compete aggressively for access to females that are sexually receptive (in oestrus).
  The best way to determine whether a dolphin is male or female is to look on the underside of the dolphin. The female has two mammary slits either side of her genital slit.

"My major role was to pass on information to the visitors about the dolphins and their environment and to ensure every level of dolphin – human interaction was managed in a safe and appropriate way. This was particularly important during the dolphin swim tours where I was assigned the position of swim tour guide and was responsible for the safety of all visitors while snorkelling with dolphins out in the ocean.

In addition to these regular volunteer duties, I also participated as a research volunteer. Working alongside researchers from Murdoch University, part of my role was to collect survey and photographic data along with various other geographical and weather related details. This information provides a solid baseline source of information on the dolphin’s general group densities, movements and site preferences and how they vary over time.

It was a tremendous experience for me to work with the Dolphin Discovery Center, I will take the skills I've learned into my next endeavours and the joyful memories will stay with me always!"
 

The BBQ area

The Outdoor area

You'll live in a backpackers conveniently located in the heart of the town. We team up with two different hostels that are very similar in the facilities they provide and in their excellent location that is close to everything! You'll have the beach, the City Centre and lots of other attractions all within two minutes walk and you’ll be able to explore the nearby forests, national parks, beautiful waterways, historic towns, many vineyards and the incredibly beautiful coast-line on your days off.

In the town there is a colourful street of sidewalk cafes called the "Cappuccino Strip" that buzzes all day. There are lots of sidewalk cafes and a variety of waterside dining options offer numerous opportunities to taste the wonders of the local produce. These cafes and the award-winning restaurants, as well as atmospheric historic pubs, ensure the town hums. There are also plenty of Entertainment Centres, Art Galleries and cinemas.

There are fast-speed internet facilities at the Backpackers which you can use for a nominal charge, so you'll be able to keep up with emails with friends and family back home.

"Cappucino Strip"

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

You will 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 the 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.

Aerial view from above ....... and at night