Conservation Volunteer Australia

  Australia

• Melbourne: 
Melbourne
• Sydney: 
Sydney
• Adelaide: 
Adelaide
• Perth: 
Perth
• Brisbane: 
Brisbane
• Canberra: 
Canberra
• New South Wales: 
Newcastle,  Bathurst
• Queensland: 
Townsville,  Cairns
• Northern Territory: 
Alice Springs,  Darwin
• Western Australia: 
Broome
• Victoria: 
Geelong,  Bendigo
• Tasmania: 
Hobart,  Launceston

Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks and 3-6 months
Typical Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks
Dates: Throughout the year

Description: Become a volunteer for this conservation program is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the beautiful Australian countryside while making a contribution to protect, preserve and restore the unique and beautiful Australian environment.

As part of a team, this volunteer experience give you the chance to meet people from across Australia and the world.

Highlights: Founded in 1982, Conservation Volunteers Australia runs a leading conservation volunteer programme, which enables you to protect, preserve and restore the unique and beautiful Australian environment.

Conservation Australia Volunteers participate in urban, regional and remote locations on projects which include:

* Tree planting and seed collection
* Endangered species protection and weed control
* Fencing and walking trail construction
* Flora and fauna surveys and heritage restoration
* Environmental monitoring

Following your arrival at your chosen centre, you'll join a team of approximately six to ten volunteers and meet your Team Leader. The Leader provides all training required on-site, explains the conservation aims of the project and is responsible for the safe conduct and management of each team.

Once you've started the project, you're likely to spend most of the time in regional areas, returning to the city only at the end of the placement. Projects normally run five days a week, with one or two days free for relaxing or sightseeing. Working hours are from 8am - 4pm daily, although this varies on some projects when required by seasonal conditions or project activities.

This is a great way to see Australia, as the team travels to a different project location every week or two. This means that in a six-week programme, you'll generally visit at least three different locations, and will usually undertake two or three different types of activities. We incorporate as much variety into our programme as possible, while achieving the essential conservation outcomes.

The types of projects you'll work will depend on the location, the season and the conservation priorities, although we do our best to ensure a variety of projects or locations during each programme.

* What to take *

As space is limited, please keep your luggage to a maximum of 15kg in a backpack. We suggest that you also take a small day pack to carry lunch, sunscreen, water bottle etc. The following items are essential:

* Backpack, long trousers and strong boots
* Wet weather clothing, long-sleeved shirts, sleeping bag and mat
* Wide-brimmed sun hat, personal drink bottle and insect repellent
* Work/gardening gloves, sunscreen and sunglasses
* Mosquito net

Qualifications:
* Open to volunteers aged 18 to 70.
* There are no specific skills required to join the programme, just a willingness to get your hands dirty and to contribute to the experience within your team.
* Suitable for people who enjoy outdoor activities, and have a reasonable level of fitness.
* All briefings, safety and project instructions are given in English.

Cost in US$: From 400 GBP

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Australia Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Other
• Phone Interview

Post-Program Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Alumni Network
• Job and Internship Network

WAVA's Mission Statement: "WAVA" means Work & Volunteer Abroad. Our origins lie in a department created in 2006 at Twin Group, a prestigious provider of educational, training and employment opportunities for individuals from around the world. Established in January 2010, we are a fresh, independent company, using the trading name WAVA and a brand new logo, inspired by the values of travel: opportunity, adventure, emotion, sharing, learning and seeing. But we're not just about seeing. We're also about doing. We specialise in offering life-changing opportunities to travellers for whom seeing is not enough. We offer three broad types of travelling experiences: Volunteering on projects in developing countries Internships in professional environments around the world Seasonal paid working holidays in developed economies We make these experiences possible through solid partnerships with highly reputable local providers.

Year Founded: 2010