Care for injured kangaroos and wildlife near Bungendore, Australia

Details

• 

  Description

  We are a self-funded, volunteer-run hospital and trauma recovery centre for injured and orphaned native animals, set in the bush near Bungendore, NSW, about 40 minutes from Canberra. Each year we care for around 400 to 500 kangaroos, wallabies, possums and other wildlife, rehabilitating them for release back into the wild. Volunteers help with preparing food, feeding, cleaning enclosures and hospital areas, and general property jobs like fencing, gardening and maintenance. The work can be hands-on and repetitive, but it makes a real difference, and there's always a joey or possum nearby for company. We're looking for reliable people with a genuine love of wildlife who are comfortable in a rural setting.

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Help with Eco Projects

  Creative DIY projects

  Animal Care

  Light maintenance
• 

  Interests

  

  Nature

  

  Animals

  

  Culture

  

  Vegetarian or vegan

  

  Sustainability

  

  Charity work
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Staying here is a chance to experience rural Australian life up close and learn about native wildlife from people who have spent decades caring for it. Our founders, Prof. Steve Garlick and Dr. Rosemary Austen, are happy to share their knowledge of animal behaviour, trauma recovery and rehabilitation, and you'll pick up practical skills working alongside our carers. You may also have the opportunity to spend time at our release site, an 1,800-acre property in a very remote part of Australia that is home to rare native animals like koalas and gliders. Closer to home, you can watch kangaroos graze at dusk and explore the surrounding bush. We love sharing stories with volunteers, and we enjoy hearing about the wildlife, cultures and conservation efforts in your part of the world.

• 

  Registered charity

  This host is a registered charity in their country and is looking for volunteers to help with their project(s).

• 

  Help

  We'd love help with the daily care of the animals and the running of the centre. That means preparing food and feeding, cleaning enclosures, pens and hospital areas, washing bedding and bowls and hands-on rehabilitation of animals that require intensive care. You'll work alongside our experienced carers, so you'll learn a lot about native wildlife, how injured and orphaned animals are rehabilitated, and why calm, quiet handling matters for animals recovering from trauma. If you have skills in photography, social media, carpentry or fundraising, we'd be happy to put them to use too. Some tasks are repetitive and physical, so a positive attitude and willingness to get your hands dirty matter more than experience.

• 

  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent

• 

  Accommodation

  We offer hostel-style accommodation for up to six volunteers at a time, with a clean, secure place to sleep and bedding provided. It's a great way to meet other travellers and share the experience of working with wildlife together. Each volunteer receives a personal food budget of $70 per week, and you're welcome to join the weekly grocery run to choose your own food and cook what you like.

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

• 

  My animals / pets

  A lot of kangaroos!!

Website Safety