Matt The Conservation Volunteer?!?

Being unemployed has its perks. Every day is the weekend, I have next to no worries, and I get to taunt everyone back home where it’s -30C with pictures of the beach. Life is great, but we also need to take into account that I’m VERY far from home AND have no money coming in... I needed to find better ways of spending my days rather than be out and about spending money. Thankfully my good friends Nick and Heidi here in Melbourne were able to hook me up with Conservation Volunteers, an organization that works on important environmental and wildlife conservation projects. Looking for a more fulfilling way to spend my day, as well as a more economical way, I signed myself up.

Our transport to and from sites.

My first day with Conservation Volunteers I was up at 5:55am as I had to get ready and take the 6:45am tram halfway across town. Thankfully I was able to do it without pressing snooze a bunch of times. Made it to the CV office on time for 8am with my Starbucks morning coffee in hand. Signed a waiver (Here in Oz you sign waivers for everything... srsly EVERYTHING) and was then on my way to the La Trobe wildlife sanctuary. This sanctuary was previously farmland and since 1965 has grown from 6.5 hectares to 28.8 hectares of wetlands. On this day we were a small team of 3 volunteers, plus our team leader Deb. Upon arriving we got straight to work on some rubbish pickup. Funny enough, I picked up several bongs made out of coke bottles and garden hose... wow! Next up we were collecting seeds from certain plants. This particular task was interesting as the seeds were tiny and made your fingers red. After lunch we went around uprooting weeds. We got to see some kangaroos and emus as well. Unfortunately the kangaroos were shy out in the wild and getting a picture of them was really tough.

If you look closely, the black things in the trees are all bats...LOTS of them!

After  a hard days work, our team leader Deb had heard me make a comment about the flying foxes in Sydney and decided to take the group out to see some at Yarra Bend Park. Now in Sydney I had seen a few but there was waaaay more! Here in Yarra Bend park there is a colony of about 30 000. During the day time they’re all just hanging in the trees so they dominate all the trees around the river. The best allusion I can give to you is that when you go out onto the lookout point, you’ll feel like you’re on stage at a major concert with 30 000 spectators. Crazy!

The bandicoot reserve fence.

Day 2 of volunteering had me out to Woodlands Historic Park on the Eastern Barred Bandicoot Project. This project is to help add a new overhang to a fence that surrounds the habitat. Originally there was electric fencing at the top of the fenced however it’s proven ineffective at keeping predators out, especially foxes who kill for the thrill of the hunt alone. On this day we were a much larger team as we had a group from the Habitat HQ hostel where I was staying. Our day consisted of cutting the old electrical wire off and then rolling it up into small batches. Boy this really was hard work! As easy as it sounds, it can be quite difficult cutting down the wire. Also when I say “rolling it up into small batches” at some points it was more of a wrestling match. Our team leaders Travis and Matt were awesome and we got heaps done. At the end of the day I was completely exhausted and my clothes covered in rust residue. 

The Habitat HQ Volunteer Crew

My third and last day was probably one of the most difficult. Once again up before 6:00am and off to the CVA office. I knew this day was going to be a real test as the forecast had a nice and warm 35C in store for us and I’m wearing long sleeves and long pants! We were off once again to the La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary to water some recently planted vegetation. This involved filling up big buckets of water and then carrying them over and watering the plants. Later on in the afternoon we did a round of rubbish pickup. I got to meet a lot of the regular volunteers, some of whom had been helping for several years. Thankfully the day was cut early due to the very high temperatures. Since there were a few new volunteers, Deb took us once again to see the flying foxes at Yarra Bend Park. Today they were flying around and flapping their wings trying to keep cool. It was a pretty interesting sight!

 Me hard at work @ La Trobe Wildlife Sanctuary.

Overall I had a lot of fun going out with Conservation Volunteers. They’re a great organization doing a lot of good work. It’s a great way to spend a day, meet some new people and see some cool wildlife. Never had I pictured myself doing volunteer work, especially while on vacation. It does have a fulfilling aspect to it and I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to go out with them again. Those who are interested can also do longer stints of volunteer work for a reasonable cost which covers your transportation and accomodation, otherwise day trips are free. It can be hard work but it’s definitely rewarding!



For those who want to get in touch and potentially volunteer, here's a link to their site: Conservation Volunteers