"I have some fantastic memories of my time and wouldn’t change a single minute"
Past volunteer Terry Palmar
I had a wonderful time during my 2 weeks volunteering (at Walka Water Works and then Murray’s Run). It was all very much not what I am used in my usual daily routine but I enjoyed it so much, and we were looked after so well! I particularly loved meeting all the other volunteers, such lovely, lovely people, and I hope to stay in touch with some of them! I have some fantastic memories of my time and wouldn’t change a single minute of it (even the camping!!).
I managed to see a bit of the rest of Australia during the 10 days after I finished the programme. I walked and walked around Sydney, climbed the Harbour Bridge, flew up to Port Douglas and sailed out to the Reef to do some snorkelling (fantastic!) and had a day trip to the Rainforest (one of my favourite days), then another trip out to the Blue Mountains, so it was a very busy time. I loved it all so much but realised when I left that I hadn’t even scratched the surface of this beautiful country. So I hope to come back sometime.
"Each week was spent working in a different place"
Previous volunteer Paul Barber
I spent four weeks working in the Brisbane area during May/June and the weekends were spent in the Volunteer House. During my stay, the majority of those staying in the house were either school leavers or were at university. The most common nationality was Korean although the common language used by everyone was English. Food was provided but it was up to individuals or groups to prepare meals.
Each week was spent working in a different place and the maximum group size was ten although it was often slightly less. We used to aim to start work by 8.30am and finish by 3.30pm with plenty of breaks during the day. Some weeks were rather monotonous but others were much more interesting. Some weeks the area was much more scenic than others and there was always time to investigate the area and to enjoy the scenery that was on offer. The accommodation during the week was in a variety of places and food was bought by the team leader and everyone took their turn in helping to cook.
The first week was spent working in a place called Dayboro and we were removing a weed called Cats Claw Creeper. As Dayboro was close to Brisbane we returned to the Volunteer House every night. The second week was spent working and camping on Fraser Island removing invasive weeds and shrubs.
The third week was spent working in an area called Kallangur which was quite close to Brisbane. The accommodation was in a Scout camp at Samford and the work involved planting trees and shrubs to make a Koala corridor.
The fourth week was spent working in an area called Tin Can Bay which is close to Rainbow Beach. The work involved clearing an area at the rear of a school of invasive weeds and shrubs and planting trees and shrubs along a recently cleared pathway close to the bay. The accommodation was in a caravan on a caravan park.
