Best Ways to Get Volunteer Work in Australia

including Help X ing, Wwoofing and Non-Profits

A great way to see "the real" Australia, get work experience and do something great in our world is to volunteer in Australia's local communities or to protect Australia's fragile environments.

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You don’t necessarily need a working holiday visa to volunteer, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t spend some of your working holiday visa volunteering and it can be a great way to gain experience before getting a paid job.

*Please note, that as of 2015, volunteer work no longer qualifies you for a second year visa.

Within the last decade voluntourism has become a popular travel trend, and Australia is no exception. Voluntourism is when travellers volunteer to help out in local communities or to protect the environment in the country that they are travelling in.

"The Best Way To Find Yourself, Is To Lose Yourself In the Service Of Others" - Ghandi

7 More Reasons to Volunteer in Australia?

Volunteering in Australia can give you the opportunity to experience both the country’s unique cultures and beautiful landscapes, as well as giving back. With volunteering you can benefit yourself as well as a local community; benefits include:

o Meet ("the Locals") the local Australians.

o Adventure - You’ll see parts of Australia that you probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

o Gain Australian work experience

o You’ll get to experience a different and unique side of Australian culture.

o It will be a unique learning experience and you will come away will new skills.

o In a lot of cases, food and accommodation is often provided, which can also save you money.

o There are plenty of landscapes to choose from. From the dusty red centre to the tropical northern rainforests, Australia has tons of beautiful landscapes to discover and volunteer in.

Types of Volunteering Popular in Australia

There are two main types of volunteering popular in Australia:

o Non-profit volunteering.

o Wwoofing and HelpXing.

Non-Profit Volunteering in Australia

There are a few main types of non-profit volunteering you can do in Australia:

Nature Conservation

Australia has a very fragile eco-system, so there is always work to be done protecting them and keeping these natural habitats clean and healthy. It also involves ensuring bio-diversity in these eco-systems.

Wildlife Projects

One of the most popular forms of volunteering in Australia is volunteering on wildlife projects. Australia has such diverse wildlife, with some species even on the brink of extinction. Some of the most popular wildlife projects include:

o Tracking and monitoring turtles in Broome in the top-end.

o Help save the endangered Yellow-footed Rock-wallabies in the Flinders Ranges.

o Help feed the dolphins at Monkey Mia in Western Australia.

Working with Indigenous Communities

Volunteer work in this area can be more limited than the previous two examples mentioned. Work with indigenous communities usually involves work that will help their communities thrive such as: human and community development projects; cultural projects; and teaching. If you have skills in teaching or working on cultural projects you will have a better chance at gaining volunteer work with indigenous communities.

Wwoofing

WWOOF stands for “Willing Workers on Organic Farms” and the concept is that volunteers go to work on organic farms in return for a unique cultural experience, as well as free meals and accommodation. The work is usually 4 to 6 hours a day and can include: weeding, planting, gardening or feeding animals, depending on what type of farm you go to. In some cases the work can even help you get a second work visa.

To do Wwoofing you also need to pay to become a member. To find out more about Wwoofing in Australia and how to become a member, click here.

Help X ing

Help Exchange or simply HelpXing is very similar to Wwoofing, but it is newer and has a few slight differences. To become a HelpXing member is a lot cheaper than becoming a Wwoofing member. The basic package is free and it costs €20 to upgrade to the premier package.

To find out more about HelpXing in Australia, and how to become a member, click here.

Short-term Volunteering in Australia

There are also plenty of opportunities in Australia to volunteer on a short-term basis, particularly for big festivals, events (for example the Adelaide Fringe Festival) and fundraising for various charities.

Tip: If you’re travelling solo to Australia, short-term volunteering can be a great way to meet new people and make friends.

Disaster-relief Volunteering in Australia

Unfortunately, every year some parts of Australia have to deal with natural disasters, including flooding, bush fires and monsoons. There are volunteer opportunities here to help with disaster-relief after a major incident has occurred.

For more information about disaster-relief volunteering in Australia visit the Australian Red Cross website.

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