Become a Volunteer
Koala Conservation Australia's Koala Hospital is primarily run by volunteers with a range of different roles. Read about our volunteer positions, and submit an application if you'd like to get involved!
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Apply to Become a Local Volunteer
Working with our organisation in Port Macquarie is very rewarding as no matter what role you undertake, you are contributing to the rehabilitation and conservation of wild Koalas. Koala Conservation Australia is a wonderful organisation and provides several work places to meet new people and learn new skills.
We have several locations:
- Lord Street Port Macquarie
- Koala food tree plantation at Maria River Road
- Koala food tree plantation at Moripo, West of Wauchope
- Some work may also be performed from your home.
Volunteer placement is subject to available vacancies and takes into consideration your area of interest, skills, experience and availability. Volunteer shifts work on a rostered basis, with shifts up to 6 hours so it is essential volunteers live locally and have availability. Volunteers must also be between the ages of 18 - 90.
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You will be contacted to advise whether we have opportunities available in your area of interest and available times. An informal interview will be held to talk about the roles and requirements and assess your suitability. To volunteer with Koala Conservation Australia you will need to become a member of our organisation.
If we don’t have a vacancy in your preferred area of work on the day(s) when you are available, we can keep your name on our waiting list in readiness for the next opportunity.
Every volunteer will need to provide evidence that they have a current tetanus vaccination and evidence of Covid-19 vaccinations. Volunteers will receive training appropriate to their role.
Keen to get on board with our volunteer program?
Fill out our online application below.If we have a position available for you, we will be in touch!
Learn more about the different roles within our volunteer program below
Koala Care
A very rewarding experience providing direct care to our Koala patients. Volunteers should be aware that they are not allowed to touch or handle koalas except where it is necessary for their care.
We have two daily shifts – 8:00am to 11:00am and 2:15pm to 4:30pm. The duties include preparing fresh leaf for feeding Koalas, cleaning the Koala enclosures; feeding formula to Koalas when required; washing materials used in Koala care and thoroughly cleaning all areas of the Koala Hospital. This is a very physical role and requires a good level of mobility and fitness.
Souvenir Shop
As a self-funding organisation, the souvenir shop at the Koala Hospital is important in raising funds to help us care for Koalas. We have two daily shifts – 8:00am to 12:30pm and 12:15pm to 4:15pm. Our shop volunteers welcome and engage with visitors to the Hospital, encourage sales, answer questions, provide customer service, keep the shop area clean and stocked and manage the takings of the shop.
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Visitor Guides (Education)
An important function of the Koala Conservation Australia is to educate the public about Koalas. Our education volunteers greet visitors at the Koala Hospital and act as wandering guides to inform visitors as well as provide tours or presentations to booked groups. The Koala Hospital is open to the public from 8:30am to 4:00pm every day except 25 December. Shifts are 8:30am to 12:15pm, and 12:15pm to 4pm.
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Maintenance
Our maintenance team provides repairs and maintenance in and around Koala Conservation Australia properties and buildings. Team members also build and maintain the koala enclosures, including the koala climbing structures and keep the grounds clean and well presented. They may also provide general repairs at our other sites including our plantations. The work is generally carried out Monday to Fridays. If you have carpentry, electrical or other trade or general maintenance skills we’d like to hear from you.
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Donation Boxes Collectors
Koala Conservation Australia relies on the generous donations of the public to fund its Koala care and conservation work. We have donation boxes located across the Port Macquarie Hastings area. Donation boxes are collected from those sites each quarter and sometimes our magazines are distributed to them. We seek donation box collectors for 1 to 2 days each March, June, September and December. If you can help us with this role, we would love to hear from you.
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Plantation Volunteers
Koala Conservation Australia has two Koala food tree plantations. One is at Moripo, west of Wauchope and the larger one is on Maria River Road just north of Port Macquarie. Volunteers with good physical fitness and some relevant experience are required for these roles. The work includes watering, mowing, pruning and tending to eucalypt trees. At appropriate times of the year volunteers will also be involved in planting Koala food trees - an absolute necessity to keep hungry koalas fed. It is best if you have your own transportation to reach the plantations.
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Business Support
We also need volunteers to help with administration work. Roles that become available include data entry, telephone based customer service, general administrative tasks or assisting with updating the wild koala adoptions database and preparing packages to meet orders. We also from time to time are looking for skilled volunteers to work on specific projects, assist with fundraising, marketing or policy development. This work can be partly done from home. If you have skills and experience that can assist Koala Conservation Australia promote and carry out it's work, we would love to hear from you.
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