Animal Conservation in Australia

Arrive at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) where you’ll meet your Rustic Pathways Flight Leader, who will help get you checked in and through security before traveling with your group to Australia. Get acquainted with fellow Rustic travelers before boarding your flight.

Today is lost as you cross the international dateline, but don’t worry. You’ll get it back on your way home!

Arrive at Brisbane Airport (BNE) and meet your Program Leaders who will be with you for the duration of the program. Head to our beautiful beach house on the Sunshine Coast or our Glas House Mountains Base and settle in, relaxing after your long flight. Join the group for an orientation discussion about the week ahead, expectations for your adventure, and an introduction to the local culture.

Start your training with an introduction with Carol, Australia Zoo’s Volunteer Coordinator. She’ll help prepare you for your five days at the zoo, officially making you part of the team! Learn about caring for animals, captive breeding programs, and the enrichment activities they provide for animals.

Watch the famous Wildlife Warriors show in the Crocoseum, make enrichment items for echidnas, then finish the day with a group task to help the zookeepers.

Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the Wildlife Hospital. The Wildlife Hospital is truly a special place, and although it runs solely on donations, it has never refused a patient. Then, help clean the rhino enclosure and enjoy encounters with rhinos and giraffes. After lunch, perform group tasks in a variety of animal departments and numerous animal enclosures, where your volunteer efforts are most needed.

Spend the day shadowing a Zookeeper and volunteering at the zoo. Arrive at 8:00am to help prepare the enclosures before the zoo opens to the public at 9:00am. Start by helping clean enclosures, scoop poop, prepare food, and feed the animals. In the afternoons, the daily tasks will vary and may include assisting with maintenance projects, working with the public relations team at the Wildlife Warriors show, or more unusual activities like taking a wombat for a walk with its keeper! You’ll receive two half-hour breaks during the day, and your shift at the zoo typically ends at 4:00pm.

Take a day off from your zoo responsibilities and visit Noosa. Located on the northern end of the Sunshine Coast, this tropical beach town is picture perfect. Take a walk in the national park to spot koalas, relax on the beach, or browse the shops in Hastings Street. Have dinner at the surf club before returning to our base.

Spend the day back at Australia Zoo helping zookeepers with tasks in their departments. Your hands-on experience continues across a range of departments, with interaction and guidance from experienced animal keepers, and behind-the-scenes access.

Additionally, your group will attend educational presentations on a range of key environmental, ecological, and husbandry related topics, including groundbreaking crocodile research, the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve, and animal behavior and training.

Choose between taking a cheetah for a walk, playing with tiger cubs, or getting up close and personal with red pandas (add-on activities) on your last day at Australia Zoo.

There’s also time for you to see other wildlife shows at the zoo, such as the tigers and birds. Our time at Australia Zoo concludes in the afternoon as we transition to the next phase of the journey. Your experiences as an Australia Zoo volunteer will leave you speechless and give you lifelong memories. After a celebration of your time here and many fond farewells with your new friends at the zoo, you’ll leave knowing that you made a difference and contributed to keeping Steve Irwin’s dream alive.

Join your group for a post-service debrief in the evening, discussing what you experienced and learned through hands-on work in the community.

Byron Bay is one of the most well-known beach towns on Australia’s East Coast and is the most easterly point of Australia. Spend time hiking the headland and spot humpback whales as they migrate along the coast, exploring the markets of this charming town and soaking up the laid-back coastal lifestyle.

Head out onto the ocean for a kayak and snorkeling adventure. Today you’ll paddle out past the headland to spot dolphins and snorkel with turtles.

For the next two days, use the skills you learned at Australia Zoo by assisting with a grassroots wildlife caretaker in northern New South Wales. Many wildlife caretakers have limited time and resources, so your contribution cleaning enclosures and caring for animals will be greatly appreciated!

Head to Brisbane in the morning, check into your hostel accommodation, and tour the city by bicycle. Then celebrate your final night in Australia along a river promenade under the bright city lights.

At the end of each program, students reflect on their experiences and the issues they engaged with, and talk about how to apply this new understanding to their own worlds. During or after their closing discussion, groups participate in Rustic Ties, a unique and powerful activity that allows students to capture the memories and learning moments of their program to process and share with their communities back home.

Today will be full of fond farewells as you say goodbye to new friends and prepare for your next adventure. If you’re continuing on to another Rustic Pathways adventure in Australia, you’ll transition between programs by spending the day on Australia’s famous Gold Coast with other students and leaders also joining new programs.

If you’re returning home to the United Staes or traveling on to Fiji or New Zealand, your Program Leaders will take you to the airport for your departure as you reflect on your adventure in Australia.