Turtle volunteering in Australia
| country: | Australia |
| location: | Queensland, Aboriginal tours |
| departures: | 2008: 23 Aug, 30 Aug, 6 Sep, 13 Sep, 20 Sep, 27 Sep, 4 Oct, 11 Oct, 18 Oct, 25 Oct |
| price: | From AU $750 (2 days), AU $1125 (3 days), AU $1875 (5 days) excluding flights |
the amazing things you'll be doing
If you're interested in Turtle volunteering in Australia, join a group of volunteer travellers on a Turtle Rescue camp in the Aboriginal community of Mapoon on Cape York Peninsula Queensland Australia. Help indigenous residents and researchers to protect the turtles and other marine life from ghost nets and feral pigs. The beaches of the Western Cape are Aboriginal lands. The community of Mapoon, which is located around 80 kms north of Weipa, has established a beachside base camp for the purpose of managing turtle conservation. The camp operates Turtle volunteering during the dry season in the tropics which is from July to October.
You can help by participating in one of these camps. Each camp is conducted over six days. You will work alongside the Mapoon Aboriginal owners and researchers as they measure and tag nesting Flat Back and Olive Ridley turtles, fit feral pig exclusion devices to the nesting sites and remove nets from the beach with the aid of purpose equipped 4WD vehicles. As well as Turtle volunteering, this is also an opportunity for you to visit one of Australia's most remote regions and see it through the eyes of the indigenous people who call it home - while participating in a very worthwhile activity.
The camp is located in a grove of casuarina trees where tidal Janie Creek flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria. Sleeping accommodation is in "Tourer" tents designed to sleep 4 but configured by us to sleep a maximum of 2. They are fitted out with deluxe mattresses, stretchers and pillows. The camp ground faces west across the Gulf and from here it is a short dingy ride across the creek to Flinders Beach where the turtle activity takes place. Being close to the project site is important because activity is based around the moon and tides with a lot of the work taking place after dark. Camp Chivaree is a special wilderness camping experience.
Quantify the size and structure of nesting populations Monitor trends in the nesting environment Quantify nesting turtle fecundity including clutch size, clutches per season, egg morphometrics Protection of nesting sites Incidence of feral pig predation on unprotected nests Evaluate prototype Feral Pig Exclusion Devices Identify and record ghost nets on beach Assist Rangers with the removal and disposal of ghost nets
You can help by participating in one of these camps. Each camp is conducted over six days. You will work alongside the Mapoon Aboriginal owners and researchers as they measure and tag nesting Flat Back and Olive Ridley turtles, fit feral pig exclusion devices to the nesting sites and remove nets from the beach with the aid of purpose equipped 4WD vehicles. As well as Turtle volunteering, this is also an opportunity for you to visit one of Australia's most remote regions and see it through the eyes of the indigenous people who call it home - while participating in a very worthwhile activity.
The camp is located in a grove of casuarina trees where tidal Janie Creek flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria. Sleeping accommodation is in "Tourer" tents designed to sleep 4 but configured by us to sleep a maximum of 2. They are fitted out with deluxe mattresses, stretchers and pillows. The camp ground faces west across the Gulf and from here it is a short dingy ride across the creek to Flinders Beach where the turtle activity takes place. Being close to the project site is important because activity is based around the moon and tides with a lot of the work taking place after dark. Camp Chivaree is a special wilderness camping experience.
turtle volunteering in Australia - how to find us
When you book your flights from Cairns to Weipa and return please be advised that certain flights connect to our bus pickups and dropoffs. Please ask us for details. a day in the life of a turtle volunteer
Specific duties include: Quantify the size and structure of nesting populations volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you are looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Situated in a remote location, visitors have the opportunity to see and experience one of the last frontiers of Australia. Interaction with members of the Mapoon community and access to people with informed opinions on turtles (marine biologists) provide a hands on experience which is not contrived… what you see is what you get and therefore makes for a more fulfilling experience. Intimate numbers in camp allows for greater hands on experience with rangers, turtles and the local community.
This project is designed to create an economic future in a sustainable environment for the community of Mapoon. This forward thinking community and its council have recognized the need for commercially viable businesses that operate successfully as their link to a viable future with jobs for their youth.  Rather than solely an Aboriginal tourism experience this is a fused blending of culture and the environment that provides benefit for all participants. The traditional Aboriginal owners of Mapoon sea country have assigned Rangers with the responsibility of protecting and monitoring turtles which nest on these beaches. The business requires trained Aboriginal rangers, cooks, tour guides and camp managers. It is the economic responsibility of the business to train community members into these defined roles. Creating gainful employment is a major goal for this project. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |