Volunteering
Volunteer in Victoria's parks
Being a volunteer in our parks is a great way to help conserve Victoria’s special places. You may also experience some of the personal benefits that come with being a volunteer. You may learn more about plants and wildlife, gain new skills, be in the outdoors, improve your health and well-being and meet new friends. Time spent in nature also reduces stress and promotes physical well-being.
Discover hundreds of exciting volunteer opportunities around Victoria and learn about groups that work in your local area. There are volunteer activities for every age group, skill, and ability. Join a regular group or just participate occasionally. You can volunteer for a huge range of activities, to:
- improve habitats for wildlife
- learn how to propagate plants and collect seeds
- take photos of endangered species and habitats
- provide visitor information along popular tracks and campgrounds
- provide interpretation and guided walks
If you join a volunteer activity or volunteer group and volunteer more than once, you will need a volunteer Working with Children Check.
Register to become an official Parks Victoria volunteer by creating a volunteer profile with details about your interests, skills and contact information. With ParkConnect, you can look for volunteer opportunities that match your interest or location, join an activity or group, plan a volunteer group activity, and record and celebrate your achievements. You can also upload important information, such as your Working with Children Check.
Vision for the future
To find out about the future of volunteering at Parks Victoria download the Volunteering in Parks Strategic Plan.
Volunteering in parks manual
The Volunteering in Parks Manual provides staff and volunteers with the tools they may need to run volunteer programs and activities, so that they are consistent with the national volunteering standards. Have a look at the Volunteering in Parks Manual and our Volunteering in Parks Manual FAQ for more information.
Child safety
Parks Victoria is dedicated to providing a child safe environment across all its managed parks and reserves. We have zero tolerance for child abuse. A Working with Children Check is compulsory for all volunteers who participate in a group or activity more than once.
Volunteer Working with Children Checks are free and applied for via the Department of Justice. To apply, visit: Working with Children Check application page
You can also apply via the Service Victoria app. For help with the Service Victoria app, please follow the directions on the How to Apply document.
Once you have your Working with Children Check card, you will need to upload a photo of the card to your ParkConnect volunteer profile. If you need help with this, please visit: How to upload your WWCC card on ParkConnect or watch the short video.
Volunteer training courses
Parks Victoria has developed Volunteer Training Courses for volunteers and volunteer group leaders, available to anyone who registered on ParkConnect as a volunteer.
Current volunteer training courses include the child safety awareness, and health, safety and environment induction training.
Volunteer training courses can be accessed from the volunteer drop down menu from the ParkConnect main page, or from the volunteer home page.
Campground Host volunteer program
Volunteering as a campground host is a fantastic way to see our magnificent parks while at the same time providing a valuable service to other campers and Parks Victoria rangers.
Insights into Nature webinar series
While we are staying at home to help slow the spread of coronavirus, Parks Victoria has developed a series of webinars for volunteers and the broader community called Insights into Nature.
The Sea Search program is a great way to learn and explore the marine environment while collecting important information on its health and condition.
Become a TrailRider Volunteer and help provide assistance to all-terrain wheelchair users, enabling visitors with limited mobility to access more park walking tracks.
The Volunteer Growth Fund was a pilot program funded by the Victoria’s Great Outdoors Volunteer program, aimed at supporting environmental volunteer groups to implement activities that will diversify and expand their existing volunteer pool and enhance conservation outcomes for Victoria’s parks and forests.
Volunteering in Nature: Summer Series 2021
Join us for a week full of hands-on volunteer events across Victoria! Learn new skills, meet new people with similar interests to you and get back into nature with a diverse range of opportunities to suit everyone’s interests.
The Victorian Government has an exciting new opportunity to inspire ideas and encourage innovation by funding community-led projects that consider new ways of volunteering in and for the environment.
Volunteering in Nature: Summer Series 2020
Join us for a week full of virtual and practical volunteer events across Victoria! Learn new skills, meet new people with similar interests to you and get back in to nature with a diverse range of opportunities to suit everyone’s interest.
Becoming a Volunteer Park Guide is a great way to share your knowledge and experience with visitors on the many natural and cultural values Victoria’s parks have to offer.
Park Walk leaders are volunteers who provide free guided walks at selected Parks Victoria parks. They guide the group along a designated route, creating a friendly and inclusive atmosphere for all participants and providing some interesting facts about the park along the way.
Volunteer track ranger program
Track Rangers are volunteers who walk and camp along popular tracks during peak holidays, providing hikers with park information.
Parks Victoria and DELWP’s Coastcare Victoria are working in partnership to support marine and coastal volunteers, and our wider Victorian community, through COVID-19 isolation with an online program of live activities and recorded field trips that connects us with Victoria’s incredible marine and coastal environments and parks.
The Youth Volunteering for Nature fund seeks to empower youth all over Victoria to become champions for nature by creating innovative answers to challenges facing Victoria's green spaces.
