Volunteering
Volunteer in Victoria's parks
Volunteering in parks is a great way to contribute to conserving Victoria’s special places. The many personal benefits of volunteering include learning more about plants and wildlife, gaining new skills, being in the outdoors, improving health and well being and meeting new friends. Time spent in nature also reduces stress and promotes physical wellbeing.
Discover hundreds of exciting volunteer opportunities around Victoria and learn about groups working in your local area. There are volunteer activities for every age group, skill and ability type. Join a regular group or just participate occasionally. You can volunteer for a huge range of activities, including:
- improving habitats for wildlife
- learning how to propagate plants and collect seeds
- taking photos of endangered species and habitats
- providing visitor information along popular tracks and campgrounds
- providing interpretation and guided walks
Register to become an official Parks Victoria volunteer by creating a user account and 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.
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 essential tools to effectively implement, support and participate in volunteering programs and activities, consistent with national standards of volunteering, download the Volunteering in Parks Manual. To help answer any questions about this requirement please refer to our Volunteering in Parks Manual FAQ document.
Working with Children Checks
As part of our commitment to maintaining a child safe environment and to ensure we align with the Child
Safe Standards, a Working with Children Check is compulsory for all volunteers. You may have questions about this new requirement, and to help answer any questions about this requirement please download our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document. If you need assistance in applying please download our diagram of how to apply.
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.
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.
