Volunteers don’t need experience, but need to stay at least a month. Only those with a deep desire to care for animals should apply.

Volunteering with animals on your gap year will ensure a fantastic experience in which you not only gain a unique perspective in Australia, but also get to help animals in need.

Our advantages

• This volunteer position is a very rewarding job since you are managing our small sanctuary.
• We offer you references.
• You will be able to get a certificate for your work experience & internship document with us.
• You can apply for the Second Working Holiday Visa with us.

Free Volunteer Accommodation and Food Allowance

• Free accommodation and a $80 per month food allowance is offered if you work 5 days per week, and $150 per month if you work 7 days per week.
• The food allowance will be paid partly always at the end of the month of your stay. For instance: If you start on the 1.5., you will be paid the following month on the 1.6.. Read here more about our volunteer payments …
• The accommodation features a room or tent, shared bathroom with a shower running hot and cold water.
• If you want to bring your own gear: We have some space for your van, tent eg.
• More about our accommodation options …

About our location

The farm is 9km from Murwillumbah, which has many cafes, pubs. For more details please check our website: parrotgarden.com.au

Volunteer responsibilities include:

• twice a day cleaning of the enclosures + health checks,
• feeding of the animals in the morning and evening,
• maintenance and building of new enclosures

Extra duties may be required if animals are sick, if we need to go shopping, when visitors come in.

Be aware, that animals need you all day long. We expect you to care for them from dawn to dusk. Our day usually starts around 6 am and the animals go to sleep at 6 pm. Of course you will have your breaks in between.

As an example:

• 7.00 – 8.00: Health check, feeding and cleaning of all animals
• 8.00 – 9.00: Break for your breakfast
• 9.00 – 10.00 Grooming: tick check, brushing, combing of the donkeys, ponies, goats, dogs, cats.
• 10.00 – 12.30: Do maintenance work: improve fencing, tidy the gardens: rake, clean up, remove weeds …
• 12.30 – 2.00: Break for your lunch
• 2.00 – 3.00: Free time or participate in a paid project if you are qualified. 
• 3.00 – 4.00: Free time or participate in a paid project if you are qualified. 
• 4.00 – 6.00: Health check, feeding and cleaning of all animals, shopping eg.

Volunteer Conditions

• Our farm’s goal is to protect farm and wild animals and to encourage a healthy vegetarian lifestyle. Meat and fish products for human consumption are not permitted to be brought into, or stored in, the volunteer accommodation or the property.
• You need to have confidence to manage the farm for a 10 hour period on your own in emergency situations.
• If you fail to complete the one month period, no food allowance will be paid.
• Volunteers need to read our checklist to get prepared to stay with us.

You should not apply for this position if you are:

• not enthusiastic about animals,
• scared of animals,
• not having enough strength and stamina,
• not fit enough to work with animals,
• not able to stay for at least a month,
• allergic to any animals
• not able to clean up poop,
• under 25 years and have no driving experience (however we sometimes accept applicants under 25 years if we do not require a driver),

You should still be enthusiastic, keep smiling 🙂 and work by yourself:

• in early hours,
• under dirty and harsh conditions,
• under time pressure and stress,
• when it’s raining or hot.

Work can be:

• hard
• dirty
• excausting

Your safety

You will be provided with specific safety guidelines requirements and care standards and your work will be monitored regularly.

Working with animals is not without danger but we have policies in place so that you are insured against workplace accidents. Your safety is primarily your responsibility, you must follow our safety procedures or else you will place yourself at risk.

If short-listed you will be required to spend a day with one of our current volunteers, so that your abilities can be evaluated.