Combining modern urban developments with easy access to nature reserves, Melbourne is saturated in volunteer programs, with a vast array of projects available.

With the abundance of native wildlife hopping, flying, and waddling around Melbourne’s environs, there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer in animal welfare and conservation. To volunteer in Melbourne with animals is to participate in projects that range from caring for abandoned urban critters, to roaming slightly further afield, monitoring and protecting native species. The preservation of all of the creatures unique to Australia is a priority among the organizations operating out of Melbourne. The same goes for fauna native to Australia: volunteers can join reforestation efforts around Melbourne. As well as land life, water projects and marine conservation are also constantly in need of helping hands.

Hand in hand with conservation goes eco-tourism. Tourism is a massive industry in Australia, and rightly so, but reducing the environmental impact of tourism is becomingly increasingly important as numbers of international visitors increase. Join organizations that work on projects surrounding the planning, advancement, and awareness of eco-tourism as you volunteer abroad in Australia.

Other popular volunteer projects in this cultural capital are even more people-facing. You can become a soup kitchen volunteer in Melbourne as you volunteer with Melbourne’s homeless, or work with kids in education or after-school programming as a youth volunteer in Melbourne.

Programs average two to four weeks, but some go for as long as 12 weeks. You won’t need experience to join most projects, just a passion for the cause, and a willingness and enthusiasm to learn. If this is your first time volunteering abroad and you aren’t quite sure what to expect, program fees include pre-departure support, advice on what to take, how to apply for the necessary visa, and answers to any questions you might have before you leave.