ISV - Volunteer Conservation Projects in Australia

During my trip with ISV my project group volunteered in the Wild Mountains. This property is a buffer land that sits on the boarder of Queensland and New South Whales within the bush to try and protect the neighboring national park from invasive species. I was very skeptical of this project at first because I am a biology major with an emphasis in pre-med. Plants and conservation were an area I was not familiar with. However, between the helpfulness of ISV and their staff and the group of students I was paired with, this experience quickly became the best experience of my entire life. Not only was the volunteer project new and challenging, but also so rewarding. Walking around the property and seeing the work that previous ISV students had completed was one of the most amazing feelings. It made all of us realize that we truly were rebuilding Australia's amazing sub-tropical rain forest. After the volunteer portion of the trip came the adventure tour. As the title says "life begins at the end of you comfort zone," you definitely take very large steps away from what you think is a comfortable place. From Skydiving to scuba diving to repelling off of cliffs, you get to see everything Australia has to offer as you travel down their eastern coast. On this trip I not only gained new insight on Australia and the world but I also made a group of friends that will last me a lifetime.

As a student that is more involved with animals and marine ecosystems I was a bit skeptical about being up in the mountains and working with plants. I knew they were important, but I figured I'd let the plant people deal with the plants and I can worry about the animals. Once I was there and engulfed in the trees my views completely changed. I saw the importance and beauty of each individual tree and plant and the real dangers of others. One friend brushed her hand on a stinging tree and she was hurting for days and she still says that her hand will sting from time to time. Each creature, plant or animal, deserves appreciation and respect and we can just focus on one little aspect of our world, but all of them as a whole.

Conservation is always something I have been very passionate about. The time I spent at Banrock Station in South Australia has deepened my passion for the conservation efforts in environments all over the world and it has certainly made me more conscious of my lifestyle.
My most memorable story is one from the very last night on project in South Australia. The Kingston-on-Murray Caravan park where we had been staying for the past two weeks had a dock on the river with an incredible view of the stars so, myself and my fellow ISV participants grabbed blankets and pillows and headed to the docks. I don't remember how long we stayed there but I had never seen a shooting star and by the end of the night I had seen five. FIVE!! The milky way was clearly visible and the spot in which I would usually look up to see the big dipper was replaced with the southern cross. As we lay there in comfortable silence I couldn't help but reflect on the friendships I had made and the impact my new friends and I made on the local environment at Banrock Station. It was truly a life changing experience.

This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life!! But I think that without the people involved in my group, it would have been close to the same experience. I loved exploring Lithgow and Australia and being able to just be myself in this amazing country. Lana Austin was my project leader and she has already changed my life for the better. She opened up my eyes to things that I would have never thought about doing to save the environment and was always happy to help with anything whenever anyone needed it. I would have given anything to have been able to stay longer and ISV did an amazing job giving me the opportunity of a lifetime.

This trip was the best thing that I've done in my life so far. As a biomedical student, I learned so much about environmental science as well as how everything and everyone on Earth are connected. The volunteer work we did was very fulfilling and my friendships with my group mates grew even stronger during the travel tour. The money it takes to do this trip may seem daunting, but it is 100% worth it! No regrets at all!!

One of my favorite parts of my ISV trip was working at the Walkabout in southern Australia. We got to work with many animals and restore their habitats. We working with kangaroos, dingos, kiola bears and many more awesome animals. We working closely with them and got to hold/ pet many of them Also, meeting new people from all around the world was amazing!!! I met new friends from Canada, England, Wales, China and many other places. We all became really close on the trip and I even talk to some of them know 5 years later.

This was the best experience of my life. Snorkelling in the great barrier reef, white water rafting, sky diving, surfing and mountain rapelling were all amazing. This trip changed my life and I got the chance to make 40 new friends at the same time. Sky diving was my favorite part, though. I got to go over Byron Bay at the eastern most part of the country. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen, being able to look over the land and ocean.

The first time i heard about this program, I was incredibly exited. After I applied, fear struck. I realized I would have to spend a full month with people I hadn't met before but at the same time, I would have an incredible time that I hoped to never forget. So I talked to friends and they gave me the push to commit and come through.
Fast forward four months later.....
The day of my flight came and I had not recieved my visa yet. I am not a U.S. citizen so I actually had to apply for my visa myself with little direction from ISV. I applied a month before my flight and asked the visa agency to hurry my visa even though it clearly says on their website that they cannot do this and there are no exceptions. Well I received my visa an hour before my flight so I cleary did not make it. The trip hadn't started and I my stress level was high. After paying a ridiculous amount of money and 2 days later, I was in Australia a day after I was supposed to arrive. Tip: make your layover in LA as long as possible because this would give you the time to leave the airport and explore the city. That's what I did and wished I had more time.
Then I met the other volunteers in the house we would share for two weeks. I was assigned to the program in Newcastle, which in my opinion was the best one in Australia compared to the things I heard from other groups around the country. We lived in a two story house in the middle of the city! The other groups lived in a cabin in the woods, just like the movie. Tip: I did very little research about Newcastle and Australia in general before hitting the ground and I would recommend doing the same. If I had done my research I wouldn't have been as impressed as I was throughout the whole trip. It's much better to ask your volunteer or tour leader where to go or once you get there, do the research.
Most of the other volunteers you will like, a couple not so much and a few you will make a real connection with. At least this is what happened when my group met up with the other groups in Sydney. Just try to take it easy with everyone and ignore the ones that kill your vibe.
You will not always love the volunteer work you do. It is hard! You end the day really tired and wake up early the next day early to do more work. You get used to it. One day (the worst work day) we had to do a lot of handy work/extreme gardening for 6 hours and I ended up with a sore back and red blistered hands because the plants that we were rooting out were prickly. Other days will be incredibly rewarding. Sometimes I had a hard time understanding why we were volunteering but you just need to ask.
We stayed in really awesome locations that are situated close to everything. The nightlife is really really fun. And remember you don't have to stick with the others in your free time so get out of thr hotel room and go explore by yourself!
Con: you can't go in the water unless you are told it's safe. No matter how pretty blue or how swimmable the water looks, DON'T. There are jellyfish and other sea animals that will land you in the hospital. You will be able to swim in pools, lakes, lagoons, etc so no worry.
If you're worried about getting homesick, HAHAHA. That never happened to me. Don't count the days until you leave paradise either, you won't be able to enjoy your days as much if you do. Just push it back until the last day-then cry.

Enjoy it! You paid for it.