ISV - Volunteer Conservation Projects in Australia

After finally saving up to go to Australia, ISV gave me a trip better than i could imagine. Everyone has their ideal trip in mind before leaving, but ISV thoroughly overachieved mine. Walking along the coast seeing pods of Dolphins in Byron Bay, Skydiving in Cairns over part of the amazing Great Barrier Reef, and then just the next day Scuba diving in the Great Barrier reef. While in Australia i happened to get sick With Pneumonia, even with that in mind, id recommend this trip to anyone!!

Honestly, there are so many amazing stories from this trip, that picking just one is too difficult. What I can share with you is that this trip helped me form life long friends, learn the value of being environmental friendly, see first hand how much one person can make an impact on this planet, and how to live a life which extends far past your comfort zone. I would recommend this program to anyone.

I had the best time of my life while traveling to Australia with ISV! For the first two weeks I volunteered at Wild Mountains. While at Wild Mountains I learned about the environment and sustainability. We focused on eco-friendly ways of living and doing our part to help the environment, like planting trees and weeding. While at Wild Mountains, I was forced out of my comfort zone as we unplugged from our technology, embraced the environment around us in every way possible, and enjoyed some delicious vegetarian food! The volunteering at Wild Mountains changed me and opened my eyes up to all the environmental aspects of the world. The second two weeks of my trip were spent exploring the eastern coast of Australia. We skydived in Cairns, visited the Great Barrier Reef, went white water rafting, surfing in Byron Bay and even visited P.Sherman 42 Wallaby Way in Sydney. I experienced more in my two weeks in Australia than most people get to experience in a lifetime! I made lifelong friendships and memories. This trip was life changing for me, I tried things I never would have if I wasn't asked to get out of my comfort zone. I would recommend traveling with ISV to anyone and everyone! It will change your life in so many positive ways!

My name is Kathryn and I went on the Australia program from May, 26th to June 24th. I'm an avid traveler and have been to about twenty countries from North America, to Europe and Africa. You can imagine my excitement when provided the unique opportunity of immersing myself into Australian culture, being able to explore the beautiful continent and make a huge environmental impact as well. For the first two weeks, I worked along side other volunteers to plant trees through a government funded project called 20 Million Trees which worked to fill gaps for animals to be able to move through the continent more safely when they migrate. Also, as global warming makes living more uncomfortable in the north, animals will want to travel further south. I absolutely loved the group of people I worked with and it was a real thrill to be working in the Australian wild, living amongst the kangaroos! The second two weeks, we went on the adventure tour and it was definitely the trip of a lifetime. We went to so many unique places that many other tourists would not have been able to visit such as Fraser Bay and Byron Bay. My favorite activities were scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef, learning to surf, white water rafting through a rainforest, and bungee jumping! I 110% recommend this trip for all travel lovers and adventure seekers and those who want to learn how to become a responsible tourist!

I have never been overseas before so this was a new experience. I volunteered on Phillip Island where you get to see and learn amazing new things each and every day. I learned more about the different type of weeds that are not indigenous to the island as well as more about the little penguins and koalas. After volunteering on Phillip Island, we met up with the other groups and moved our way up the coast doing things that I never thought I would ever get to do. I met so many amazing people that we can look back on our memories from when we were all a part of this amazing experience. Highly recommended to those who have never gone overseas before.

I have never been on anything like this before in my life. I had my project at Waterfall Springs, a wallaby sanctuary. We did some work repairing fences and tick proofing wallaby pins. Some of the work can be a little repetitive and stressful but once you see the end result and a happy wallaby you realize it was all worth it. The people you work with become lifelong friends that you never want to lose touch with, and your project leader will be someone you look up to for the rest of your career as an environmentalist. Don't miss out on such a great experience.

I showed up to Australia and I looked around the group that the leader said was mine and I didn't know anyone. To be honest, we were all scared, but we all shared this want and need and drive to volunteer to the best of our ability and that made the 2 weeks simply amazing. No one wanted to be on their cell phones, no one missed home. Everyone wanted to see everyone else succeed, and ISV get's those students that want to give back and I think that in itself is what causes for such dynamic groups. After seeing more stars than I ever thought possible there is no way that I can see the world the same way again. Now that I am home, I've made little changes just to make sure that I can curve my carbon footprint. The memories and friends I made are priceless and I would gladly pay to make those 2 weeks happen all over again.

I can't get over how wonderful this trip was!

It all started out in Lithgow, a town in the Blue Mountains. We were working with AEFI, Australian Ecosystems Foundation Inc., at a wildlife sanctuary called Secret Creek. We spent two weeks there repairing trails, planting trees, and helping with the animals (which was a dream come true for a wildlife major!) Our operator here was amazing and knowledgable, we learned a lot as we worked and had a blast at the same time! By the end of volunteering, we could really see how far we'd come. Our trail started at the bottom of the mountain and our ragtag team of 10 made it all the way to the top! After planting all 1,700 of our tree saplings, it felt amazing to look over the once empty field and see nothing but the barriers we put around each baby tree. The end of volunteer work was definitely filled with a feeling of accomplishment.

Then on to phase two- Adventure Tour! We were encouraged to try new things and explore new places every day as we traveled up the east coast. Each and every person had something big that they overcame and accomplished while Brodie (the wonderful tour leader) kept reminding us that "life begins at the end of your comfort zone." I began living this idea as I pushed myself to the edge of what I thought I could do by taking up each opportunity I got to try something new- rappelling being my first major fear conquest. The more open you are to trying new things, the more you get out of adventure tour. ISV did a great job lining us up with great included activities and I wholeheartedly recommend the OAP (optional activity package) to get as many activities as possible. You will definitely find yourself doing something you never thought you'd do!