Something for everyone

After three weeks of caretaking on Pilungah Reserve, Wangkamadla Country, central Queensland, Marja and Jack were well and truly isolated. Here, on one of Bush Heritage's most remote reserves, civilisation was a distant memory.

The harsh sun beats down on a tapestry of sprawling gibber plains and rippling red sand dunes. Thanks to a rare downpour, clay pans turned into lakes, and the roads were blocked. 

For Marja and Jack, this wasn't just a weather delay; it was an adventure. On a search for unique experiences, they put their hands up to volunteer for Bush Heritage in 2022. The stark beauty and isolation of Pilungah Reserve was providing just that.

When the water finally dispersed, they moved onto Ethabuka Reserve, excited about helping the resident ecologist with vegetation monitoring.

“We've done quite a few different things in our time as volunteers,” said Jack. “Planting trees, manual weed control, hacking thistles, even catering for Bush Heritage staff during fire training at Tarcutta Hills.”

Fittingly, the theme for National Volunteer Week in 2024 is ‘something for everyone’. Jack and Marja have been embodying that attitude since 2022 when they started.

“We were contacted by Bush Heritage’s Volunteer Coordinator for the north region, Leanne Hales. We just said, ‘Where do you want us?’ She put a plan together and that's where we went,” said Jack.

It takes a special kind of traveller to take a lucky dip in such a diverse, often unforgiving country, but it’s seeing these remote reaches that excites Jack and Marja.

“For us, it's an absolute privilege to get onto the reserves. National parks are generally tourist destinations, and there's very little regard for nature. Seeing places that are managed for conservation using science is extraordinary,” he said.

“If we travel, let's say, from Victoria through New South Wales up into Queensland, I mean, you travel through so much bare country and then you end up in reserves like these ones.”

Jack is a retired bus driver, but he and Marja’s love for nature is what’s fuelled their seemingly endless road trip across the country. So, what’s next on their wish list?

“Not that long ago, we were stabbing invasive cactus in Central Victoria, in March we helped set up a field herbarium at Edgbaston and now we’re in western Queensland, it’s a beautiful way to travel. We’d love to go to Evelyn Downs, but honestly, we’d go anywhere we can contribute.”

Whether it’s stabbing cactus, catering, or fixing a 70km stretch of fence in one of Queensland’s most remote reaches, the generous spirit Jack and Maria knows no bounds.

“We don’t have a whole lot of expertise in the field of conservation, but we have been keen amateur botanists for a long time. There’s always something for us to do,” says Marja.

“The workloads are enormous for field staff, so they deserve an extra hand where they can get one.”

For National Volunteer Week, we’re celebrating the generous spirit of all our hundreds of volunteers across the country that make our work possible. Whether it’s mending fences or putting the billy on for tea, there’s a place for anyone with a lust for adventure.

Looking ahead, placements are now full for Queensland, Tasmania and WA. Get in touch if you are interested in volunteering in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales or from home.