You can become involved in as many aspects of hospital life as you wish, such as yard and intensive care ward duties, rescues, releases and you can also assist in talking to the many visitors that The Koala Hospital attracts every day. As Koalas are 'wild' animals, volunteers must accept that they cannot handle the koalas but are still able to work closely with them.

We also accept Veterinarians, Vet. Nurses, wildlife researchers and zookeepers who are interested in gaining experience with wild koalas. All applicants would still be considered to be a volunteer and must follow the same volunteer rules and protocols as others and can only come at a time that works in with our timetables. 

The Koala Hospital is run mainly by volunteers admitting around 250 – 300 patients per year.

The Koala Hospital is a wildlife rehabilitation institution licenced under the National Parks and Wildlife Service NSW.  The Koala Hospital’s veterinary duties operate under the authority of the Port Macquarie Veterinary Hospital, Port Macquarie.

Local Volunteers

Become a member and join our Local Volunteers.

Apply OnlineDownload Application

Overseas and Non-Local Volunteers

• We do not have any paid positions at all.
• We do not have Intern positions.
• We do not supply accommodation or food (see list of recommended establishments)
• All applicants MUST have a current Tetanus shot before applying.
• All overseas volunteers are required to stay one month, no less, no more, as it takes approximately one week to train new staff.
• All new staff must sign a declaration to comply with Health Regulations (for staff safety) before commencing.
• All volunteers must realize that these are WILD koalas, not captive bred, and therefore are quite capable of inflicting injury, and are NOT to be handled, cuddled, etc.
• Overseas volunteers can be involved in rescues, releases, and assist in medical treatments, but MUST obey instructions from permanent staff.
• The Koala Hospital requests that the overseas applicants MUST have a good grasp on the English language. For the safety of any applicant, The Koala Hospital will not accept people only learning the English language.
• All applicants must be aware that there can be quiet times, with not many patients, and very little to do; therefore volunteers may only have a few hours work each day, rarely or not at all.

Port Macquarie does have some of the most beautiful surfing beaches in Australia, plus beautiful scenery, lots of shops, reasonable night life and other "touristy" things to do, so on quiet days, most people make good use of these facilities.

Accomodation

If you wish to apply for a short-term volunteer position and are in need of local accomodation, please review the list below. This will help you get started with your stay at the beautiful Port Macquarie.

Remember we have peak tourist times here in Australia, particularly over the Christmas period and Easter time, where all places are not only heavily booked out, but are much higher in price. Hope this helps you find what you need – and good luck!