Julianne P.

Environmental & Wildlife Conservation Volunteer

Cairns and Townsville, QLD, Australia

I stood amidst mahoganies, stretching upwards as far as the eye could see, enormous buttresses supporting even larger trees, basket ferns and strangler vines, and the occasional fallen epiphyte. The ground was sprinkled with small pink flowers that had fallen from the mahoganies and leaves that had fallen fate to sap-sucking insects that left behind only the veins of the leaf. Over the quiet gurgle of Dolby Creek, I could even hear the distinctive mating calls of whip birds. Suddenly I snapped to attention as our team leader called out that “smoko,” the Australian term for tea time, was over and we would continue on with our hike − a five-hour long hike through Paluma Range National Park. This wasn’t at all how I imagined I would spend my nineteenth birthday, but it was exactly what I had hoped to get out of volunteering in Australia for the summer − an unforgettable experience that has changed me and given me the opportunity to learn firsthand about the delicate nature of ecosystems and how the introduction or extinction of any one species can affect the overall balance.

I chose to work with Conservation Volunteers Australia for six weeks. Two weeks were spent in Cairns and four in Townsville, both located in the northeastern part of Australia. This hiking trip was actually organized outside of our usual volunteer work by those in charge at the Townsville CVA office, but it was honestly much less intense than our day-to-day work. In both Cairns and Townsville, there were a number of projects going on throughout the area, some that were long-term and others that last one to three weeks. Fortunately for me, my first week was a camping trip to Mount Molloy.

Because of coal mining and smelting operations, much of the trees and undergrowth on the mountain had been removed, eliminating habitats for the wildlife, including the endangered spotted quoll. So it was our job to plant native trees, perform some weeding tasks, and add in more irrigation lines to rehabilitate this dying bush land. During that one week, we planted over 500 trees, most of which we were assured had a good chance for survival.

For the next two weeks, we worked under the leadership of Biosecurity Queensland to locate and eradicate a particular species of ants, Anoplolepis gracilipes, commonly known as “yellow crazy ants,” because of their coloration and erratic movement. It’s thought that they were introduced from Africa, but now in Australia they have become a danger because of their ability to form super-colonies with more than one queen, and the damage they have done to crops and native wildlife. We laid out jam and tuna lures with the aim of being able to map out and delineate their location.

The following two weeks were spent on various local projects, such as creek watch, in which we tested the water quality of specific creeks. We checked the water temperature, dissolved oxygen content, clarity, and the diversity of fish and macroinvertebrates. Other days, we did some weeding at Bohle River or the Town Common. When you first look at the area, you would think it’s a thriving, healthy place, but after weeding away the nguru burr, wisteria, parry grass, guinea grass, and everything else that doesn’t belong there, you can actually see the species that do belong, like the leichhardts, gum trees and eucalyptuses. It’s most gratifying when you can visibly see the change you’ve brought about. A couple days were also spent collecting seeds or working at a nursery where these seeds would become starter plants, and would eventually be replanted at the sites we weeded.

My last week was spent like my first: camping. But this time we went camping at Paluma, where I had spent my birthday the weekend before. We camped at Big Crystal Creek beside Paradise Waterhole and worked during the day at the beach thirty minutes away. Not a bad way to finish off my trip in Australia! Because homeowners in this area wanted a beachfront view, much of the vegetation had been ripped out, and without the roots of the plants to hold the sand in, some of the beach had eroded into the ocean. The problems this caused were innumerable. So we did plenty of digging, planting, weeding, and added a bit more to the irrigation system.

It was easy to get wrapped up in all these different projects, but it wasn’t until the middle of my fourth week when I realized how much I had actually learned and taken from this experience. It was during this week that we spent one day at a local elementary school where we had been invited to help extend their “Rainbow Serpent Path” to commemorate National Aboriginal Islander Day Observance Committee Week. The path wound around native trees that the children could help plant and learn about. I was sitting beside a little girl named Giselle, who I helped plant a Leichardt tree. I told her all about the tree and attempted to show her how big it would grow with my tiny arms. No one had told me this particular tree was a Leichardt, but I had picked up the shape of its leaves and other information about it from team leaders and local volunteers while working in the field. As we sat there, Giselle and I, patting the soil in around our tiny tree, I could feel her intent eyes on me, showing genuine interest in my words, and I noticed the change that grew in me, and the change I had planted in her.

For the past 19 years of my life, I have lived in a city, where lush fields and curious wildlife has been paved over with cement and concrete. I haven’t been outside the country, much less the northeastern part of the United States since I was two. And without the InterExchange Working Abroad Grant, I probably wouldn’t have been able to see and experience all that I have in North Queensland, Australia. Being a part of this program has been one of the best experiences I have ever had because I was able to fully engage myself in something I was passionate about, but I was also able to meet so many people from around the world. During six weeks, I met people from England, Korea, Belgium, France, Spain, Germany, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and others from America and elsewhere. My perceptions of the world have broadened at least twenty-fold. I have learned about so many different cultures and languages, and have opened my mind up to different beliefs, values, and foods, especially foods. And Giselle wasn’t the only Aussie I met. On the local projects, there were almost always local volunteers that in some instances were able to tell us more about the area than our team leaders could. The InterExchange Foundation and Conservation Volunteers Australia have opened me up to literally a world of opportunities, and hopefully someday I’ll be able to return to that school and see the Leichardt tree grown far beyond my arm’s length.