Tasmanian Wildlife & Penguin Refuge

The Project

The Tasmanian Wildlife & Penguin Refuge is a haven for sick, injured, displaced and orphaned animals and marine life. Animals are rescued or brought into the sanctuary and receive medical care before being returned to the wild. Animals include a variety of animals and marine life such as wallabies, pademelons, echidnas, wombats, penguins, sugar gliders and even Tasmanian devils!

 The objective of the shelter is to release as many animals back into the wild as possible, therefore, when animals are rescued or brought into the sanctuary, they receive medical care and recover before being returned to their natural habitat.  Care encompasses bottle feeding babies, exercising animals, administering medication and providing a nurturing environment as many very young joeys respond to cuddles like all babies. The animals are dehumanised before release.

The shelter also raises baby Tasmanian devils, although these animals are under the direction of the Government’s Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (STDP), which is the official response to the threat of extinction of the Tasmanian devil due to Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD).

Fiordland Crested Penguins and Little Blue Penguins are most likely in care from December to April but this changes every year due to the climate changing. They also take into care unwanted, preloved companion and aviary birds and rehome them.

Volunteer contributions go towards animal care & husbandry, the day to day running of the shelter and the upgrading of the facilities.

Wildlife Release Program

Wildlife is released into the wild when ready in a variety of places as per the suitability of the species, Bennetts wallabys, Tasmanian Pademelons and Eastern Grey Kangaroos are released from onsite. Tasmanian Devils are vet checked and a biopsy performed to determine their genetic suitability, then mostly released at the site of capture by government project staff.

The Location

Bicheno is located 185kms North-East of Hobart, in Tasmania. With only a population of 950 people, it never has any shortage of people due to the appeal that is has to tourists. It is one of the East Coasts most popular holiday destinations due to the stunning coastal scenery and unique activities on offer, and aside from swimming, foreshore walks and beachcombing, Bicheno offers fantastic wildlife experiences. Bicheno is a fishing town, therefore there is an array of fresh seafood available as well as an abundance of great restaurants and cafes. Just a short drive away are vineyards, National Parks, beaches and nature watching including the penguin parade as they waddle up the beach to their burrows, a favourite activity for tourists. 

The Surrounding Area

Tasmania, an isolated island state off Australia’s south coast, is known for its vast, rugged wilderness areas which are largely protected within parks and reserves, and its fine foods and cuisines, especially high-quality cheeses, wines and chocolate. Tassie is also home to the breweries of some of Australia's most respected modern beer brands such as Cascade and Boags.

Hobart is the capital of Australia's island state of Tasmania and sits on the River Derwent. At its fashionable Salamanca Place, old sandstone warehouses house galleries and cafes and markets bustle on a weekend. Nearby is Battery Point, a historic district with narrow lanes and colonial-era cottages. Battery Point was settled in the earliest days of Hobart Town in the early 1800’s, and has retained the winding streets, colonial architecture and historical ambiance that make it one of the most fascinating historic precincts in all of Australia. The city's backdrop is 1,270m-high Mount Wellington, with sweeping views, plus hiking and cycling trails.

What to Bring

• Long trousers
• Long sleeve shirts
• Trainers with good tread on them for general work
• Gumboots or hiking / work boots
• Mosquito spray
• Sunhat

Please Note 
The second instalment of your project fees is due within 1 week after you paid the deposit on Volunteer World. This is a total of $495 AUD and comes off your balance. The balance is due 90 days prior to travel. For all further information about the fees, please scroll down to the section "Program Fees“.

Volunteers start at approximately 6am for the first bottle round of the day and work until approximately 8am. After a 30-minute break for breakfast, volunteers complete more bottle rounds, have a 10-minute coffee break and work until lunch which is between 12 & 12:30. After the third bottle round of the day and finalising other tasks, volunteers finish at around 3pm. The afternoon is spent relaxing.

Other activities may entail capturing injured wildlife, cleaning cages/enclosures, providing enrichments, harvesting/collecting food for the animals, environment re-establishment (especially after wombats are released), holding an animal during a medical examination (training is given), helping catch a wallaby or a wombat (training given), laundry duties and tree planting.

Volunteers compost and garden to provide food for some animals in care as well as nurture the vege garden with which the volunteers can eat from. Chooks need to be fed, watered and eggs collected and there is the unloading of bulk pellet deliveries (20 kg sacks every 6 weeks).

Contact with the animals is through the bottle feeding of the baby animals.

Carers conduct basic medical procedures like injecting under advice from the vet, wound cleaning, mange spraying, oral medication administration, rehydration via subcutaneous injections, tube feeding and crop needling of birds. Vet students may have the opportunity to observe or assist with these tasks. 

Bicheno is high on the tourism trail of Tasmania. There is an abundance of activities for volunteers to engage in should they choose to stay in Tasmania for longer. Swimming, bush walking, surfing, snorkeling, hiking, wildlife watching, Penguin tours, nature touring, eating and drinking are all perfect pastimes.

There are 2 National Parks, Freycinet and Douglas Apsley nearby and there is an entry fee which covers all 19 National Parks in Tasmania. So why not hire a car and drive around the state. It will only take you about 3 days with stops along the way.

Spend some time in Hobart, or head North to Launceston, the riverside city where the vineyards of the Tamar Valley stretch northwest along the Tamar River.