Volunteer Initiatives & Events
Throughout the year the RIA coordinates several public volunteer events including Seawall Painting, Planting Days and Tangaroa Blue Beach Clean Ups.
Volunteers on Rottnest Island undertake a wide variety of tasks including beach clean ups, dune rehabilitation, seed collection, tree planting, weeding, fauna monitoring, maintenance and construction works and the provision of interpretive tours.
The Rottnest Island Authority (RIA) thanks the many individuals who, in collaboration with a large number of independent volunteer organisations, contribute over 35 000 volunteer hours annually to preserving the natural, cultural and recreational values of the Island.
The Rottnest Island Authority appreciates the interest of groups including schools, clubs and corporate groups who wish to contribute their time to volunteering on Rottnest. Unfortunately, at this time we are unable to accommodate such requests outside of our established volunteer program. Please see below for the opportunities that exist with the Rottnest Island Authority and independent groups for volunteering on the island.
View one of our podcasts Discovering the Rottnest Island Nursery for an insight into the operations of the nursery which is run by the volunteers.
Rottnest Society - Working Weekends
The Rottnest Society working weekends are open to non-members. Costs are minimal and there is usually fantastic participation. For further information, current dates and bookings visit www.rottnestsociety.org.au.
Group Beach Clean Ups
Groups looking to engage in community service while visiting Rottnest Island are encouraged to participate in beach clean ups. Beach clean up kits can be borrowed from the Rottnest Island Authority, and are designed to contribute data to the Tangaroa Blue Foundation's Australian Marine Debris Initiative. Each kit contains a clipboard, data sheets, rubbish bags, 20 sets of gloves and a marine debris identification manual. Clean ups take around 1½ hours to complete.
Did you know 6 million tonnes of debris enter the oceans each year?
Tangaroa Blue Foundation’s Australian Marine Debris Initiative uses data collected from beach clean ups to trace the most commonly found items back to their source. By utilising this data, Tangaroa’s aim is to influence the design or use of these items to prevent them from entering our oceans in the first place. For more information about Tangaroa Blue Foundation visit www.tangaroablue.org. To arrange a beach clean up please contact RIA staff: education@rottnestisland.com or +61 (0) 448 175 081.