Phillip Island National Surfing Reserve

Phillip Island National Surfing Reserve recognises the outstanding surf along the shores of Phillip Island together with the long rich surf culture and history associated with those waves, that date back to the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Phillip Island is the proud home of Victoria's only National Surfing Reserve which was dedicated on Saturday 16 March 2013 for the surfers of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

The Reserve’s motto is Share, Respect, Preserve and it is made up of four sites along Phillip Island’s coast: Cape Woolamai, Smiths Beach, Summerland and Cat Bay.

Some breaks are significant for their exceptional waves, and others for their history and importance in providing safe breaks for teaching the surfers of the future. Phillip Island is also special for its Aboriginal and natural values and all surfers must play a role in protecting these.

Download the 2018 National Surfing Reserve Book

Download the National Surfing Reserve Brochure & Map

Surfing Team sChallenge Competition Rules

For hard copies of these, please email community@penguins.org.au

Community Working Group

Our community was instrumental in establishing the Surfing Reserve. Since its establishment, this dedicated group has worked to promote and protect the reserve and its values. The group is made up of representatives from Phillip Island Nature Parks, Bass Coast Shire Council, Phillip Island Boardriders Club, Woolamai Beach Surf Life Saving Club, Plastic Free Phillip Island and community members.

The group also develops and maintains an archive of Phillip Island’s surfing history dating back to the 1920s. 

• New members are always welcome, please email community@penguins.org.au for more information on getting involved.
• Keep in touch on Facebook (Phillip Island NSR), Instagram (Phillipislandnsr) and Twitter (NSR_PI)

Eastern barred bandicoot sightings

Would you like to help us track and monitor the growing Eastern barred bandicoot population on Phillip Island? Use this portal to tell us where and when you saw one.

Report bandicoot sighting

Beach washed penguins

Help us monitor the health of Phillip Island's coastal bird populations by reporting any birds you find washed up on beaches through this portal.

Report beach washed bird

Welcome to the Phillip Island Nature Parks local plant nursery, Barb Martin Bushbank

Barb Martin Bushbank supplies an array of native plants, many of which have been locally sourced and grown, for the local community to plant in their gardens. With wildlife habitat disappearing at an alarming rate, you can help provide the natural environment wildlife needs to thrive, by sourcing your backyard plants from us.

• Download the Barb Martin Bushbank Planting Guide for tips on planting your native garden
• Download the Barb Martin Bushbank Native Plant Nursery Price List
• Download the Barb Martin Bushbank Plant List

Barb Martin Bushbank Native Plant Nursery details:

• Email: barbmartinbushbank@penguins.org.au
• Phone: 0427 897 448
• Barb Martin Bushbank Address: 1810 Phillip Island Road, Phillip Island
• Opening Hours: 9am-3pm Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday

Read the Conservation News and Know Your Nature Parks updates here.

The Nature Parks runs two rounds of work experience each year. These opportunities are available to secondary (Year 10 and above) students with preference to local Bass Coast region high schools that have existing agreements in place with Nature Parks. We offer two programs that allow students to gain unique experience across our eco-tourism and conservation organisation.

Program 1. Tourism Program

Students in this program will spend time working as a farm assistant on Churchill Island Heritage Farm. Following direction from experienced staff, students will assist in the care and maintenance of farm animals and their environment. This program also involves time spent in our retail outlets at the Koala Conservation Reserve, Nobbies Visitor Centre, or Churchill Island Visitor Centre.

Program 2. Conservation Program

Students in this program will spend time working in the field with our conservation team. Following direction from experienced staff, students may undertake tasks such as weeding, planting and revegetation works. This program also involves time spent in the Barb Martin Bushbank Nursery, a native plant nursery at the Koala Conservation Reserve. Students will learn our nursery operations as they work to propagate and care for native flora species.

VCAL/VCE Placements

We take on secondary placement students on a case-by-case basis. If you are interested in joining our team for your work placement, please reach out to volunteers@penguins.org.au. Please include some information about yourself, the duration and times of your placement, and what area of the Nature Parks you are interested in.

Tertiary Work Placement Opportunities

The Nature Parks currently offers two types of work placement opportunities that help students meet their educational requirements, develop skills and experience, and build their industry connections. All work placements are filled directly from tertiary institutions that have existing agreements with Nature Parks.  

Conservation Weeks Placements

Students join our conservation team as they work to maintain the land that Nature Parks manages on Bunurong Country. Students participating in this placement help protect nature for wildlife and may assist with planting, weeding, seed collection, propagation, and other land management work.

 Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre Placements

Each year, the Nature Parks offers placement opportunities at our Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. These opportunities are available from November to March each year, requiring a two-week commitment from one student at a time. Students completing this placement gain clinical experience as they work with experienced staff to care for sick and injured native wildlife.

Tertiary Internships

The Nature Parks offers a range of internships each year. These internships usually run for 3-4 months, and places are advertised to and filled directly from tertiary institutions that have existing agreements in place with us. To enquire further, we encourage you to contact the Integrated Learning Unit at your institution.

See below some information about past internships offered by the Nature Parks:

Cameras in Conservation Internship

Interns in this role worked with our conservation team to collect and analyse field data. This work helps monitor both native wildlife and introduced species and is essential to help inform future conservation outcomes and decisions. This internship provides industry experience in the fields of ecology and conservation.

Beach Nesting Birds Internship

Interns in this role help achieve our conservation outcomes by monitoring wildlife and introduced species with a focus on beach nesting birds, including hooded plovers. Interns assist the beach nesting birds team with conservation actions such as setting up nest refuges for endangered shorebirds and leading camera trapping projects on nest sites.

Volunteers, something for everyone!

Phillip Island Nature Parks volunteers help protect nature for wildlife and inspire others to act. Volunteers work directly with the Nature Parks team, assisting with visitor experience, threatened species monitoring, conservation and research, nursery and revegetation programs, wildlife research, rehabilitation, and care.

Note: Volunteer roles do not involve direct handling of wildlife.

Current Volunteers click here for resources and useful links!  

Who can become a volunteer?

Phillip Island Nature Parks is committed to diversity and inclusion as an organisation. We welcome volunteers with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and abilities. Each volunteer role has different requirements and commitments, and our Volunteer Coordinator is happy to support you to find a role that suits your abilities and interests.

All volunteers are required to:

• Complete our Induction and training, either online or face-to-face.
• Obtain a free Volunteer Working with Children Check (WWCC) (must be over 18). Employee WWCC and VIT registration are also accepted.
• Register on Better Impact, our volunteer management system.
• Manage their own signing up, volunteer hours, and other activities using the MyImpact portal.
• Adhere to relevant policies, procedures and OHS requirements while volunteering.
   

What are the benefits of volunteering?

Nature Parks volunteers contribute to both the community and our ecotourism, research, and conservation outcomes. Many of our roles have a strong social aspect either in the form of talking to visitors or working with our close-knit volunteer teams. Volunteers receive the same discounts and benefits as staff, including admission to our sites, discounted staff meals, and access to our employee assistance program. We celebrate our volunteer team at several events throughout the year, culminating in our annual National Volunteer Week event.

Volunteer Opportunities 

Some of our most popular volunteer opportunities are listed below. We do have other opportunities come up from time to time. These are promoted to all registered volunteers via our newsletter and email. Once on board, volunteers are always welcome to take up new opportunities provided you complete an induction and meet any qualifications required.

Engage with visitors from across Australia and around the world in our Visitor Experience roles. These roles are based across our four attractions:

The Penguin Parade: Join our visitors before the Penguin Parade and help set expectations for a high quality experience and build their understanding of the life of the little penguins. Once the penguins reach the water's edge, volunteers may be invited to assist with the nightly penguin count.

The Koala Conservation Reserve: Hang out on our tree top boardwalks and help our visitors spot the koalas amongst the manna gum trees. You can also head down to the bush stone-curlew aviaries where this threatened species is paving the way to be released back into the wild on Phillip Island (Millowl).

The Nobbies: Keep an eye out for whales, penguins, seals and birds of prey from our cliff-top boardwalks. Share information and current sightings with visitors.

Churchill Island: Chat with visitors about the farming activities, heritage gardens, and life on the island in the Samuel Amess era. Volunteers have the choice to wear historically accurate costumes that are provided by the Nature Parks.

Help us protect nature for wildlife by getting involved with our conservation and research teams. This role can get involved in several activities from revegetation, weed control, wildlife monitoring and more. Activities are driven by our conservation priorities and can be seasonal.

The Barb Martin Bushbank Nursery

Every Wednesday and Thursday the Volunteer team joins our nursery coordinator in propagating native plants for rehabilitation programs that contribute to habitat restoration on Phillip Island (Millowl). Suitable for a range of abilities and needs.

Curlew Custodians

Bush stone-curlews were last heard on Phillip Island in the 1970s, however we are working to re-introduce this species to Phillip Island (Millowl) as part of the Threatened Species Plan. Nature Parks has five birds in captivity at the Koala Conservation Reserve and this Volunteer team helps our conservation team by preparing and delivering food, tidying the aviaries, and recording observations and behaviour of the birds.

Hooded Plover Watch

'Hoodies' are small grey and white beach nesting birds. Their breeding season coincides with tourists hitting our beaches, putting their eggs and young at risk. The hooded plover watch helps monitor the birds and the data collected is added to the Birdlife Australia portal. Rangers use this data to track the birds, put signs up warning beach goers of their presence, and to know when the birds are ready for banding. This opportunity is seasonal and available between October and March each year.

To register as a volunteer please follow the link below. You can compete an expression of interest on our volunteer management platform, Better Impact and set up your account on the MyImpact portal.

Please remember your log in and password as volunteers will use this portal to sign up for activities and manage your volunteering experience at Nature Parks. We will contact you via email to share opportunities, invite you to an induction and training days and keep you up to date. Please note, it can sometimes be several weeks before an opportunity becomes available in your area of interest. 

Sign up and complete an expression of interest

More information

For any inquiries about volunteering or to seek alternatives to our online application process, contact our Volunteer Coordinator at volunteers@penguins.org.au or 0437 476 833.