The ultimate experience for anyone who wants to know what it feels like to be a ranger in a wildlife sanctuary
Bring your camera because there will be many special moments that you will want to keep forever
Adult Ranger-for-a-Day & Kid-Ranger Day Camps
What to expect
Have you ever wondered what really goes on ‘behind the scenes’ in a wildlife sanctuary? Come and spend a day experiencing it for yourself. This is not one of those ‘pretend’ programs where you pay to be entertained. This is the real thing, so be ready to put in a hard day’s work and, when you get home, feeling tired but proud of what you’ve achieved.
This is a real wildlife sanctuary where anything can happen ‘on the day’ so it is impossible to tell you exactly what to expect. However, your day is likely to look something like this:
- After a brief orientation, your ranger will give you an outline of the plan for the day (but remember, this is a real working wildlife sanctuary, so the plan will probably change).
- You may work with one or more rangers.
- Tell us your favourite animal and we will make sure that you get some special time with it.
- You are welcome to remain in our sanctuary after the program ends, to explore and to hang out with the animals until closing time.
- Your work may include any or all of the following:
Cleaning the animals’ sleeping areas
Preparing food for the animals
Changing ‘furnishings’ in the enclosures
Counting and health checking the animals
Minor repairs to the animals’ camps
Enrichment activities to give the animals something fun and interesting to do
Feeding the animals
Overseeing other visitors interacting with the animals
Ranger for a Day
- $165 adult age 16 up – 9:30am to 3:30pm – includes entry ticket.
- $165 teen age 13 to 15 – 9:30am to 3:30pm – includes entry ticket.
Available to book on most dates.
Public experience – This is usually a “public” experience (other people you don’t know may work with you), the maximum number of people working together will be 4.
- If other members of the public will be participating on the same day as you, participants will work within their age-range i.e. either age 13 to 15 OR age 16 up.
Private experience – If you would like a private experience without other members of the public working with you, you will need to book at least 4 tickets (4 participants or pay for 4).
- If there are more than 4 of you wanting to work together in a private group, that’s fine, just let us know and we will plan your workday for a larger group.
- Private groups can “mix up the ages” from 13 up including adults.
Kid-Ranger Day Camp
Subject to maximum numbers, activities with different age-groups may overlap giving older participants the opportunity to practice the ranger-skill of helping younger children.
Participant prices include entry tickets
- $60 – age 4 to 6 – 10am to 11:30am – parent must also participate and pay for a place at kids’ prices.
- $80 – age 7 to 9 – 10am to 12:30pm (11:30-ish refreshement break) – parents do NOT participate, but must be in the sanctuary in case needed so will need a normal entry ticket.
- $90 – age 10 to 12 – 10am to 2:30pm (12:30-ish lunch break) – parents do NOT participate, but must be in the sanctuary in case needed so will need a normal entry ticket.
Public workshop – dates will be advised
- Kid-Ranger Day Camps are usually a “public” experience (you may not know the other participants).
- The maximum number of participants will be 10.
- Age-range is different for different workshops, we limit the age-range to make sure the activities are age-appropriate for all participants.
Private workshop – book for any date subject to availability
- You can book a private Kid-Ranger Day Camp (minimum 10 participants or pay for 10).
- If there are more than 10 wanting to work together in a private group, that’s fine, just let us know and we will plan your workday for a larger group.
- You can “mix up the ages” if you are a private group – the cost per participant will be the same for all participants and determined by the length of the workshop.
What to bring
Small backpack so you can keep your gear with you in the field
Refillable water bottle
Warm jacket
Insect repellent
Sun screen
Hat or cap
Sunglasses
Spare pair of dry socks
Wet weather gear (this is a real sanctuary, so the animals need us to get on with the job even if it rains)
Your lunch, or you can purchase snacks and refreshments from the gift shop.
What to wear
The work is very physical so dress with this in mind
Hiking boots or supportive walking shoes (your feet will get tired)
Thick hiking socks
Long comfortable pants that are not too tight to move in
A comfortable t-shirt or cotton shirt that is long enough to cover your tummy if you have to stretch to reach things
Policies
Booking policy
Booking is essential. You can book online or by email info@walkaboutpark.com.au or telephone (02) 4375 1100.
Payment policy
Full payment must be made at the time of booking.
Cancellation policy
All payments are non-refundable. A 100% Cancellation Fee applies, although you may change the date – see “Rebooking policy”.
Rebooking policy
If you give us at least 48 hours notice, you may rebook for another date. A $20 per person rebooking fee will be charged.
All-Weather policy
This program goes ahead in almost all weather conditions, so bring your rain jacket and sunscreen. The animals needs us no matter what the weather. In fact, they usually need us more in extreme weather.
In the event that bad weather is expected and you are unsure if the program is going ahead, please call (02) 4375 1100 the day before your booking to check with us.
If Walkabout Park must cancel the program
It is very unlikely that we will cancel this program. We will only cancel if weather conditions are unsafe, or due to other circumstances that are beyond our control such as an animal emergency.
Whenever possible, if we must cancel we will contact you in advance and give you the option of either rescheduling to another date, or receiving a full refund.