Useful Information About Australia
From lush tropical rainforest to endless stretches of winding white sand beaches, from picturesque rolling hills to red stained mountains and from sandy deserts to pristine lakes, Australia truly has some of the world’s most inspiring landscapes. And that’s even before you dive below the surface off the coast – characterised by the world-renowned Great Barrier Reef. The vastness of empty space across the country is contrasted with bustling cityscapes – each with its own unique blend of people and lifestyle.
To read more about Australia’s climate, geography, history, culture and biodiversity, please click here.
Further information about the programme
This organisation has been operating for 25 years educating people about the Great Barrier Reef and performing research. At the start of 2017, they decided to commit more time to researching the reef and have designed the internship programme specifically to improve research, education and conservation efforts on the reef. This programme has a variety of marine conservation, education and research projects that are either ongoing or in the planning stages. Below you can read more about them.
Eye On The Reef: This is a government-run (through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority) programme. One way to achieve the goal of committing more time and resources to researching the GBR is to assist this already well-established methodology. It is a fantastic survey to get you involved and learning different methods.
AIMS Collaboration Programme: The project is the leading partner in a brand new photo enhancement project, working with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), funded by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. This project assists AIMS long-term monitoring project that has been running since 1993 and the Eye on the Reef program in collecting an extra set of data that will be used to track changes in the reef over the years. You can be an integral part of the initial set up and continuing success of this project that combines science, management and the tourism industry.
Marine Education: Lots of our education programmes are only in the early stages of planning so you will be an integral part of creating and implementing these into local schools and communities. Some of the projects that we have developing are:
- School marine display competition. There are two versions of this project. This can be done in a school between classes or/ and between different schools in the area.
- Design and create resources for schools. The two main mediums we like to focus on are print and video resources.
- School presentations: We go to local schools and deliver fantastic reef information sessions for them; working with the next generation to create future marine biologists!
- In classroom activities and resources for teachers
- Educational videos for wider audiences
- Social media engagement and information
Videos
Check out this amazing underwater footage of the Great Barrier Reef, including the corals, sea turtles, and fish species that you will see during your internship
What your funds are used for
This is a private organisation that has been running for 25 years with no government funding. It is through this internship programme that they can support the commitment to performing more research, education and conservation on the reef. However, the programme can only be successful with participants help, both through the time and skills you bring and the funding you provide. Your internship fee goes towards your accommodation and sea time, running costs and the majority goes towards the research, education and conservation project costs. The costs of this internship are higher than some other reef projects around the world, this is because Australia has extensive workplace health and safety laws and Queensland diving rules are the strictest and most comprehensive in the world, making it also the safest place to do any kind of inwater activities.
