One of the most rewarding aspects of travel can be when you arrive at a destination and become instantly and unexpectedly embroiled in something bigger than yourself. At Spicers Hidden Vale in southeast Queensland a couple of years ago, I barely had time to dump my bags before I was bundled into a bus and driven into an oasis of bushland to join a research team tracking radio-collared koalas through the treetops.
Guests at Tasmania’s Saffire Freycinet are usually surprised to learn that the luxury lodge is part of a program trying to save the Tasmanian devil from extinction, and that they can help. At South Australia’s Arkaba Conservancy, you don’t just marvel at the results of 15 years of tireless native-flora regeneration efforts; you get out and plant some trees.
Many of Australia’s top lodges and resorts actively participate in crucial yet often overlooked conservation projects that guests are invited to be a part of. They feed our desire for immersive, hands-on experiences, where we both learn about and contribute to a cause we might not have been aware of before checking in.
If you want to support operators making a demonstrable difference to conservation, consider these options for your next trip.
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