Form a lasting connection with nature when you get involved with a Parks Connect program

In late 2024, NPAQ was granted funding from the Queensland Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation to work collaboratively with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to pilot an exciting new Parks Connect program in South East Queensland.

Connecting people & parks

Throughout 2025, NPAQ and the QPWS will be actively engaging the public with a raft of hands-on Parks Connect events and opportunities that not only underscore the ‘Connect’ theme in Queensland’s Protected Area Strategy 2020–2030 but also:

    • excite kids and families about our national parks and the fauna and flora that dwell there
    • build a network of dedicated park volunteers and supporters to protect our wild places and welcome and guide tourists and local visitors
    • encourage greater community engagement, enticing a diversity of people from all walks of life into South East Queensland’s national parks to appreciate all they offer
    • help ease the load on rangers and present a recruitment pathway for keen future park rangers.

What are you waiting for? Get involved with one of the fantastic Parks Connect programs listed below and start enjoying Queensland’s awe-inspiring national parks and reserves. 

Junior Ranger

Take your kids on an unforgettably wild adventure by signing them up to Junior Ranger events for kids aged 5–7 years, 8–12 and 12–14 years! The Parks Connect Junior Ranger Program operates out of Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Gateway Visitor Centres—David Fleay Wildlife Park (Burleigh Heads) and Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre (Enoggera) or select national parks. Choose from a range of events (some featuring encounters with Queensland’s unique wildlife), valuable nature learnings, and creative nature-based tasks that will inspire an ongoing love for conserving Australia’s flora, fauna and wild habitats.

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Cadet Ranger – MAY 2025

An ongoing adventure for youths aged 13–18 years eager to work in wildlife conservation and national park management, the Cadet Ranger program kicks into action from May 2025. Building natural history knowledge and outdoors skills, the program encourages nature-loving teens to delve deeply into caring for Queensland’s wild places. Cadet Rangers gain knowledge critical to the role of a Park Ranger, including hands-on conservation experiences, ecological skills training and citizen science activities to deepen their connection with our protected areas—all while increasing their ability to work as a team. They’ll also have fun doing it!

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Image: Shirley Claassen/Dreamstime

Volunteer Ranger – MAY 2025

Are you keen to get some work experience? Maybe you’re an ex-ranger or Friends of Parks volunteer who wants to pass on your natural history knowledge and enrich the visitor experience in South East Queensland’s national parks? If so, the Volunteer Ranger program is for you! The program trains and supports adult Queenslanders, equipping them with the skills to engage with visitors and perform day-to-day activities that help national parks thrive, such as maintaining trails, managing visitor expectations, taking guided tours, and ensuring amenities and campsites are well maintained. To register your interest, please click the button below.

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Image: Rafael Ben Ari/Dreamstime

Park of the Month – JULY 2025

Reconnect with nature and your community with Park of the Month! Set in a different SEQ park each month, Park of the Month encourages everyone to learn more about their local national parks, conservation parks and reserves – and the species that live there. By attending activities and events on park, you’ll improve your connection with nature and your mental and physical wellbeing. Whether guided walks, cultural understandings, citizen science initiatives, birdwatching tours, spotlighting events, demonstrations of how to pitch a tent or pack a backpack, bushcraft tips, arts and crafts, damper-making or rewarding nature-based art activities, Park of the Month promises to be a refreshing nature-escape to add to your calendar.

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Campground Host – JULY 2025

Are you a vanlifer, grey nomad or seasoned camper with your own camping set-up who enjoys extended camping stays in national parks? Do you have bushcraft experience or natural history knowledge you wish to share with the next generation of happy campers in exchange for free camping and other perks? The Parks Connect Campground Host program offers adult Queenslanders with the relevant skills and experience the chance to camp for FREE when they get involved in activities that help Park Rangers manage SEQ’s national park campgrounds, including engaging with campers; explaining local features, tours, and activities; illuminating visitors about the site’s wildlife and habitats; reporting to Park Rangers about conditions; and day-to-day campground maintenance and management.

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Parks Connect is proudly supported through funding from the Queensland Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation.