Researchers

Researchers are encouraged to contact the Station Director as soon as practical, especially as permits may be required from Queensland Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing or Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection, especially for research that must be performed outside of the Station and on neighbouring properties. You will also need to be aware of what facilities and equipment are locally available for your project.

Non-reusable and specialist items will either have to be supplied by the researchers or bought from the (very limited) Station supply.

Researchers will be encouraged to assist with meal preparation and clean-up, and general Station maintenance/cleaning (especially laboratories)– the Station does not have paid staff.

As part of the conditions for working at the Station, researchers are required to lodge a copy of any research outcomes with the Station for inclusion in the Station library.

Research projects covering rainforests, wetlands and shorelines to mammals, reptiles, insects as well as tourism/eco-tourism are all welcomed and encouraged. The more we can learn about this precious ecosystem the better it can be protected.

Vaccination
As we have a colony of spectacled flying foxes - which are our educational animals, it is a requirement for volunteers, interns, students and researchers to have a current rabies vaccination. They are a long-captive colony and are clean – but we are obliged to require anyone who wants to work on bats (any bats), or interact with them, to be immunised. It is highly unlikely that you would contract Australian Bat Lyssavirus (a form of rabies, and an extremely rare disease) from contact with them, however it’s better to be safe than sorry (and it’s the law)!

If you are not vaccinated – you won’t be allowed near the bats, which would be a shame. Besides, if you are travelling, especially in Asia, vaccination against rabies is considered wise.