Forty years of volunteer hosts in SA’s national parks
A long-running National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) volunteer initiative has celebrated a significant anniversary.
The Campground Host Program’s 40th anniversary was celebrated on May 14 with an event for volunteers at Deep Creek National Park.
Campground hosts are volunteers that stay in national park campgrounds and support park rangers and campers during peak times, such as long weekends and school holidays.
Since 1985, more than 450 campground hosts have welcomed people to parks in 18 different parts of the state, including Deep Creek, Coffin Bay, Little Dip and even more remote locations like Innamincka Regional Reserve.
A host’s duties can include:
- Welcoming visitors and providing information about campsite facilities and attractions
- Sharing information about local flora, fauna and natural and cultural attractions
- Regularly checking facilities and liaising with park rangers to ensure the campgrounds are tidy
The South Australian campground hosts program was based on a volunteering scheme that began in 1980 at California’s Joshua Tree National Park.
Similar programs soon sprung up interstate, including in Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, the Northern Territory and Queensland.
NPWS Community and Nature Partnerships Manager Helen Donovan said that, if you were an avid camper, you probably had come across a campground host in one of our beautiful national parks.
“Volunteer campground hosts generously give their time to make sure that your stay in a park is a safe and enjoyable one,” Dr Donovan said.
“I want to thank everyone who has volunteered their time as part of this great program, and strongly encourage anybody interested in becoming a campground host to put their hand up and get involved.”
Campbell Black has been a campground host for more than 35 years and said there was not much of South Australia that he and wife had not seen.
“Being a campground host is wonderful – you meet people from all walks of life and are in a position to help them appreciate our beautiful national parks,” Mr Black said.
“There are some places, like Katarapko in Murray River National Park and Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park on the Yorke Peninsula, that are dear to my heart, but we are so lucky to have so many beautiful parks in South Australia.”
Anyone interested in becoming a campground host can visit: https://www.parks.sa.gov.au/volunteer/campground-hosts-program
