Volunteer!

Volunteering with Bendigo Winter Night Shelter is an immensely rewarding experience

Our shelter program has many moving parts, and we simply could not operate without the wide range of gifts, skills and abilities our volunteers provide. If you’re looking for a way to give back to the community, we are sure you will find BWNS a satisfying and meaningful place to volunteer.

Scroll down for a description of the various roles and shifts available.

Exercise your volunteering muscles

Our program gives you the opportunity to exercise your unique volunteering skillset. Like all exercise, you  choose how frequently you volunteer.

We appreciate what you do, because a fully functional shelter depends on you!

Hospitality
Serving our guests an evening meal, and helping them get a good night's rest
Transport
Transporting guests between our safe and welcoming meeting point and the cozy private accommodation in our mini-bus
Logistics
Leading teams, ensuring the accommodations are ready for guests and all provisions are stocked
People Care
Making our guests feel welcomed, cared for, safe, and most importantly, valued

Roles and Shifts

Meeting Point
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM

Meet and greet guests at Salvation Army (Gravel Hill), bag check, assist with bus onboarding and travel to/from Koolamurt 

1 Leader + 1 Helper
Bus PM
5:00 PM – 6:30 PM

Support meeting point (Salvation Army Gravel Hill) and drive guests to Koolamurt.

Note: Prefer back to back shifts (e.g. PM one day AM next day).

1 Driver + 1 Helper
Evening
5:30 PM – 10:30 PM

Welcome guests to Koolamurt, settle  into cabins, provide care/ social interaction and be on hand to respond to enquiries/needs. 

1 Leader + 2 Helpers
Meal Provider
6:00 PM

Deliver cooked meal (mains course and dessert) to feed 12 people to kitchen volunteers at Koolamurt by 6:00 PM. (Recipe book provided).

1 Leader (for delivery)
Kitchen
5:30 PM – 8.00 PM

Prepare kitchen and dining room at Koolamurt, receive dinner from meal provider, serve dinner and clean up.

Note: May be asked to stay longer by Evening Shift Leader.

2 Helpers
Overnight
10:30 PM – 6:30 AM

On site at Koolamurt to respond to guest enquiries/needs. 

Note: Fold out beds provided for volunteers to use.

1 Leader + 1 Helper
Morning
6:30 AM – 8:30 AM

Wake guests up and check out from Koolamurt.  Clean up kitchen, check cabins and lock up site.

Note: May be asked to ride on bus with guests until 9.00am by Morning Shift leader.

1 Leader + 1 Helper
Bus – AM
7:30 AM – 9:00 AM

Support Koolamurt Morning Shift and drive guests to MADCOW for breakfast.

Note: Prefer back to back shifts (e.g. PM one day AM next day)

1 Driver + 1 Helper

Volunteer 2026

2026 season volunteer applications are now open.

Please register as a volunteer using this link to Better Impact.

Information about the shifts can be found at Better Impact and above

Please note registration is a two step process:

Step 1. You enter your details

Step 2. Once you are approved you will be notified to go back into the system and choose the shifts that you want.

Please email [email protected] with any queries.

Join The Team!

As well as volunteering at the shelter, there are many other ways you can contribute to our operations. You can become a member of Bendigo Winter Night Shelter, which gives you a say in how we run, or by joining our board or operations teams to drive our operations.