Amanda is an Australian park Ranger whose career has taken her from the turquoise blue coast of South Australia to the broad red deserts of Central Australia and now the subtropical rainforests of the East Coast. She loves having the best job in the world in which she gets the opportunity to fight fires, monitor threatened species, use chainsaws and heavy machinery (aka fun toys), audit and hike long distance trails, occasionally fly across the landscape in a helicopter, and (the greatest privilege of all) work with Traditional Owners looking after Country. Well, that and clean toilets of course, can’t leave that out.
Inspired by the many Rangers she has worked with in her career, and with no film making or expedition experience, Amanda set off on a new mission on World Ranger Day (July 31) last year called Walking the Thin Green Line Oceania.
Over 366 days, through 8 nations and across 3 oceans, Amanda will travel over 80,000km meeting Rangers and recording their stories in a documentary.
She will also hike more than 1500km to honour the more than 1500 Rangers killed in the line of duty since official records began in 2009.
Amanda will be raising vital funds for the Thin Green Line Foundation’s Oceania Fund to support Ranger led projects around the Oceania region.
Amanda will complete her epic self-funded journey on World Ranger Day this year on the southernmost point of mainland Australia at Wilson’s promontory National Park after more than 35,000km of driving, close to 200 Ranger interviews, more than 25 terabytes of footage, dozens of walking trails and peaks, over 30 flights, more than a dozen boats and ferries, 8 sim cards, 2 Garmin inReach’s and more illnesses than you can count on one hand.
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Show notes
Who is Amanda
Working as a Park Ranger on the East Coast of Australia
Being a passionate conservationist
Not being scared of doing her own things
Her passion for the environment and getting people excited about it
Wanting to encourage women and young girls to pursue their dreams
Her early years and growing up wanting to be a geologist
Being sports and enjoying spending time outside
Her journey to becoming a Park Ranger
Starting work as a fine dining chef
Learning about the slow food movement in Italy
Being involved in the ‘Youth Food Movement’ 2008
Wanting to do more to contribute to the world
Going to The University of Queensland, Brisbane to study Natural Resource Management
Doing a course called - Protected Area Management
Being inspired by Rangers and the work they were doing
What do Park Rangers do - in Western Australia
Walking the thin Green Line
Preparation and planning for the Expedition
How the idea came about
Hiking 1,600km by the end of her journey to reflect on the 1,600 rangers who have lost their lives while serving
The goals for the expedition and what she wants to achieve
Spending 366 days on the road
Starting on World Ranger Day - 31st July 2022 and finishing on World Ranger Day 31st July 2023
Planning, logistics and financing the expedition
Connecting with people and getting tips and advice from film makers
Starting with a map, crunching the numbers and figuring out what the weather was doing
The challenges and obstacles with planning along the way
Only being able to plan a few weeks in advance and dealing with the stress that brings
Self funding the challenge and receiving financial support from her sister and other family members
Losing sponsorship due to floods in Eastern Australia and needing to make alternative arrangements
Feeling comfortable taking calculated risks
Being all in and knowing the financial risks
Meeting incredible people on the journey
Speaking to Rangers and filming them for the documentary
Visiting Papua New Guinea, Indonesia
The connection between rangers
What’s going to happen over the next 6 months
Having a 3 year plan
Making a documentary about the journey and wanting to share the stories
Going back to work full time work in August 2023
The lessons learned from the trip
Becoming the first ‘Ranger Ambassador’ for the Thin Green Line Foundation
The unique challenges faced by female rangers
The importance of having women involved in conservation
How to connect with Amanda
Final words of advice
Why you should consider working in conservation especially in Protected Area Management
Social Media
Website: www.walkingthethingreenline.com
Instagram: @walkingthethingreenline
Facebook: @walkingthethingreenline
The Thin Green Line - “A global not-for-profit organisation that provides support to rangers, because rangers are the frontline professionals protecting wildlife and the natural world. We do this by providing effective training, vital equipment, and emergency support to rangers and their families, and developing strong global networks for rangers and their communities.”
Website: thingreenline.org.au
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