This year we’re celebrating World Ranger Day (31 July) by highlighting some of our amazing people on nature’s frontline.

Today we’d like to introduce Melbourne Waterways ranger Carlos Guerrero Acosta. 

Originally from Venezuela, Carlos trained as an officer in the Venezuelan Navy for 4 years before choosing a career in the Merchant Marine. He sailed the world for 21 years captaining cargo ships, often at sea for 12 month stretches, before migrating to Melbourne in 2012. 

Carlos initially tried to get work at the Port of Melbourne but his Venezuelan qualifications were not recognised. Needing a job, he worked cleaning office windows, cleaning Bunnings stores and doing demolition on building sites. Keen to work on the water again, he approached Melbourne River Cruises and undertook training to drive small boats with outboard motors. He also needed to learn basic marine engineering to fix problems if anything went wrong during a tourist cruise. 

After 4 years running tours and captaining the floating restaurant, working every weekend, public holiday and festive event, Carlos got permanent residency. A chance conversation with Parks Victoria ranger Allison Sidwell during an event on the Yarra, set Carlos on course for a new career.

Carlos, proudly showcasing the Parks Victoria vessel. Credit: Parks Victoria. 

How long have you worked for Parks Victoria, and how long have you been a ranger? 

When I got permanent residency in 2019, I applied for a job at Parks Victoria and I got an interview but I failed to get the job. I tried checking, checking, checking, and applied again. Then I got a job in 2021 as a summer ranger. The next year they called me again to be a summer ranger and then I got a permanent job here. 

What do you enjoy about being a ranger? Walk us through a typical day for you on the Yarra and Maribyrnong Rivers. 

We fix different assets like jetties and piers to keep them safe. Today we used the pontoon with the crane to clean litter traps and collect a large log. Normally we put 4 empty baskets on the deck and fill them up with surface rubbish. Any broken tree we go, we cut it, grab it and bring it here and make mulch. People come and get the mulch for free.

Parks Victoria is in charge of cleaning 15 litter traps. Every year if you put all the rubbish that we collect from the 15 litre traps, you can fill the field of the MCG. To me it's a pleasure to come back and see the litter trap clean and see the water clean. This is because I've lived on the water for many years and I’ve seen so much rubbish. So, I enjoy cleaning water, going out and coming back after cleaning and seeing before and after.

Standing proud on one of the barges along the river. Credit: Parks Victoria.

Which is your favourite park?  

Well, believe it or not, I love Herring Island [on the Yarra River near Richmond]. It’s incredible. When I ran river cruises, I explained how it was created and some people from Melbourne had never heard about the island and never been there. I love that when you’re on Herring Island you feel like you are in a different place even when you are in the middle of the city. That's incredible to me.

What do you wish more people understood about our parks?

Well, I would like to tell people to enjoy a place, not only the parks, a city in a country like this. Don't take anything for granted. This is a lucky country. This is a great place to live, and this is a great job to have, very steady and the friendship here, especially this depot is very friendly. It's great coming to work and smiling every day. It's like a dream.

Driving his vessel and keeping our waterways safe. Credit: Parks Victoria

World Ranger Day 

Founded by the International Ranger Federation in 2007, World Ranger Day is internationally celebrated on 31 July. It's a day to celebrate the great work rangers do and commemorate those who are injured or killed in the line of duty. 

Our rangers come from all walks of life, and their work is as diverse as the environments they manage.  
We’re proud of the work they do every day – partnering with Traditional Owners and local communities to care for iconic landscapes and make sure all Victorians can enjoy the outdoors.

For more information on World Ranger Day, visit the International Ranger Federation’s website.