Location: Hamilton Island
Weather: Scattered clouds, blue skies and 26°c. We need more wind for Race Week though!
An overnight trip to the Gold Coast….
Since starting the job as the Island Caretaker a few things have changed and life’s become a little easier:
- I’m now using a MacBook instead of a PC – ‘Once you go Mac you never go back’
- Virgin Blue very kindly let me use their VIP Lounge at Brisbane airport!
- Speaking in front of a large crowd using the contents of my head with no prompt cards no longer fills me with ‘The Fear’ and I rather enjoy it…..
Tourism Futures conference
A high speed dash down to the Marriott Hotel on the Gold Coast was today’s task for the Tourism Futures conference, a three day event involving key members of the industry from Australia and around the world.
BBC World were acting as the international media partners for the event with their reporter Nick Bryant hosting a question and answers session on the stage in front of 200 dinner guests for myself and two other speakers.
Tania Major is a hard talking, go-getter of a girl who won ‘Young Australian of the Year’ for her work helping indigenous communities. She runs her own awareness campaigns relating to the subject and is currently studying in her final year of a Phd. Her aboriginal roots give her a wealth of knowledge and experience on the subject and she has strong views on how tourism should not exploit but instead involve rural areas of Australia – those which are often overlooked by a high percentage of visitors to the country.
Laurel Papworth is Miss Social Network. Her work over the internet with blogging, twitter and social networking have pushed her site to the fourth most popular blog in Australia and the 127th in the world apparently! She’s heavily involved watching the internet, technological developments and commenting on it for both herself and business – many of whom consult with her about marketing and the future online. She’s one step ahead of most of us when it comes to the E-World and has interesting ideas on the next leap forward after Twitter etc. – some of it just a little scary!
We spoke for around ten minutes on each one of our specialist subjects, mine being ‘Life as the Island Caretaker’, the campaign behind it and how Australia is viewed on the international market. For once not even a bead of sweat left my forehead as I delivered my lines!
A hour spent socialising afterwards threw up a few familiar faces and interesting conversations. Networking is something I’d never really got into before but I’m starting to realise the massive importance of it for the generation of ideas and collection of future contacts. Let’s get talking people!
After a hearty breakfast it was a quick farewell to Bre, who’d joined me for the night having taken time out from her hectic schedule of stunt training down here at Movie World, into my waiting car and back to Brisbane airport for the flight to Hamilton Island.
End of day location: Back on Hamilton Island after a day away
Distance travelled: 2000kms
8 Comments
QT the site info is good at the moment keep up the good work
I have clients planning a visit to Noosa the national parks back through Montville Wildhorse Mountain lookout Steve Erwins back to Bris
THIS IS AWESOME! I just happened to catch the “tail-end” of the show featuring the, “Best Job in the World Contest.” That was a while ago. CONGRATULATIONS BEN!!!
I just started a blog about work: ajabatwork.blogspot.com and needed some ideas about where to start. After racking my brain for a while, I typed, “Best Job in the World” in the URL, and was flabbergasted when it brought me to your site. I admit that I had kind of forgotten about this whole thing. I MEAN, HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE? Then I noticed the ad for helpers! Awesome! Even I can write about that; A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THIS!
I see that you’re on Twitter etc., which is why I’m surprised that I’m just now hearing about this. Anywho, I will do my part to get the word out. By the way, I am so glad that you mentioned how you had not been a big social-networking person… because that is one of the 1st things that I addressed on my blog, specifically, I had never been a networking kind of person. Now I’m building a blog!? So, if anyone who is reading this has time… please visit, ajabatwork.blogspot.com , answer some surveys, give your critique, and offer some advice. I could use all of the feedback/technical expertise that anyone has to offer.
As you can see, Ben I too am becoming a social-networking convert. Who knew that it was ok to need others?
Finally, I have a few questions for my blog.
1) Is the new contest for “Caretaker Helpers” open to US Citizens?
What environmental or other issues concern the local indigenous population?
2) As caretaker, do you have any maintenance duties?
3) Is your role mostly tourist/real-estate/PR related?
4) How many other people live on the Island?
5) In what activities may people participate on the Island?
6) How do people get to & from the island? What airlines/airports are there? What other transport is there?
7) Is there a vibrant indigenous community there? Is there a condo/rental cottage/bed & breakfast-type tourist community there?
9)What is your typical day there like?
10)What do you do during your free time / What interesting/unexpected things have happened since you took this job?
Thanks.
(By the way, don’t feel pressure to answer all of those. Just the ones that have ready answers, or those that interest you.)
AJAB
ajabatwork@yahoo.com ajabatwork@gmail.com ajabatwork.blogspot.com
Enjoy your blog Ben but can you arrange to have it broken up into smaller parts, it’s so large now that my computer jams when trying to read previous entries or comments
Hi! Ben. Just wanted to say that you are the best man for the job! You are really selling the “island paradise” as a tourist desto and I just wanted to say “good on ya”
Thanks for the support it’s good to hear that the blogs are to your liking…trying very hard to make them as interesting as possible for you all!
Ben
wow Ben! you certainly are having some awesome adventures out there! good to see they choose the best guy for the job. i met your parents and uncle and aunt in my shop in Portsmouth yesterday, its clear they are very proud of you!
keep up the fantastic work and i look forward to reading your next update!
You really did a great job. That was amazing. You deserve a commendation Ben…You’re such a model caretaker. I read some of your blogs and my whole family love it. Keep it up. Lav ya blog men!!!!
Thank you so much for your kind words, I have tried to produce something that keeps people interested, shows all side of the Islands of the GBR and introduces to the world what is possible! Ben