Location: Dent Island (Hamilton Island Golf Course)

Weather: The sun has come back out after a few days of wet, humid grey stuff! 32c

Well the fun has been continuing in full effect. I know it’s supposed to have finished in theory this wonderful Best Job in the World gig but there have been a few offers which have been made since July which Bre and I have had to take up before leaving Hamilton Island!

Number One – Riding a Segway machine!!

I think I first saw one of these awesome machines back in the UK about ten years ago and have always wanted to jump on to see what they’re all about. When we visited Tangalooma resort on Moreton Island a few weeks back there were a few of these futuristic looking contraptions racing up and down the sandy beach and the temptation increased…

Segway Green info

When a guy called Eric from Tours Plus contacted me and suggested having a trial run on one of their Segways I jumped at the chance. So yesterday morning Bre and I made our way down to the Fantasea ferry to meet Eric and Louise who’d made it across from the mainland with a fleet of four Segway X2’s – the off-road version of their commuter model.

Tours Plus offer eco friendly tours throughout the Whitsundays and these machines can go so many places I wouldn’t have imagined; over long grass, through pretty deep sand and up fairly steep slopes too. It was time for us to learn a new skill…

We run through the basics; how to stand on them, leaning into turns, tilting forwards and backwards and then we’re off – on a small patch of concrete just to make sure we can handle them (in ‘turtle’ mode – the slowest pace to start off with). It’s such an awesome feeling once you’ve got the hang of it and one which really does feel really natural.

Ok these things are superb but you can’t legally drive them on the roads in Queensland, in fact in any of Australia. They’re legal in all but four states of the USA and by all accounts as a means of transport they work – environmentally friendly, no need to jump in a huge car as one person in a city, simple to operate, great for a sunny climate and above all FUN!!

I’d love to see people commuting in a city on these things – imagine it people! The future is here. Bre did bring up a good point though…if people starting using these instead of walking/cycling to work then surely it’ll mean a lot less exercise and a therefore higher obesity rates!

After an hour of familiarising ourselves with the machines it’s time to turn the heat up a bit – ‘turtle’ mode is replaced by ‘rabbit’ mode and the fun really starts…these things move I tell you, all of a sudden were racing not riding. I could get to work so much quicker if I got one!

This is not a blatant sale for Segway – this is really a chance to say there’s a few places here in Queensland that offer the chance to trial out these machines by taking a tour with them. Their environmental footprint is close to nothing, they are virtually silent in operation and the mark they leave on sand is even less than my print from my foot.

If you’re here in Queensland then have a go at any of these places:

Tours Plus, The Whitsundays

Tangalooma Island Report, Moreton Island, Brisbane

Novotel Twin Waters Resort, Sunshine Coast

Couran Cove Resort, Gold Coast

Corporate Xperiences, Brisbane

The end result of this little experiment is that I now really want one, I also really want the people who can make the changes in positions of power to ride one of these to see quite how good they could be worldwide in reducing our reliance on the motor car, the direct use of fossil fuels, driving vehicles with one person in and even the long lines of traffic we see in cities far too often.

If, and it’s a big IF, rules and regulations change I’d love to ride one of these into the office in Brisbane!

End of day location: Hamilton Island after lapping Dent Island

Distance covered: 20kms on an electric Segway