Where on earth do I start this blog? It’s been such a busy weekend down here on the Gold Coast and it’s all because of one of Queensland’s most popular sporting events is happening here – the Gold Coast Marathon.

Last year I entered the half marathon but this year I thought I’d step up a level to the full 42km marathon on Sunday. Having just come back from South Africa where I ran the 89km Comrades I knew I could do the distance but I thought I’d try and beat my personal best time of 3:47 set back in 2006 at the London Marathon.

I left Brisbane on Friday morning and drove down the coast ready for another energetic full-on weekend of activities; first appointment being the Gold Coast Marathon Gala Dinner. As a Tourism Ambassador I’ve been promoting this weekend’s running festival in different countries to try and attract as many people here as possible and the dinner acts as the official start to the weekend.

It’s a source of great motivation too with inspirational images, movies and talks from some of Australia’s best known runners and is attended by the likes of Pat Carroll and Rob de Castella (two famous Australian 2:10 marathon runners in case you didn’t recognise them!). Lee Troop is one of the speakers, has attended the last two Olympics and hopes to get to the next one. I feel full of drive and optimism now for my own race on Sunday!

Today Show

The alarm clock thunders through my head the next morning at 5am and I wonder what on earth the fuss is all about…oh yes I’m doing a live broadcast as part of Channel Nine’s coverage of the weekend! Emma, Beth and Mary from TQ have arranged for me to go on-air with Emma Freedman during her weather crosses on the show and it all takes place down at Sea World. We’re joined there by the characters from Sesame Street and have loads of fun watching jetboats and helicopters race around!

Q1 & QDeck

Whilst I’m down here I thought I’d try and fit in some of the must-do’s too and Q1 was high on that list as it’s the highest residential building in the world. It’s the tallest building by far on the Gold Coast towering above everything around it at 322 metres high and perched at the 230m mark is QDeck where there’s a restaurant and bar…plus of course cracking views both up and down the coast. Even the lift is pretty amazing as it whisks you up 77 floors in just 43 seconds…so fast that my ears popped on the way!

My evening is a much more relaxed affair in preparation for the big race tomorrow, I’m staying at the Marriot hotel and decide to order a fat pasta meal and a movie to fall asleep to. I always struggle to fall asleep the night before a big race and finally doze off hours after I intended to…

Gold Coast Marathon

I whip open the curtains my first look is up to the heavens – yes the stars are out which means when the sun finally comes up it’s going to be a clear day! I had visions of wind and rain which help no-one on a day like this. If records are going to tumble then conditions need to be good.

Just after 5:15am we arrive at the corporate section of the race start area; I have a job to do before the big one and that’s an interview with the local radio station, Sea FM. Once that’s out of the way I go through my pre-race preparations – vaseline between my toes and taping up my nipples!

The start area is alive with people, the Japanese contingent is big this year with over a thousand people having made the trip from their little island all the way here. The countdown starts and then just as the sun injects some light and warmth into the chill morning air we’re off….I’m running again and I love it! I’ve trained and run in a few different countries throughout my life but I can honestly say that the view across the beach to the ocean this morning is one of the most beautiful and motivating I’ve been lucky enough to witness. It certainly beats training for the London Marathon back home during winter!

I’d thought early on about going for a fast time, my previous best was 3:47 minutes set a few years ago in London and I’ve decided that today was the day to try and beat it. As I came around the last corner of the 42km course I spotted the timing clock reading just under 3:30 minutes and made a final dash to the line finishing in 3:27 mins – 20 minutes faster than my previous best! Awesome news and well worth the aching legs afterwards. The evidence is here

No sooner had I changed out of my race gear than it was back to work. Tourism Queensland Korea have brought across a group of children across to take part in one of the other running events on this weekend, the 2km Junior Dash. Eight of them have made their first trip to Australia and it was cool to be able to sit with them and hear their stories of their own races. I told them a few about the Best Job and their eyes all lit up when I showed them my finishers medal as it was much bigger than theirs. Maybe one day they’ll come back and get their own

I love gadgets and my new Garmin watch allowed me to record my route and times which you can see below or click here for more detail:

Two more interviews before I could retire for the day, one with a Korean running magazine and then a live web-cast with the Gold Coast marathon team! The fun never stops

Balunjali cultural tours

The last thing my legs wanted to do at 6am the day after a marathon was leave the comfort of my warm bed…but when the offer of spending a Monday morning paddling around the Gold Coast waterways was offered I couldn’t refuse. I’ve had some pretty grim Monday mornings in my life; recovering from the weekend’s hangover, heading back to my office desk or working in a garden gnome factory as I once did…I honestly, truly did!

There are kayaking operators up and down the coastline of Queensland all offering the chance to get out onto the water in pretty stable boats exploring the differing coastline from here all the way up to Cooktown in the north. Balunjali do it in a way that I’d not yet experienced – integrating the indigenous side of Australia’s history into the entire experience.

The minibus and trailer pulled up outside the hotel with Mark and Josh onboard ready to whip me and the other passengers out to The Spit where we’d launch the boats. The morning was just about perfect with sunshine and a light breeze and we unloaded the kayaks from the trailer and down onto the sandy slipway across the water from Wavebreak Island. The sit-atop kayaks are so simple to use; wide, balanced, floatey and with loads of storage space so anyone can just jump onboard for the first time and feel confident. Josh’s family are the traditional owners of the land here and their history goes back hundreds of years giving him a complete understanding of the way the earth, water and creatures of the area work together. Having the input of someone as knowledgable as Josh makes Balunjali stand out as a ‘real’ Aboriginal experience and as the day unfolds we learn lots more…

As I dipped my toes in the water for the first time I flinched slightly at the temperature…and then remembered this is the coldest its likely to get all year – toughen up Southall! Our group of 11 paddled our way across the seaway and fifteen minutes later had arrived on Wavebreak Island, a man-made sand bar that protects the Gold Coast shoreline from the heavy winter swells which can pound the coast. The offer of a snorkel came next and I suppose I considered myself a bit of a Barrier reef snob, you know what it’s like – once you’ve seen the best nothing else really comes up to the mark. But I was taken aback and pleasantly surprised by what I found beneath the surface.

I took as slice of bread down with me and the sheer number of fish was awesome…bream, small parrotfish, yellow pufferfish, flute fish and even a couple of batfish. I’m glad I took my camera with me and I even had them eating out of my hand. Well it was in the job description for Island Caretaker…FEED THE FISH!! The chill of the morning swim was reversed by the spread of traditional Aussie food laid out for us by the kayaks; Lamingtons, Damper bread and Anzac cookies – perfect to get the blood flowing again!

Our next stop was just across the water to South Stradbroke Island the home of the elusive Golden Wallaby – something I’d never even heard about but was keen to track down. Josh would be the man for the job here as he has the knowledge necessary to track and spot them in the bush. As a group we followed Mark and Josh through the wooded area to a clearing where Josh carried out a traditional ceremony using white ochre which he wiped across our foreheads, hands and feet to cleanse us. And then we were ready. Off on a Wallaby hunt…but with cameras not guns.

Their tracks were all over the place, easy to spot in the soft sand with the distinctive two long rear feet and one tail-trail but all appeared at least a few hours old..and then Josh was off. He’d spotted something in the distance and we all waited, crouching down being as quiet as possible. Then in the distance we spotted it…but a normal, bog standard Wallaby not the special Golden one which can only be found on South Stradbroke – this 22km long sand island, the forth largest in the world. It raced towards us as Josh had moved all the way around behind it and driven it through the bush towards us…in a second it was gone but just enough time to snap a quick photo.

We continued our walk across the island until we’d completed a 360 degree loop and found ourselves back at the launch beach, our kayaks obiediently waiting on the sand. As we paddled out into open water I glanced across at the city skyline in the distance and realised this is a pretty unique tour and experience. 10 minutes drive from Q1 and I’m here learning about Aboriginal culture in the bush tracking wildlife. My short half day adventure is just one of a range of options from one to three day trips during which everything is done in a traditional way. Totally amazing and a must do if you’re staying down here…ever!

Time to let the body recover now I think…

Ben

As soon as I’d landed and thrown my clothes in the washing machine it was straight back out to meet and greet the team from Channel News Asia; Amelia the producer, Sophian the cameraman and the presenter Tim.

They’re over from Singapore to film the final installment in a series entitled “I get paid to do what I love” that features people who have great jobs, which they thoroughly enjoy, and mine qualifies!

Over the course of the next three days I take them around some of the sights and activities which southern Queensland has on offer and here are just a few of the highlights:

Riverlife Outdoor Activity Centre – based right in the centre of the city Riverlife has become an institution and offers so many different activities you’ll never get bored. With Tim fresh out of the office it was a little harder than I ‘d hoped to get him into the Island Caretaker’s lifstyle and trying out what was on offer.

I did manage to get him onto the water with a little bit of persuasion from Amelia his producer and into a kayak…although you can see from the photos that he didn’t do too much work – in fact I ended up towing him up the river whilst he read the newspaper!

Once we dried off it was time for activity number two, abseiling. But this time Tim was nowhere to be seen…where had he gone? Come on you’re meant to be enjoying this and taking part! Now I’ve never particularly liked heights so the thought of lowering myself off the cliffs at Kangaroo Point wasn’t something I raced to do…but life is all about taking on your fears and this was no exception!

Blair my instructor had setup all of the kit at the top and once Sophian the cameraman was ready I put on the harness and prepared to lower myself over the rather high edge. Keep smiling Ben – you’re on camera here! Once I’d conquered the edge and lowered myself far enough down to become horizontal it was all a little easier and I made my way to the ground below….what?? You need me to do it again? Oh you’ve got to love the world of television!

Story Bridge Climb – With my temporary fear of heights conquered it was time to test it out again with a rather different form of altitude-induced giddiness. The iconic Story Bridge spans the Brisbane River between Kangaroo Point and Fortitude Valley and a walkway allows people to walk over the superstructure giving unbeatable views of the city surrounds. As the sun drops out of the winter sky and beyond the horizon the sound of the traffic far below is lost as we all stand there and soak up the moment together. I’ve done this twice now and I can promise the experience doesn’t fail to loose its appeal.

Cloudland – The is one place to take a film-crew for dinner is you want to impress them and that’s Cloudland. It really is unique in Brisbane and probably Australia. Based on four levels this super-club has a fully retracting roof for those sultry nights, a huge white marble bar downstairs and then upstairs a crazy bubble bar. The place is designed to the eyeballs and has so many cool/strange/bizarre/interesting corners and design features. Well worth a look if you’re in the area.

Tangalooma Resort – The life of an Island Caretaker of course revolved around the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef but to highlight the lifestyle in a single day we had to head a little closer to home – Moreton Island is only 90 minutes away from Brisbane by boat. We all headed across Moreton Bay and soon the familiar sight of Tangalooma resort came into view. Once we’d tied up, Henk the manager was there to meet us and told us of our busy day’s activities. First stop the drive inland to ‘The Desert‘ for a spot of sand tobogganing. We had great fun flying down the sandy slopes and I even remembered to keep my mouth closed after eating half the dune last time around when I was here with Bre last year. The vast expanses of white sand really are a sight to behold and the mainly Asian market who accompanied us up there loved every second of it.

No time for resting though as the afternoon had more fun lined up with an ATV bike ride up around the off-road course filming some of the ‘normal’ activities I get to do in my job. As the sun dropped out of the sky once more there was time for one more activity before heading back to the mainland – feeding the dolphins! Even though I’ve done this before the feeling of hand feeding these incredible creatures just doesn’t get any more fascinating. The one thing I learnt this time was that in the past the dolphins have actually brought gifts back to the marine biologists who feed them including fish and eels which are now kept in a preserving tank! How cool is that?

We head down to the Gold Coast for the next couple of days…

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary – Having been restricted to mainly the islands during the Best Job I hadn’t been down the coast to some of the really amazing wildlife sanctuary’s and a visit to Currumbin was well overdue. The place is huge covering roughly the same area as the theme park Movie World and really accessible with wide open spaces filled with some of Australia’s best known animals. But there are other things going on behind the scenes which we took time to film, the introduction of a new animal hospital which has recently opened adds a new, educational side to the sanctuary and one which is essential for the local community too.

Jonathon (CEO) and Andrew (Vet) showed us around and explained that how the hospital has be such an important addition to the local animal welfare community with the RSPCA and other organisations bringing their injured wild patients to the hospital for treatment. They have around 30 cases arriving everyday. Their most common casualties are the Rainbow Headed Lorikeets who fly at ridiculous speeds but unfortunately sometimes into buildings and cars. One of their more unusal patients is the Echidna which we met and was run over by a car resulting in a broken rear leg. Poor thing and with all those needles it looked even more sorry for itself!

The sanctuary itself was full of people all enjoying and learning about Australia’s wildlife with shows, demonstrations and even a mini-train which takes you from area to area past the too-chilled-out kangaroos, the slightly odd emus and onto the aboriginal dance show. Now I’ve come to realise that as soon as I go anywhere near one of these I am instantly recruited to dance…I have two left feet and can’t!! Always good fun for everyone watching, not so good for me.

As we leave the sanctuary I have to show the crew the beach here at Currumbin. I mean it’s a perfect winter’s day, it’s the weekend and the surfers are all out on the last few waves of the day so hopefully we can pick up some tips for the morning as our last activity is exactly that….

Surfing with ‘Go Ride A Wave’ – As the alarm rings I realise that the late night sat up watching the FIFA World Cup may not have been such a good idea as I’m exhausted and ready to sleep some more…but as I look out of the window I realise that the surf actually looks superb through the window and not being someone to waste a moment I head down to the beach to meet the crew and Sam our instructor for the morning’s endeavours.

I’ve surfed a few times before but never to any sort of decent standard and as we kit up and head out the waves look particularly destructive…it’s low tide, there’s a sandbar right in front of us and the waves are crashing down onto it…could make the paddle out interesting anyway!

Tim and I have a great time getting smashed by the waves, swallowing litres of the Pacific Ocean and emptying the sand out of our eyes/ears/nose and before we know it the lesson is over. But like every surfer knows…just one more wave!

Job done…

It’s been a superb couple of days into which we have crammed as much as we can to give the crew from Channel News Asia and idea of exactly why it is called ‘The Best Job in the World’ and enough material for them to produce their 23 minute episode as the season finale of their program. Greg transports us all back up the coast to Brisbane where the crew jump on-board their flight back to Singapore and I head home to unpack, wash and start to get used to life in Brisbane for more than a ten day period. I haven’t had that since moving here in January!!

Once the program has been edited and is ready to go to air I will make sure I put it up here for you all to see!

Over the next few weeks I intend trying out lots of the local attractions around the area and reporting the experiences all back here to the blog for you to read about. On top of that there’s the Gold Coast marathon looming large on Sunday 4th July which I hope I’ve done enough training for and of course planning my expedition ready for next year.

Life continues at the usual crazy pace…

Oh one more thing before I go, if you haven’t seen my new series on National Geographic that has been aired worldwide over the last few weeks then you can get onto this website and download them all…they make the perfect present for someone you really don’t like!

DOWNLOAD THEM HERE

Over and out

Ben

Since then life has been exciting, fun-filled and fast-paced with tours of the US, Canada, Japan and New Zealand all in the name of promoting Queensland to the world markets. They trips have given me a much greater understanding of the experiences and products which are on offer in my new home state and I’ve been able to chat extensively with the operators as to how they selll their products to the world. It’s a fascinating insight into how hard some of them work trying to eek just a few more customers to the other side of the world to sample the delights of Queensland.

This photo is from the last night of ‘Queensland on Tour’ in Manchester. Al and the gang I have travelled around with for the last few days have really reminded me quite how welcoming Queenslanders are – we even managed to get people to smile on the London Underground…one of the most challenging jobs on the planet!

Whilst in London I popped into The Travel Channel to appear on the Holiday Show and had a great ten minute interview with Gareth and Ginny all about the wonders of Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef. The show appeared six times over two days! Great coverage.

But there’s nothing quite like going home and I dived back down to Hampshire for four days back in my old stomping ground which gave me a chance to catch up with family and friends finally. Wow what a difference 10 months can make, my little nephews aren’t that little any more and Evie my little niece is just divine!

Four days sitting still though isn’t the way I live my life so Easter Monday instead became another day of work.

First stop – BBC Radio Solent to talk to Julian Clegg the presenter who has been massively supportive of my endeavours over the last few months and years so it was only right that I returned the favour and sat in the studio with him talking about the last few months adventures and what’s in the pipeline for the coming months.

Second stop – Ropley School, the school where I honed my swimming skills and “became practically a fish myself” – that now famous line from my Best Job application video.

Clare and Zoe have been raising funds over the last few months to buy a new liner as the pool at the school (it’s very rare in the UK to have a pool at a junior school) as its closure had been threatened. I have to say a massive congratulations to them on raising the £22,000 needed and fundraising is still going on to now fund a new changing facility there. I recorded a film for them to use at their Spring Ball which takes place in May. Good luck.

I was very happy to start a twinning between Ropley School and Blackall School which I visited in the Queensland Outback a few weeks ago, talks are ongoing between them so the children can learn from each other about their very different ways of life! Another good job done.

Third stop – Into Petersfield to meet Nick Keith of ‘Life in Petersfield‘ magazine who again have been massively supportive of my adventures and followed Afritrex and the Best Job’s every move. There is an annual awards ceremony held in the town, this year taking place on April 16th and I have been nominated for ‘Petersfield Personality of the Year‘. WOW – who would have ever thought! We recorded a short film to be shown at the ceremony as I won’t be able to make it…but he wouldn’t tell me who has won! Watch this space.

My training is continuing in earnest as I prepare for two huge running challenges this year and they’re getting closer. The Comrades Ultra Marathon on May 30th in South Africa at 89kms/52 miles and then just a month later the Gold Coast Marathon on July 3/4th.

I try and run as often as possible in whatever weather is thrown at me but forcing myself out of doors in the UK spring isn’t as easy as Brisbane I can tell you!

And now the next leg of ‘Still The Best Job in the World’ continues with a flight to Hong Kong, China and Taiwan taking off very shortly.

No rest for the wicked…and I feel WICKED right now!

Ben

“So now that it’s all over – how was it? No really how was it?!”

“Tell me how do you follow the Best Job – surely nothing comes close?!”

They’re all the standard questions but everyone wants to know the answer of course and I honestly tell them it could never be matched, well maybe the next eighteen months won’t quite match it but if the first one is anything to go by then it’ll come pretty damn close!

The P.R. value achieved through the TV and radio appearances go a huge way to reminding the public about Queensland and the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef but the other side of the tour is the presentations I’ve been making to the travel industry in each of the locations I’ve visited.

These are targeted at the most important part of that industry, the travel agents. For it’s them that help convert a customer’s mere thought into a booking, which is what we’re all aiming for.

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I’ve set myself another goal for 2010 and that’s to get properly fit again. If there’s one thing that the last six months have done for me (apart from the obvious good stuff) it’s drop my fitness back down to a level I haven’t seen for five years.

Completing my Afritrex expedition around Africa involved running five marathons and to do that I needed to be fit….really fit and the pinnacle of this challenge was the Comrades Ultra marathon in South Africa. 56 miles or 89 kms of running hell…

Comrades Route Map

…so I thought I’d set myself the daunting task of doing it again this year.

Why you’re probably wondering? I’m not 100% sure really; I love the idea of trying to mentally battle through the 10 hours of hell that the race is, taking it through the pain barrier and pushing myself to my limits once more.

The race takes place on May 30^th between Pietermaritzburg and Durban in South Africa and I’ll be taking some time off work to attend two weddings and to run the race.

But in order to up my fitness level to anything barely resembling that which I’ll need, I’ve been hitting the streets of my new home city, Brisbane. There’s a huge network of tracks, cycle paths and boardwalks covering the city and the sights and sounds of an urban environment are actually very interesting to run in – coming from the countryside of Hampshire I thought I’d never say that!

Brisbane's boardwalk

I’m also trying to find somewhere to live in this great city, getting to know and recognise new places and suburbs is tough when you don’t have a car so combining my training and a reconnaissance mission were the order of the day on Saturday as I took to the streets to investigate further:

To prepare for the Comrades I have to find at least one half and one full marathon between now and the day of the race in May. I’ve already decided to head back to my old stomping ground on Hamilton Island at the beginning of May to run the descriptively named ‘Hamilton Island Hilly Half Marathon’ which should be a stern test.

Hilly Half route

Half marathons are never easy but this one goes up and down the many steep sections of the island and heads off road for a good part too. I’ve trained on these hills and love them…but they hurt.

Why not enter yourself? Combine a week away in paradise with a testing, gruelling run – further details for the event can be found here:

Hilly Half details

To download the PDF of the event please click here

With only 4 months to go I’m trying to find another full length marathon in Queensland which I can enter – does anyone know of one?!

Back soon with some outtakes from my original Best Job application last year…

Ben

Now I’d love to go into the most ornate detail about each and everyone of the activities that I’ve been involved with since I last wrote my blog but that would a) take me all week b) make you die with envy and c) wear the end of my fingers out with typing so much!

In order to give you an understanding of each experience I’ll be writing a limited entry on each of the mind-blowingly amazing things that have happened….and so here I go!

Thursday 2nd July – A baptism of fire here as there’s no rest for the wicked (something I’ve never considered myself but hey onwards): straight to the Fantasea Jetty for a transfer on Voyager to Whitehaven Beach. An exquisite 7km long stretch of white silica sand lapped by crystal clear tropical waters providing an incredible place to start today’s little adventure. As we pulled into the bay the sight was spectacular; infinite blue skies, deep green bush, and an ocean occasionally dotted with pleasure craft, all there for the same thing – to enjoy Queensland’s most beautiful beach…it’s official!

Nah Judd, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services Project Officer, walked Bre and me up the beach towards the horizon and explained to us how the beach was formed, the variety of lucky life which considers this place home, and an interesting little fact…you can clean silver jewellery with the silica sand as its tiny spherical grains are just perfectly abrasive.

We relaxed in the waters until the distant rumble of an Air Whitsunday’s seaplane engine signalled an end to the relaxing break, within seconds it had landed slowly cruising to a stop in the shorebreak in front of us before we boarded and settled into our seats. As our pilot brushed the controls forward we pressed back into our seats, slowly gaining speed before breaking free of the ocean’s surface and instantly becoming smooth and graceful…much akin to the flight of a seabird as it struggles for speed before take-off.

Swooping low over the beach we gained height leaving the flotilla behind us and passed over beaches, inlets and reefs; the aqua colours below a jewel to behold…and yes it does look just like the brochures!

These planes are awesome, I love the fact that they can land on the water, taxi to the slipway, drop a set of wheels and with a flick of the throttle become land-dwellers as they hoist themselves onto dry land: Truly adaptable. Our next stop Hayman Island and lunch at the Hayman Chef’s Bench.

Glenn Bacon, and his Cellar Master Bruno, had prepared a culinary delight for the two of us: an opulent array of six taster courses, each one more intricate and delightful than the last, leaving our taste buds tantilised, our stomachs full and our thoughts about the early onset of gout further increased! A visit to the Chocolate Room finished off the meal with a final top-up of extravagant sugar…

Friday 3rd July - Hit the dock at the Fantasea jetty, to be met by Kellie, and straight up onto the bridge to take control of the amazing vessel which would sweep us across the Coral Sea to Daydream Island Resort and Spa. Expecting to see a big wheel controlling a vessel of such a size I was a little taken back when the captain offered to let me steer using a 10cm long joystick and nothing more…no fighting the swell or having to lean into it – this is 21st century fly-by-wire electronics which made steering this thing a breeze as I headed towards our fast approaching destination.

The musical arrival on Daydream is accompanied by the presentation of a necklace made from shells, which gives the resort a truly tropical feel and the staff, as before on my first visit, were amazingly welcoming and it felt like I’d come home to see them again.

Now back in January when the position of Island Caretaker was first advertised one of the key parts of the job was feeding the fish. I couldn’t resist the temptation to do it all again and, instead of walking past the diversely stocked reef pool, I stopped to have another five minute session with Pancake and his fellow rays, filling their stomachs with tasty fish morsels until I was pulled away to continue the tour of the resort. With only a few days to go until the Gold Coast half marathon, and a serious lack of training having been completed over the last few weeks due to media commitments, the kind staff at the spa invited me up to their tables once more for a leg and foot massage. It was just what I needed, half an hour with no cameras in my face and a rub down which relaxed my string bean legs to no end – finished off by a fruit and cheese platter of note.

After taking a few more photos and saying thank you it was time to head back to meet Bre for dessert at the Reef View Hotel on Hamilton Island. We’d be doing our own thing for the next few days, as I head down to the Gold Coast for my race, and Bre spends her time getting an orientation for the island and the delights it has on offer.

Racing against our schedule all of the time, we rushed to the airport as fast as our golf buggy would take us, keeping well within the 20 mph speed limit of course – it’s very difficult to beat when you have possibly the least powerful buggy on the island! Then off into the big blue yonder on the Virgin flight back to Brisbane to meet Denise Deveney, my Tourism Queensland contact for the next few days, who knows everything about the Gold Coast having spent a number of years working and socialising there.

A quick stop off at the Queensland Premier Anna Bligh’s office in Brisbane for an interview and photo for the Gold Coast Bulletin, and we were off again – down the motorway south to another new destination and the location for my next few day’s adventure – the famous Gold Coast!

Now over the last few days and weeks I’ve been lucky enough to stay in some pretty amazing hotels and locations but nothing could quite prepare me for the extravagant, opulent surroundings of the Palazzo Versace. This hotel exports the best of Italian luxury and places it delicately on the edge of the marina overlooking the entire Gold Coast as it disappears to the horizon in a blaze of twinkling lights. From the ornate mosaic flooring to the 750kg chandelier which graces the reception of the building and once featured in the State Library of Milan, from the plate glass doors to the 65m main lagoon complete with sandy beach – this exquisite establishment has the Versace brand written all over it. On arrival the smell of Versace oil and rose petals greeted me and as I stared in wonder at the vastness of the reception room a thousand night-lights flickered giving the hotel a magical feel. If you do one thing when you visit the Gold Coast, drop in for High Tea here and experience it first hand.

Saturday 4th July - Up bright and early and on with the first appointment of the day…well I say appointment but my next meeting was actually with some friends of a different variety who live in a very different world and have a very different outlook on life – one from under the water!

Sea World and the hugely talented dolphins known as Sunny and Starbuck! I’ve always wanted to do this but never had the chance to get quite as close I as was about to. When I lived in South Africa I used to surf in the Indian Ocean and, on occasion during the summer, dolphins used to swim up under us as we sat at backline waiting for waves but they always kept themselves a good distance away, in fact at such a range that the fast moving shadows in the water below us used to scare the living daylights out of us – the first reaction being ‘SHARK’!

The chill early morning air greeted me as I left the changing room having just donned a shortie wetsuit and flotation jacket, essential if you’re heading into the water with these gentle marine mammals just in case they sweep you off your feet. Sunny and Starbuck are two Common Bottlenose dolphins who’ve lived at Sea World all of their lives and love their environment, handlers and interacting with people. It’s awesome hearing them click and gurgle their way around almost having a conversation with Ben the handler, and my guide for the session. Armed with a bucket load of fish we made our way down into their pool and I had my first introduction with my new friends, Sunny being the most keen to nuzzle up against me and try to gently persuade the fish from my hands. Hang on a minute, you show me why I should be feeding you! And with that he was off tearing through the water and back to me, giving me a gentle kiss on the cheek for my patience. Now dolphins love showing off and knowing that a tasty morsel comes as a reward motivates them to do even more tricks, fast swim-bys, jumps in the air and then a final little hug with me before all too quickly my session with them was over.

As we walked back to Renee’s office, our host for the afternoon, the luckiest thing for her happened all over her lovely blouse…yes a bird decided to use her as a toilet. She was very unamused, understandably!

The Gold Coast has everything within very easy access and a short walk around the Marina Mirage brought us to the pontoon and the offices of Gold Coast Helicopter Tours, as we arrived the owner of the company, and our pilot for the day, Scott Menzies was just tying his houseboat up along side the dock. After a short safety briefing we secured our life jackets to our waists and climbed aboard the Robinson R44 waiting for us on the helipad, what a swish bit of kit this is and a definite toy for the collection when I’m lucky enough to make my first £1m pay cheque!

Scott cleared the take-off area and took us up to 1000ft, the view getting better with every second that went by until I could see right down the coastline towards the NSW border in the distance. Now there are a few stunning looking residential apartments on this coastline but none quite as impressive as the Q1 building, which dwarfs everything around it. Built in 2005 it now has the prestigious claim as being the world’s tallest all-residential building at 323m above sea level, thanks to no small part to the 48m spire, which sits atop its highest liveable level. I’ve never been a great believer in city dwelling with my love of the great outdoors, but I could really see myself watching the sunrise out of the Pacific Ocean from one of these luxury apartments. Maybe next year

Our 20 minute flight took us up into the hinterland and to our destination for lunch, The Ruffles Lodge and Spa run by the very hospitable John and Jan Nicholls who have to live with one of the finest views of the coast in Australia. Scott skilfully lowered the chopper onto the smallest piece of grass he could find, we departed and he took off again heading back to the office for another customer – not bad work if you can get it! John and Jan have travelled, now when I say travelled I mean travelled – they’ve sailed the high seas all along the Queensland coast and to many far and wide locations around the world. With it come an entire volume of tales and stories which kept me intrigued and amused until lunch was served and as a little surprise and part of the preparation for Sunday’s race, their Spa Manager treated my ungainly feet to an oil and massage session. I now feel very guilty for not entering the full marathon.

Before I knew it the sound of the helicopters rotors became evident and Scott popped into view from below as he climbed the hillside to meet us ready for part two of this aerial adventure. Our 45 minute ride deeper inland came with tales of shootings, downed aircraft and extravagant parties, all part of life as a helicopter pilot evidently! We swooped low over the bush climbing to 4000ft allowing us to see across the interior of the country and to the mountain ranges in the distance. Just my cup of tea and I WILL be back to explore them further at some point very soon. Passing over the set of “I’m a celebrity get me out of here”, down to the Currumbin Creek separating the states of Queensland and New South Wales and over the lush sugar cane plantations before making a final turn back up the coastline towards home – taking a ride like this really gives you a great perspective of the area and the lay of the land.

Now I’ve only ever experienced AFL (Australian Football League) on the program “TransWorld Sport” and all I managed to pick up from it was a bunch of guys running around like headless chickens occasionally bouncing a fat rugby ball before wellying it towards a number of sticks on a curiously rounded pitch! This evening was a total education in everything about it.

The Premier Anna Bligh has invited me to be her Guest of Honour over the weekend, and for a formal dinner prior to the game between Richmond and Adelaide at the Gold Coast Stadium, Carrara was our first engagement. After a lesson in kicking on the pitch, the presentation of a match shirt and some excellent food we sat in the stands and took in the game. Marcus, a veteran of the game, explained to me the essential rules and it all became a little clearer – in fact a pretty simple game to understand. After the four quarters had been played Adelaide came out on top with a 102 – 85 difference.

Sunday 5th July – Race day – The half marathon was scheduled to start at 06.20hrs so when the alarm went off at 04.30hrs I leapt out of bed and made my way to reception to meet the film crew and DD. We caught a water taxi across from the Spit to the seafront, made our way to the start line along with the Premier and her aides and joined the other 23,500 other people all waiting in the chill air for the starting gun. As the sunrise broke the horizon excitement echoed through the crowd and the anticipation of the race ahead built with just a few minutes to go until the big off. On the stroke of 06:20hrs the starting gun fired and after a couple of false starts we were finally off….

It’s the best way to see a new city; running through it in the early morning light with minimal traffic and with the locals out for the festivities adding to the atmosphere – it’s pretty hard to fly under the radar when you have ‘The Best Job in the World’ emblazoned across your shirt for all to see! Plenty of back-slapping and well wishes carried me through the first 12kms as we turned and headed south back into the city…and then the legs started to feel it. A serious lack of training over the past five weeks due to the extensive media commitments have meant I’d arrived at the race under prepared, but I don’t ever give up and I don’t stop running – it’s the worst thing you can do. When the conditions get tough I start to play a mental game with myself – ‘The Counting Game’ literally counting every breath from 1 up to 1000, it really does help to focus the mind and take the pain in the legs away…temporarily!

The crowds built as we entered the final few km’s together with the excitement of finishing my first Australian race. Everybody being cheered over the line by the ecstatic supporters and even a few film crews there to capture my first staggering, bleating words – not the easiest thing to do when you’ve just finished a race. I made my way to the VIP area (ooo how exciting!) and saw a friend I’d met the night before, Tara Panayis, a gorgeous, courageous little nine year old who lost her leg to an illness a couple of years ago and now has a prosthetic replacement. She will put you to shame with her commitment and attitude – this is her second race at the event and this year completed the 2.25km dash together with her sisters. Please visit her website at www.GoGCKids.com and buy one of her bracelets. Tara, a massive well done from me, it was a huge pleasure to meet you and your family.

I wearily made my way back to the hotel and, for the first time whilst staying here, had an hour to myself to enjoy the Jacuzzi bath and the bubbles…perfect for my tired limbs.

My stay on the Gold Coast has been nothing short of spectacular; there really is something for everybody. Whether you like the opulent surroundings of some of the finest hotels in the world, the simplicity of km’s of sandy beaches and surf, or the chaos of a fun filled night out on the town. I will be back to the Gold Coast and very soon I hope.