Tasmanian couple Don and Lee Cameron have traded the icy south for tropical paradise - stepping into the "best job in the world" as caretakers of Low Island, off Port Douglas on the Great Barrier Reef.
The pair won a recent tender process to become the island's new caretakers, living and working on the coral cay amid turquoise waters, coral gardens, and nesting seabirds.
Low Island is home to one of Queensland's oldest lighthouses, first lit in 1878. The island and surrounding reef attract about 50,000 tourists a year for snorkelling and island tours.
As caretakers, Don and Lee will be responsible for maintaining the island's grounds and heritage buildings, welcoming people and liaising with tour operators, and monitoring visitor compliance with marine park rules.
- "It's the best job in the world in a tropical paradise - but it's also hard work," Mr Cameron said. "We're responsible for everything from cleaning, maintaining and repairing heritage buildings and infrastructure, to managing weeds and reporting compliance issues."
For his wife Lee, the tropical island life is a welcome sea change to the icy, windswept outposts of the Southern Ocean.
"We wanted something meaningful," she said. "It's about living simply and helping protect one of the most beautiful places on Earth."
Reef Authority Project Manager for Commonwealth Islands Alicia Moisel said the couple bring a wealth of experience and passion to the role.
"Hailing from Tasmania, they are no strangers to remote living, having spent over a decade travelling the world by yacht, building their own off-grid home, and contributing to volunteer conservation projects," Ms Moisel said.
"Their volunteer postings on Bruny Island, Deal Island, Tasman Island, and Maatsuyker Island have included environmental protection, wildlife monitoring, and historic heritage maintenance - making them an excellent fit for the unique environment of Low Isles."
Ms Moisel paid tribute to the outgoing caretakers, Renata and Colin Musson, who officially handed over their duties last week.
"Colin and Renata have been outstanding caretakers and have gone above and beyond for the island," she said.
"They're active and passionate members of the Low Isles Preservation Society, so I'm sure they'll continue to remain closely involved in protecting the island's natural and cultural heritage values.
Low Island is a carbon-neutral coral cay, powered by an off-grid solar system with its own rainwater and filtration system, wastewater treatment plant, and composting public toilet system. Making sure these systems operate efficiently is a key role for the caretakers.
- "This looks like a dream job in paradise - and it is - but maintaining an island is no small task," Ms Moisel said.
"Caretakers must be self-sufficient, skilled in maintenance, and committed to living sustainably."
For Don and Lee, who have spent years living off-grid and have worked on heritage lighthouse projects in Tasmania, it's the perfect fit.
"We love the challenge of remote living and being part of something bigger - caring for a place that means so much to so many," Mrs Cameron said.
- "The Reef, the wildlife, the sense of purpose - it's an incredible privilege."
The start of the new job coincides with the influx of bridled terns and pied imperial pigeons as the annual nesting season gets underway. As Wildcare Tasmania volunteers who have monitored critically endangered orange bellied Parrots at Melaleuca, short-tailed shearwaters at Maatsuyker Island, and nesting seabirds in the Bass Strait Islands, they welcome the opportunity to live and work among the wildlife on Low Island.
Background: Low Isles consists of two coral cays - Low Island and Woody Island - located 15 kilometres northeast of Port Douglas. The islands support significant seabird rookeries and are surrounded by coral reefs popular for snorkelling, research, and education. The Low Islets Lighthouse was automated in 1993. Low Isles is dual heritage listed for its significance to Eastern Kuku Yalanji and Yirrganydji First Nations people, and for its historic heritage significance. Low Isles is jointly managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service's Reef Joint Field Management Program.
