Hamilton Island – what to do on a day off!

Now that we’ve been on Hamilton island for a few months we’ve had a chance to do loads and loads of the incredibly good fun things on offer. You have to have a sense of fun, adventure and love adrenaline to take full advantage of everything and here are just a few of our favourites:

Target Sports - Wanna feel like Dirty Harry? Fancy shooting Magnum PI’s gun? Well this is the place to come and do it! Bre and I headed to the far south side of Hamilton Island to enjoy one of the louder and more exhilarating activities. First thing ear defenders – there’s no way with two rifles and eight pistols going off I’m going to have my eardrums blown out and these things are damn loud!

Mark sets up the first target and it whizzes out to the far side of the shooting range ready to take some bullets, we load up the Ruger rifle and take aim…bang, bang, bang x 10 until the magazine is spent and, hopefully, the target looks like a colander. Once the target has been brought back it’s Bre’s turn – how will she fair against me…the pressure is on!

There are a range of weapons to fire here; Ruger pistols and rifles, a Glock, the Magnum  357 and the Big Boy…the Magnum 44!

A cracking morning doing something I never thought I’d do and actually ended up enjoying…oh and I beat Bre!

Quad Bike rally – When my friend Josh arrived on the island a few weeks ago we had to try and find something really exciting and interesting for him to do, I only met him a year ago for a few days at the Comrades Ultra Marathon in South Africa but from the moment we met we hit it off. He’s got a get up and go attitude that I like and so we thought we’d all head out and tear up the dusty back roads of the island….or should I say carefully investigate the other side of Hamo.

Jet boat ride – Every so often when I’m sat out on the balcony working away the sound of a roaring engine comes round the corner followed by a series of WAHOO’s and screams. Hamilton Island Watersports have one of the most awesome boats in the marina…a bright red jet boat! It leaves the calm waters of the harbour and races out into the Whitsunday Passage in the skilled hands of Mark, as he raises his right hands it’s time for the spins to start and the fun to begin. It’s bumpy, it’s exhilarating and it’s brilliant!

Koala Gallery – I’ve been down to this little zoo a few times now and never get bored of it at all, this morning I headed down to meet Barbie Defoe and her family (my Island Caretaker helper who’s been out in Australia for a few weeks now enjoying the delights of Queensland). ‘Breakfast with the Koalas’ is literally just that, whilst we sat and chatted about our adventures the happy Koalas (including my old friend Waldo) munched away on their favourite eucalyptus leaves preparing for the photo session they were about to be subjected to. The kids love them and to be honest so do I – Koalas are such an iconic part of Australian culture!

Go Karts - If you think that the Quads aren’t good enough and you need some closer wheel to wheel racing then drop into the Go-kart track for some superb tarmac action. Bre and I love a bit of competition and what better place to test each others’s mettle than with these single-engined little rocket-powered rollerskates. We’d spent the day filming with Beyond TV and ended it off with a quick head to head around the track…except that I’d been set up well and truly with the slowest accelerating car in the garage. Bre took the title.

Of course time back on the island, in between the trips up and down the reef, is also time to catch up on the blog and do the usual household chores….like doing the washing:

Day 1, commence the games!

I’ve spent the last two days with my new family at the offices of Tourism Queensland in Brisbane going through my induction, working out how to use all of the equipment I need and learning the ropes of what will no doubt prove to be the most exciting role I’ve ever been employed for.

The clanging of my alarm clock awoke me from my slumber and the adrenalin for the day coarsed through my veins as I leapt from my pit in the knowledge that it was all about to commence, The Best Job in the World starts here….

….and the media attention starts here too, downstairs into the lobby for the first round of television interviews, then a phone interview, then off to the airport for the press conference. Assembled in the departures area were some familiar faces; the press from the finals back in May had once again gathered to tell the world about the Best Job campaign, but this time I didn’t have the support of the other finalists!

After relaxing in the Virgin lounge, Bre (my girlfriend who’ll be here for the next six months) and I made our way to the departure gate and boarded the flight which would finally take us to paradise and the promised land of the Whitsundays.

Our arrival at Hamilton Island was truly spectacular – talk about a fanfare from the assembled staff from the resort! It really felt as if we’d finally arrived in paradise; the flight over the reef, the view as we came into land and then this – a welcome which left me speechless.

I loved the next part – introducing Bre to Blue Pearl – our new luxury villa for the next six months. Her jaw dropped as we descended the steps into our new luxury apartment. I gave her the guided tour introducing her to the three double rooms and of course the amazing, huge ice dispensing fridge, then ended it off with a dip in our enormous spa on the balcony which looks out over the Coral Sea. There will be plenty of evenings spent here I imagine.

Once the media attention had died down we had half an hour to unpack and redress before heading out to the uber-glamorous Qualia resort; one of the worlds only six star luxury destinations and how it deserves this title. Infinity pools, spotless groomed sands and a view which can only be experienced as a description from me just won’t do it justice.

The welcome dinner was another great experience, the chefs at Qualia produced five courses of exquisite delights and when it was all over Bre and I made our way to the golf buggy and drove through the balmy air for a night of well earned rest at Blue Pearl.

If things continue as they’ve started I’ll be the happiest man on the planet, the most tired man on the planet and maybe even the fattest man on the planet!

Let the adventure commence…

The adventure starts here…its been a long time coming and the last six weeks have been a real taster of what the next six months hold in terms of media coverage and press attention.

What they haven’t given me though is an understanding of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef and the experiences they hold for me. The anticipation and excitement are building and tomorrow I finally head out to my new residence at the Blue Pearl on Hamilton Island to commence my role as the Island Caretaker.