Lighthouses of Australia Inc

Job for Robinson Crusoe

By Damien Stannard, The Sunday Mail
8 October 2006

Applicants for this dream job should not dwell on the salary – the benefits are nothing short of divine.

Low Isles Lighthouse, QLD Photo: Tina Alderson

The Low Isles, two sandy jewels peeking out from the Great Barrier Reef, 15km off Port Douglas in far north Queensland, need a live-in caretaker to watch over paradise. 

The caretaker will be based on Low Islet, a vegetated sand cay home to a Bureau of Meteorology observation station and a 128-year-old lighthouse.

It is also a celebrated destination for day-trippers.

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Commonwealth islands manager Kathleen Swalling said the job required someone with a range of maintenance and communication skills, and an understanding of the environment.

The Low Isles Lighthouse from the air Photo: Winsome Bonham

"The caretaker is the focal point for all the partners in Low Isles," she said. "It's a fantastic job but quite a busy job."

The successful applicant would be required to live, rent-free, in the furnished, three-bedroom caretaker's cottage.

But the job is not all cocktails at sunset – the caretaker is on call 365 days a year and is responsible for the 1.6ha island's buildings and utilities. The first weather reading is taken at 6am and sewerage, electricity and water must be maintained.

It would be a lonely existence, save for a few sea birds, turtles and lemon sharks. The job is open to tender, so salary is negotiable, but the Bureau of Meteorology portion pays $13,000 a year.

Source: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,20540146-3102,00.html
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