Outback Gift Card Drawing from longyear on Vimeo.

And who should win a $20 gift card to Outback Steakhouse? It could be you. Follow the directions at the end of this post for your chance to win.

Tourism Queensland has been trying to hire someone for the Best Job in the World. Guess how many people applied? 34,000. Yes 34,000. That’s crazy. Why did so many people apply? Simply put, it’s the best job in the world.

You can find the full job description on the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef site, but basically they are trying to find someone who will live on Hamilton Island for 6 months and discover what the area has to offer. They then share with the world what they discover through weekly blog posts, a photo diary, video updates and media interviews.

Pretty sweet, huh? Oh, and for compensation they will receive round trip airfare, luxury accommodations and AUD $150,000 for six months work. Approximately, $95,000 US as of today.

To apply, potential candidates submitted a video application in English telling why they were the best person for the job and shared their knowledge of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef. This video had to be less than 60 seconds. Creativity was encouraged.

Tourism Queensland was overwhelmed by the over 34,000 applications, but they delivered as promised by watching all of them and narrowing the list down to 50 by March 2nd. The shortlist of the top 50 candidates and their videos can be found here.

Eleven finalist will be picked for extensive interview taking place on several Islands of the Great Barrier Reef in early May. Ten will be picked by Tourism Queensland and the other candidate will be the person who receives the most votes online. Scot and I have picked our Top Eleven List and in no particular order here they are: Mark, George, David, Mitchell, Linda, Marcella, James, Adeline, Anny, Julia, and Erik. We’ll see how many of our Top Eleven advance when Tourism Queensland announces the eleven going to Queensland for interviews. Here are the videos for our Top Three picks.

Scot’s Top Three – in no particular order

1. Mitchell, Canada - You can vote for Mitchell here.

2. Marcella, Canada - You can vote for Marcella here.

3. Mark, United States - You can vote for Mark here.

Stephanie’s Top Three – in order. I love Mitchell, followed by Adeline. It gets a little fuzzy from there. The number three spot could just as easily go to David, Mark, George, Marcella, James or Anny. It was hard choice for me.

1. Mitchell, Canada - You can find Mitchell’s video in Scot’s Top Three List. We both loved it. You can vote for Mitchell here.

2. Adeline, United States – You can vote for Adeline here.

3. Linda, Canada – You can vote for Linda here.

So tell us. Who’s your top pick? You can view all 50, our top 11 or just our top 3, but check out some videos and let us know who your pick is and why. Everyone who leaves a comment with their pick  for the Island Caretaker Job and why by 6:00pm EST on Monday, March 16th will be given one entry into our drawing. That evening we will put the qualifying names in a hat and draw one winner on video and post it. That winner will receive a $20 gift card to Outback Steakhouse. That’s as close as we can get you to Australia on our budget!

Start viewing and good luck. Oh, and take the time to officially vote for your favorite on the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef website.

For a video review of our experience at the Australia Zoo, click here.

Our family had a chance to visit the Australia Zoo while staying in Brisbane. The zoo is located in Beerwah and is owned by the famous Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin’s, family. It was actually started by his parent’s in the 1970’s. It has grown over the years with Steve’s efforts and popularity and is still thriving today after his death. His wife and family are still busy at work.

Madison, our 10 year old daughter, was really hoping to get to meet or see Steve’s ten year old daughter, Bindi, but sadly that did not happen. We did find lots of other things to capture our attention that day. Some of the stand out events of the day were feeding an elephant and watching the show in the 5000 seat Crocoseum where they showcase birds, snakes and of course, crocodiles. It really is a must see.

Come and get it.

How much do you think they pay these guys?

 

For our video review of Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, click here.

High on our list of things to do while in Australia was to see koalas and kangaroos. We had read that the best place to do that was at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Australia. Lucky for us we would be spending about 6 weeks in Brisbane. We made two visits to Lone Pine while we were there and it was a highlight of our trip.

Both days at Lone Pine were wonderful. There are over 130 koalas at Lone Pine and you can even hold one and have your picture taken with it. They really are soft and cuddly. It’s fun to check out all the pictures of some of the famous people who have visited there as well.

Visiting with, petting and feeding kangaroos is how we spent lots of our time. Some are friendly (hungry) and headed right over to see us and others run the other way. We were able to learn a lot about the kangaroos from talks that the keepers gave.

Lone Pine is also the home to some other animals native to Australia. We found wombats, Tasmanian devils, snakes, echidnas and more. We also attended a bird show, sheep dog show and lorikeet feedings.

We were really impressed with Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and mostly by the non-commercial, friendly, relaxed atmosphere. The staff would approach us and ask us if we had any questions, invite us to a show and share about the animals. We were allowed to spend as much time as we wanted feeding, petting and hanging out with the kangaroos. It was just a warm, welcoming atmosphere. We would return here in a heartbeat!

For a video of our experience to and from Kuranda, click here.

There are good days, then there are really good days.  A really good day for us in Australia was our Kuranda experience.  Located outside of Cairns, the town of Kuranda lies at the top of a mountain and smack in the middle of a rainforest.  Kuranda is accessible by car, but that’s not the way to travel.  A unique ride to Kuranda is in the Skyrail.  Starting at the base of a mountain, the Skyrail is an enclosed gondola that travels about 5 miles over the tree-tops, offering amazing views.  For even more fun, on our trip down the mountain, we took the Scenic Railway.  We traveled thru tunnels, twists, and turns, and saw a completely different landscape than we did from the Skyrail. It was a day not soon forgotten.

Above:  View from the Skyrail.

Above: Steph and Maddy in the Scenic Railway Car.

For a video review of our experience with Reef Magic, click here.

Awesome! Unbelievable! Incredible! Amazing!

Just a few of the words I use to describe my first time snorkeling. I have always loved the water and swimming, but I had no clue what was below the surface. God created an amazing world underwater that so few people get to see. If you ever have the chance to go snorkeling, do it!

When we found out that we would be going to Australia we knew that we had to visit the Great Barrier Reef. Scot decided to get his SCUBA certification. The girls and I decided to try snorkeling for the first time. I admit that I was fearful. As much as I love the water and swimming, I have never been fond of swimming with fish. Truthfully, I preferred to swim in a pool where I could see everything around me, but for goodness sakes I was not going to go all the way to Australia and not see the reef. So I practiced. I swam laps around Darel and Beth’s pool with my fins and mask. I learned to trust my equipment and relax in the water.

The day finally arrived. The staff at the place we were staying in Cairns suggested we go with Reef Magic. How did the day turn out? Could I actually swim with fish? What about the girls would they enjoy it. The answers? Great! Yes! and Yes!

We loved it. All of us. We took the guided snorkel tour which is the best way to go for those new to snorkeling. It was just us and one staff member who helped us gear up, get in the water and explore the reef. After that we were all prepared to explore on our own.

Now when is my next snorkel trip?

Above: Mariah ready to snorkel for the first time

Above: Steph with Wally, a Moari Wrasse

Above: Madison holding a sea cucumber

For a video review of our experience at Sea World, click here.

While in Australia, Scot went on a Two Day Motorcycle Tour with Trapp Tours. While he was off on his adventure, the girls and I spent some time in Surfer’s Paradise on the Gold Coast of Australia. One day was spent visiting Sea World. While Sea World in Australia is vastly different than Sea World in the US, it was still a great day with the girls.

We enjoyed viewing sea life behind glass that we would soon be swimming with at the Great Barrier Reef. The shows were a lot of fun. They even had a few rides. The park was uncrowded which made touring very pleasant.

I wouldn’t put Sea World on the Gold Coast on my top ten list of what to see while in Australia, but if you find yourself with a few days in Surfer’s and want to check it out, it is an enjoyable day.

Above: Madison with the cast from the waterski show.

For a video review of my experience with Trapp Tours, click here.

One of the highlights of the trip to Australia for me was a 2 day motorcycle tour in the Byron Bay, New South Wales.  Trapp Tours took me through small outback-ish towns, rainforests, mountains, trails, paved roads, and even a few stream crossings.  Our group was small and the service was top notch.  Eddie Trapp was our tour guide.  I joined a group of Aussies and had the time of my life.  I would do it again in a second if given the chance.

Above:  One of several water crossings

Above:  Shack and bikes

For a video review of my experience with Pro-Dive, click here.

You can’t go to Australia without seeing the Great Barrier Reef, right?  On our trip to Australia, my family and I spent a week in Cairns (pronounced "Cans").  The girls spent a few days shopping and sightseeing and I hit the books (and the water).  I enrolled in a 5-day learn-to-dive PADI course offered by Pro-Dive.  Over the 5 days, I had classroom instruction, pool instruction, and an incredible live-aboard experience as we explored the Great Barrier Reef.

As you would expect, Cairns is full of dive companies.  I am sure most of them are good, but I was exceptionally pleased with my experience at pro dive. The staff was top notch, the price was cheaper than you could get in the US, and the experience was amazing. 

Above:  My floating hotel and dock for 3 days.  Not too shabby.

Above: Filling the tanks.

Above: Pedro – my dive partner for the week.