I headed out of the Queensland summer on the 12th January aboard V Australia’s a flight from Brisbane to Los Angeles to start the first leg of my new role as the Global Ambassador representing the state of Queensland, the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef and Hamilton Island.

During the trip I’ll be making presentations to the travel industry and hopefully lots of excited customers all keen to find out more about the islands and the experiences I’ve had over the last few months. G’Day USA is an annual event introducing to America the things that are possible in Australia through trade and business. Tourism, being Queensland’s second biggest employer, is high on the agenda so together with Anna Bligh, the Premier, we have been embarking on a media tour to tell New York, L.A. and beyond all about why it’s so damn good and how people can join us out there in the warmth!

I’ve now flown back to L.A. ready to make a presentation tomorrow about life over the last few months in Queensland, then there’s an amazing gala ball to attend in the evening. Watch this space for more photos!

There are links below to the two appearances we’ve made on the Today Show and Fox & Friends, tow of America’s biggest programmes.

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This lot at the Daily Mash know how to put together a flippin funny article, click the image below to read the full story!!!!!

One dark night on Hamilton Island I had a little conversation with the most powerful woman in the world, the uber-famous Oprah Winfrey.

Here’s a little taster of the show which went to air today, 22nd October in the US and will air in another 140 countries around the world later in the year. watch this space to find out when…

Oh my goodness!

…and for how it was reported in Australia

…and another link from the Oprah website is here

So no excuses here I’m afraid I just haven’t had the time to be able to feed anything onto the site as I hoped I would and my periodic posts haven’t given you the insight I was hoping into the behind the scenes world of the Island Caretaker! Life has been incredibly good, chaotic and full-on ever since starting the job back in July and now that I’m almost at the halfway point there is some sort of routine to my otherwise abnormal existence!

Bre headed back to Canada for a member of her family’s wedding a few weeks ago and will be back out here in a few days time so we can get back to having the crazy adventure and fun we have in this particularly mad time in our lives. It’s easy to have the experiences by yourself but it means so much more when there’s someone special there to do it and remember it with you. See you at the end of the month Brester!

Since my last post here on the site I’ve been getting bang up to date with my diving qualifications and am almost all the way through my PADI Advanced diver course. I racked up 25 dives and all have been in different locations so there no getting bored with the same sights every time for me – Heron Bommie, The Cod Hole, S.S. Yongala, Wheeler Reef are all rated amongst some of the best in Australia and I feel privileged to be under the water in some of these locations and frequently have to pinch myself to realise it’s actually happening.

I’m typing this from onboard the Fantasea launch which is taking me across to the mainland where I’m joining up with the crew from catamaran ‘Emperors Wings’ where I’ll be for three days between the middle and outer reef taking in some more of the marine world which has hypnotised and keeps taking me back for more, I have eight dives during my time onboard and should return to Hamilton Island as a qualified Advanced Diver.

It’s something that a few years ago I thought I’d never do having lost a best mate to a diving accident back at the turn of the century but it made me realise that life is out there for living and if you don’t do these things you miss out for good…I am so glad that I learnt last year in Lake Malawi and thank you so much to Sandy from Aqua Africa for getting me through that terrifying mask-clearance session, I thought my days were numbered.

From there I head to Long Island and the Peppers Palm Bay resort which is another couples retreat – not that good as my girl is away in Canada still but the chance to get onto the water in a kayak or catamaran should never be missed and I’ll be out there as often as I can.

It’s then back to basics as I return closer to home and have two days camping and exploring Whitsunday Island and aim to reach the highest point, Whitsunday Peak, at 435m as bit of training for the Hamilton Island Triathlon at the end of November.

A little concerned about this as it’s my first multi-discipline event and will be in front of a big crowd  making it all the more important not just to turn up for the wooden spoon! It consists of:

• 750m Ocean Swim
• 20km Bike Ride
• 5km Run

I don’t have a problem with the running or swimming it’s just the bike ride so Steve from the gym on the island has kindly lent me his bike to train on but oh my god how Hamo’s hills kill you! I did do the ‘Run the Whitsunday Great Walk’ at the weekend, a 28km undulating track through the forest finishing in Airlie Beach, and now two days later feel fully recovered…surprisingly! The only thing that is suffering since I got this job is my fitness, having no routine has really knocked it back so I find I’m getting up earlier and earlier to train leaving the house well before the sun comes up but it does make a great way to explore a new destination when I arrive there.

My thoughts are firmly focused on what I’ll do after the Best Job has finished in January and I have a very important meeting with Tourism Queensland to discuss my next endeavour which is more than likely going to be an expedition to kayak the length of the Great Barrier Reef in on of these little beauties. Suffice to say there is still a huge amount of planning and preparation to be done and from previous experience (www.afritrex.com) I know that it won’t just happen overnight.

Hopefully my choice for next year's project

I will try to retrace Captain Cook’s route along the inside of the reef from south to north to utilise the trade winds which blow during July and August, the only feasible time to do it as the temperatures are bearable then. Several people have already expressed an interest in joining me for legs of this adventure and if you have any similar thoughts please get in touch – you never know!

As I pull into the harbour and start another fun-filled chapter in life may I wish you well wherever in the world you’re reading this from.

Ben

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I’m here for an evening representing Tourism Queensland at the Tourism Futures event on the Gold Coast and will be speaking to Nick Bryant from BBC World in a panel-style interview in front of the 200 guests.

Just watched a superb sunset from the 8th floor of the Marriott Hotel which overlooks the ocean and can’t wait to get up for sunrise as it climbs out of the ocean…….

There’s a very good friend of mine called Tom who has lots of time on his hands to create such legendary classics as this….enjoy and thank you Mr Bartlett.

On Sunday Bre and the filmcrew from Beyond TV headed south from Brisbane to the Gold Coast where they’ll spend the week visiting Movie World, Sea World and generally having as much fun as they possibly can. They’ll be filming her every movement as she trains with some of the world’s best stunt men and women, driving cars, diving with sharks, cracking whips and mingling with the stars from down there who’ve done it for years.

When she’s down there she’ll be staying with one of our great friend’s, Alex Stratigos, whose family live there and have very kindly offered to put her up for a few days. Alex is down in Sydney still and sometime soon will actually get her ass up this way to visit…hint, hint!

While she’s away I’m heading off to the Fantasea Reefworld pontoon to spend a couple of days there and a night enjoying the Reefsleep, find out more here. Wish she could have been here to do it with me though as it’ll be strange being under the stars, floating on the Great Barrier Reef without her there to enjoy it with me….

Hurry back my girl, there’s a huge adventure going on and I want you here with me to enjoy it! Have fun down there and be safe.

Ben

The hours in the day seem to run out quicker than ever these days….by the time I’ve finished the days activities, blogged about it and then sorted through the photos and video there’s nothing to do but go to bed.

Something had to suffer and it’s turning out to be this website…much to my own disgust as its you guys I should be keeping up to date with everything that goes on behind the scenes of what I still consider to be the best job in the world!

The last post here was way back (or does it just seem like it was way back as so much has happened) when we headed north to Cairns, well since then we’ve done a southerly loop down to Gladstone and out to the islands of Heron and Wilson. You can read all about that on the islandreefjob.com website instead of me rattling on about it here.

The photos of Heron Island are here

The photos of Wilson Island are here

We got back into Brisbane on Friday and spent the day with TQ at the offices catching up on some of the things which have been going on since I was there last and also for a new concept the one hour long Twitter Q&A session where people could send direct messages relating to the Islands and I’d guarantee I had good reception to be able to answer them, unlike on some of the islands. This was all good in theory but what we didn’t bank on was a hacker breaking into both Twitter and Facebook that night rendering them both useless! What it did mean was a quiet night on the tweet front…..

Spent the Saturday shopping in Brisbane and it’s a pretty easy place to navigate yourself around, the river acts as a great reference point but the only thing is I haven’t yet found the smaller independent shops on my walkabout, you know the quirky little places and one-offs. Yes the main street has everything in it but sometimes I just want to loose myself in a myriad of junk and weird stuff! Did manage to pick up a few books though – a couple to help with the blog and one by the man who ran 50 marathons in 50 days, Dean Karnazes. Should be a good source of motivation when I get my current read out of the way….at the end of the year!

And my thoughts are turning to the end of the year already, I have to otherwise I’ll get there and be left with a huge vacuum and nothing to do…almost like arriving back from Afritrex in January.

I want to do something that involves travel, endurance and raising money for charity…as with Afritrex.

From chatting with people along the way a few things spring to mind:

• Mountain bike along the Bicentennial Trail which runs from Cooktown to Healesville, a total distance of 5300kms
• Row the length of the Great Barrier Reef, something like 2000kms in a kayak or Woodvale style boat (my friend Tom is leaving in November to row the Atlantic – best of luck mate! Have a look at http://www.atlanticrowyt.co.uk)
• Run across the Simpson Desert?!
• Balloon across Australia with the help of Sir Richard Branson and Virgin
• Climb the 10 peaks in the Kimberley’s in a 10 day period. That’s one a day (not sure about the logistics of this really)

AND ANY OTHER IDEAS WOULD BE WELCOMED…REALISTIC OF COURSE!

It’s particularly difficult to try and stay fit whilst doing this job you know, constant good food and a lack of routine have meant that my fitness is restricted to the few days I have at home on Hamilton Island…so I’ve been out for the last couple of days, busting the tracks around the island. I even put together a little video for you!

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Found this through a friend on Twitter and had to put it up here:

Via: Term Life Insurance

Sunrise along the river by bensouthall at Garmin Connect – Details.