Part two of the extended itinerary takes us to Voyages Wilson Island. This tiny coral cay is both part of the Great Barrier Reef and surrounded by it with pristine reef and beach environments including rare turtle and bird breeding grounds.
When I say birds, I mean many birds that eat just as much as we got to and eventually drop their drops a lot. George was the lucky one to experience a few drops the very first minutes setting foot on Paradise. It had an irony to it because we came to Wilson Island to completely become one with nature and relax even more, and directly our wishes were heard!

George, Kristy and I made the total population rise to 9 people that day as there were two couples and the amazing hosting couple Nathan and Lynda.

If you’re looking for the authentic “castaway” experience, combined with luxurious accommodations and impeccable service… Wilson Island will get you to marry your partner or at least spend the most spectacular sunsets and sunrises together.

I finally got to lie down on the whitest sand I have ever seen, surrounded by the most beautiful “look and touch, but don’t take” shelves, pieces of coral and stones.

The only activity that made me move away from this best 2m2 was to enjoy another tasty meal Nathan prepared with so much dedication. Or for the sunset drinks and canapés with the others just around the corner.

The most active George and I got was to snorkel out to the “Bommie”, a big ball of coral, just off the shore.

I hoped for a “high five” with a passing turtle or getting some thrills out of chasing after a reef shark, but they stayed away from me. They must be camera shy.

I totally felt at peace and have fallen in love with Wilson Island and I promised Nathan and Lynda that I’d come back, to help out as their island caretaker, spoil them in return and to see some hatching turtles…

During our Qantas flight back to Brisbane I spoke to a lovely Brizzy inhabitant about her favourite places in Queensland and as everyone has said until now: there are just too many to mention! Luckily George and I got to meet up again with 8 out of 16 finalists for dinner in Hotel Stamford to hear and see all about their extended fun and beauty seen and done in different parts of Queensland. It was great seeing Anjaan, Ben S., Hailey, James, Greg and Mirjam again, as well as some TQ-family. We all have very exciting opportunities for the near future and now it’s up to each to walk through the best door opened. On our own or maybe teamed up…
 
Hailey is so kind to have George and me to sleep over for two nights. Currently she is busy selling her car, so she can join George and me in our 6 berth Euro Deluxe Motorhome which we are going to pick up tomorrow at Apollo Motorhome Holidays.

I’m writing this post at the office of Tourism Queensland and it feels like home. The TQ staff is certainly selected to be easy-to-love, amazingly enthusiastic and helpful in any possible way. Something to rely on and so much more!
For example right now we just got offered horseriding on the beaches in Noosa and a very special opportunity to get to know more about the indigenous Aboriginal culture in the Northern Territory of Queensland.

As you can understand, my Walking on a Dream just doesn’t stop! So NO WORRIES for me because my plan could look much worse then roadtrippin’ with a crazy Irish guy, doing some surf in Byron Bay and visit friends in Sydney and Melbourne…
 

Posted from Brisbane with Vodafone Mobile Internet on my notebook

Waking up after nearly four hours of sleep normally doesn’t get me all enthusiastic and active at once. This day, May 7th, was an exception though. The extended itinerary set up by Tourism Queensland for me and George, the Irish finalist, was something that made me jump out of bed before the alarm went off.
First destination: Rockhampton, an inland city, known for its (they say) excellent beef. We were privileged to be driven from the boat at Airlie Beach to the Travel Lodge in Rockhampton by Trevor Cox; Tourism Queensland’s Director for the regions Central Queensland and Southern Great Barrier Reef.
He was so kind to accept George’s and mine highly-frequented napping moments during the six hours ride. In moments of our full attendance he told us about the region and how good Bundy’s rum is, coming from the sugar cane – fields we drove through.
As soon as we arrived at the hotel, we decided to stay in, watch a movie and just chill out. Luckily Trevor and the cowboys who came to celebrate Beef Week understood that and had their piece of meat without George and a veggie…

Chop Chop, alarm clock at 8 AM to be on the chopper flight to Voyages Heron Island.
Another exceptional experience awaited George and me when we flew over the Southern part of the Great Barrier Reef. Kristy Taylor from Tourism Queensland came with us to manage our trip an co-enjoy the islands. During the flight we got to see some islands that are for sale. Wake up and act now: there are islands just off the coast for only 2 million euros, a bargain!

 
Heron Island and it’s staff treated us like prince and princesses. Cassie, the Wilson Island liaison and Bernie, Executive Assistant Manager on Heron, gave us the full VIP service, which George and I modestly accepted of course…

Heron is a mecca for snorkelling and diving enthusiasts as you are literally already on the reef! As it is a coral cay island you simply walk between the corals into the sea and 30 seconds later you’re surrounded by reef sharks, turtles and colorful fish.

Once George and I had chased enough seagulls (they eat baby turtles!) for that day, we decided to set the alarm again – which is a high exception when staying on the islands – to go diving. Finally for real! After taking the plunge in the diving tank in Amsterdam I couldn’t wait to make it look actually cool. Being stared at by fish instead of cameras. Finding Nemo myself…. Which I did! Although we had some rough water and a strong currency, we were perfectly able to be amazed by the natural living beauty 9 meters underneath the surface. The dive instructor was very patient with us using the underwater cameras Tourism Queensland gave us. Nemo and his friends must have felt like George, me and the other 14 did over the last few days. Flashing cameras, zoomed in portraits and our requests to “please move your fins like that again”.
 
Did I mention the To Do – lists George and I made up the first night we met in Brisbane when we found out we were teamed up together? He already completed 2 out of 5 To Do’s: he fixed some lovely banana pancakes for breakfast and got his hands on a guitar to rock it and sing along with some of Heron’s great staff. Three tasks left and I still have mine to complete. Will keep you updated on these “Tiniest Jobs in the World”.

Cassie showed us around the island and now George and I got a clear view on why and how Heron Island is a certified ECO tourism destination. She took us up to the research and university area, where all kind of marine and sea life research is done by researchers from all over the world. Her knowledge of the different species knocked me out and amused me lots as the creatures on the bottem of the ocean have some crazy habits! Speaking about habits: by seeing all these stunning spa’s, I have a new one on my personal To Do list: checking out the spa’s! I decided Heron Island’s spa launched itself in my top 3 when I got pampered with organic cremes and felt reborn after the treatment.

Ending our stay on Heron Island with a spectacular full moon – lightened beach walk, we hoped to see some baby sea turtles finding their way to the sea while staying on the next island called Voyages Wilson Island. Stay tuned to find out if we did, I’ll let you know in the next post about, in my opinion, ”The Best Island in the World”.
Posted from Brisbane with Vodafone Mobile Internet on my notebook

The moment we have all been working towards and waiting for finally took place about two hours ago: the announcement of the Island Caretaker for the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef! Give it up for Ben from England!!!
The past few days have been incredibly overwhelming, fully packed with the most exquisite activities, personal and professional guidance from the Tourism Queensland crew and a countless number of WOW’s and fun. The other 15 candidates and I got spoiled all along the way and the overall feeling is that any high expectations we had, have been exceeded.
This morning I had my application interview with the lovely selection panel and they asked me who I would choose if I was not to be the Island Caretaker. I told them without a moment of hesitation that had to be Ben. He is such a wonderful, easy to love and sincere guy. Count with that his world wide travel – experiences and his great sense of humour (are you English wordly well-known for that?!) and there you go… I can tell you now he was my favorite among the 15 as he is authentic to the bone and showed his true interest in how I was doing these days. He made the wittiest comments all the time and I have ended up almost wetting my pants because of this.
When I told him yesterday that I was sure about him getting The Best Job in the World, he told me “I don’t think so” and mentioned another candidate that in his opinion would be the lucky one. If only he knew he could trust on my intuition!
At this moment I have 12 Kakatoos on my balcony, no joke! They’ve seen me eating some crackers and now they do THEIR Best Job to get a piece by screaming at me and giving me the look my dog Lluna also got so well in. Sorry mates, get into the wild again and find yourself some juicy fruits hanging in the trees.
Back to the event now. By giving some interviews to the Dutch and international media, I noticed clearly they actually wanted to see me sad and – desirably – in tears. But I just don’t feel disappointed, guys! Of course I “wouldn’t have mind” to get to stay and extend living the luxury life here, but I am sincerely happy with the outcome and so grateful for everything I have had the chance to experience so far! On top of that: who knows what might be next? This sure might have opened some doors to finding my Next – Best Job in the World, where ever that may be! So do consider this last phrase as an open invitation to let me know about that great job you have waiting for me to rock ‘n roll!

In the 70m2 hotel room next door, other candidate James Hill is playing some cheerful music and I’ll be joining him in a bit for a shaking off the last nerves – dance before we will have dinner and a street party here in Hamilton Island with the other candidates, the amazing TQ crew, some media, tourists and staff of this magical island.

I just got my cutest pink stinger suit delivered which I was wearing while snorkelling the other day; another freebee to stuff my overpacked backpack with! It might come in handy as we get to have an extended itinerary, starting tomorrow. I’m teamed up with George from Ireland, a funny, sarcasm – loving bloke. We will get to visit, among others places, Wilson Island and Rockhampton. Thank you Tourism Queensland for extending our luxury life style in one of the most beautiful parts of the world!

Many, many thanks to the government for funding this hugely successful campaign, Tourism Queensland and its crew (who in my opinion do have the Second Best Job in the World), all tourism organisations for the spectacular activities and transfers, the Nicest Selection Panel, in the World and the Reef View Hotel for the most exlusive hotel room with the best sea views I have ever stayed in. Last but not least… the 15 candidates who showed their endless skills, creativity, openness, caring and energy worth building some longlasting & long distance friendships on.

Cheers to all of you, I have to get changed for The Best Street Party in the World!

Posted from Hamilton Island with Vodafone Mobile Internet on my notebook

The moment I’ve been longing for finally arrived  yesterday… setting foot on Australian ground and meeting the other 15 finalists! Ignoring my jetlag I got to meet the worlds finest, as chosen by Tourism Queensland. As I imagined they are all awesome individuals and very down-to-earth. Tourism Queensland made a brilliant, world-wide selection.
Yesterday night we went for a boat trip on the Brisbane River and had a great Turkish dinner. Except for cheering and wishing each other all the luck and fun for the coming days, we talked about our “normal” lives before “The Best Job in the World” took over and concluded we had a mutual addiction called adventure-seeking and new challenges in life.
View the PhotosThis morning we had to be present at 6.45 AM as some interviews were planned and the first group photos in our bright, seablue “The Best Job in the World” – T-shirts. The interviews  have been postponed until tomorrow and the days after though, so we had an easy start with a lovely leisurely day on top of it. I chose to get out to see Brisbane and so I walked around the centre, visited the museums and had a Chinese pancake in Chinatown. Brisbane embraced me with its warm, laid back atmosphere and the sun played its part too. I find it a very enchanting city and the Aussies are friendly and helpful.

100 photos later I got back to the hotel to have a swim, just in time before we had a meeting with one of the media managers of Tourism Queensland. This involved how to behave (no clogdancing on the dinner table), what (not) to say (“isn’t New Zealand lovely” and “the South African are great at cricket” are out then!) and some useful info on the media who will be waiting for us from of tomorrow and more topics that might come in handy!

The Stamford hotel is really spoiling us and now I find myself in my hotel room with an exceedingly well filled stomach. Tomorrow morning we will kick off at 9 AM by going to the airport to meet the first press, followed by our flight to Hamilton Island! The programme is, as I mentioned before, amazingly spectacular and allows us to enjoy the main activities on the Island like snorkelling, sailing and tracking. Tourism Queensland is there to back us up, at any time, for anything and this is very much appreciated by the group!

I made some phone calls to Holland, as I have free calls sponsored by Vodafone, that gives me even more reason to stay in contact. Lluna is doing really well, everyone is healthy and happy and my family and friends’ sweet words and advices are so valuable right now.
It’s almost midnight now, 4 PM in Holland and my energy level is quite high for the amount of sleep I have had over the last days. Nevertheless I’m going to force myself to get some rest now, to have that “bright and shiny look” and say clever things to the press tomorrow morning…

Cheers for now and indeed… absolutely NO WORRIES!

Posted from Brisbane with Vodafone Mobile Internet on my notebook

Good evening and good morning to you, decide this for yourself, time-wise I got lost somewhere between The Netherlands and Hong Kong. An eight hours jump forwards IS notable, in contrary to what I have hoped.
I reckoned I got used to a little sleep or sleeping at different hours during the day because that´s how it has been for me over View the Photosthe last few weeks. But… I must say I’m exhausted. We just took off in Hong Kong for an eight hours flight to the Promised Land; Brisbane, Queensland! Here I find myself, sitting in the business class with my cute little notebook, in the meanwhile ordering my three course meal. The socks that I found in the overnight-kit Cathay Pacific provides, have already been put on and I can’t wait to let the law of gravity do it’s work on my eyelids.

My goodbye party yesterday was making me feel a bit shy again, next to extremely happy with and proud of my loved ones.
On the airport I crossed gates with my dear friend Nicky, who had just come back from travelling in, among other countries, Australia. Furthermore I was interviewed for a Dutch TV-show, they even made my mom, niece Christianne, friend Sabrina and my dog Lluna star in the item. They showed lovely words and excited faces, I’m so proud of them! A last kiss ‘n hug ceremony and see y’all in June!

I had a pleasant flight in the business class watching a movie, reading up in Queensland’s Rough Guide, trying the whole menu and sleeping horizontal.
On top of that I had great fun with the crew and by the end of the flight a captain called Lester invited me for a sightseeing tour throughout Hong Kong. This has been the best start I could wish for. Lucky me for even being able to have a shower so I payed a visit to the Big Buddha in a fresh, renewed way. After wandering around in the monastery we set of to the beach of Hong Kong and as Lester already was making fun of me falling asleep in public transport all the time, we decided to have a powernap right there and then. These 40 minutes of snoring in the sand saved the rest of the day as we felt refuelled again to continue our extensive programme.

- Mmm I love the red Shiraz wine of you Aussies! -

Furthermore we went up to Victoria Peak that provides spectacular views on Hong Kong´s skyline with al its skyscrapers.
Lester has been a lovely and enthusiastic guide, telling me all about the people, cultural specialties, food and the way he lives his life as an South African expat in Hong Kong.
We have been using every form of public transport and I made sure we took enough stairs instead of the rolling ones to get the blood circulating again. Now I can feel it worked. I took over 200 pictures which I would love to share with you. First thing when in reach of internet they will be uploaded. The glass of Shiraz is waiting to be finished as my night cap, and oh yes you bet, will I dream of my flip-flopped feet touching Aussie ground and what has yet to come in this exclusive adventure…

PS: I planned to write some more nice lines about Queensday in Holland that’s been celebrated today. Unfortunately a terrible drama occurred when a car drove into the audience that was watching our royal family pass by. Five people got killed and 13 are seriously injured. It’s a harsh clap in the face for the partying people in Holland during the happiest and biggest party we Dutchies have. For example my sister brought this news to me and told that immediately all festivities had stopped, among hers.

Posted from somewhere between Hong Kong and Brisbane with Vodafone Mobile Internet on my notebook