For most couples, the dream is to have a great job and a good house before settling down and having kids. Now, an island in Tasmania is giving that opportunity to couples who are willing to move there and be its caretakers.
According to The Telegraph, the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service is giving couples an opportunity to be caretakers of Maatsuyker Island, a 460-acre isle six miles off the coast of Tasmania.
The park service is encouraging couples or individuals applying together to have “high levels of motivation” and that they should be able to live and work “for extended periods in a remote, isolated and climatically challenging locations with limited outside support.” Couples who are thinking about bringing children with them to the island won’t be considered for the job.
So what does the job entail? It was reported that duties include basic land management and maintenance of a small number of buildings. It also includes observing sea and swell conditions and providing meteorological reports.
As for accommodations, the chosen couple will live in a 19th-century lightkeeper’s house which has four bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. They must find a way to amuse themselves on the island, as there is no television nor internet access in Maatsuyker. There is also only one fan heater for warmth.
The caretakers must provide their own food, entertainment, clothing, entertainment, and bedding. Each person is limited to 325kg of transport space for the flight to the island, but there will be one resupply trip after the first three months in Maatsuyker.
As the couple who will be selected will be living in isolation, the job specification indicates that it is important that the people who are on Maatsuyker are able to work well together. Four couples will be selected and will work for six months, with the first pair working from September to March. Applications close on January 30.
This isn’t the first time that couples will be going to the island to be its caretakers. Back in 2011, it was reported that volunteers-- including those with children-- would live in Maatsuyker for four months at a time.
For more information visit the Tasmania Park and Wildlife Service official Facebook page or the park service’s website at www.parks.tas.gov.au.
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