5-Star Gilligan’s Island

February 4th, 2005 at 12:00am

Well I have been here on Lizard Island for one month now, and so far I am adjusting well. Living and working here is very different than living and working on the mainland, that is for sure. Lizard Island is definitely what I would consider a ‘remote’ place. The island has a resort (where I work) and a research station, and that’s it. There are no shops (other than the gift shop in the resort); there are no restaurants, shopping malls, cinemas, supermarkets, doctors offices, NOTHING. If you have bucket loads of money and want to have a holiday on a beautiful remote island in a 5-star resort, Lizard Island is the place for you. Otherwise you will have to come here as staff, like me.

There are approximately 80 staff members currently working for the resort. We have 40 rooms and can accommodate 80 guests at the most, so the staff to guest ratio is quite high (even higher now that we are in the low season). All of the staff live on the island. There are 2 staff areas – one is called Manhattan and the other we call the Bronx. I live in the Bronx. I have my own air-conditioned room, but I share a bathroom with another girl (she works in the spa). There is one road that runs behind the resort that we can drive golf
buggies up and down to deliver things, and there is an airstrip on the island; otherwise no roads. All of the guests (and staff) arrive by plane. It is a one-hour flight from the island to Cairns. If you want to get away for a few days, you have to fly.

The island is serviced by the Royal Flying Doctors, so if we have an emergency, they will fly in and fly the person out. We used them about 2 weeks ago when an 11-year old boy was stung by an irikangji jellyfish. The Flying Doctors arrived within 50 minutes. (The boy was in the hospital for a few days but he is ok). We have 2 nurses on the island as well.

The staff have very few options as to how they spend their money here, but somehow from what I can see they seem to be pretty good at spending it all on alcohol. We have a staff bar on the island called the Marlin Bar, and it is only open on Wednesday and Saturday nights. We also have a staff store that is open 2 days a week for one hour each day and we can purchase snacks and more alcohol. In addition, there is a barge that arrives every two weeks that has all of the food for staff and guests. The staff can make their own supermarket order and have it delivered on the barge. You have to plan well though because if you miss one, then you don?t have another chance for 2 more weeks. And if you miss that hour that the staff store is open, you have to wait another 3 days until you can buy something again.

The benefit of working here is of course that you do live here. The entire island is national park, and the beaches are pristine. Diving and all activities are free for staff, and we get discounts at the resort spa as well. (I had a foot massage last week and I got it at 50% off!) There are 20-some odd beaches on the island and the snorkeling is great on all of them. We also have a little 1000-foot mountain in the center of the island and there is a great walking track to the summit. We have surf skies and catamarans too. So far I am finding lots to so on my days off. Yesterday I swam over to Palfrey Island, an uninhabited island to the east of Lizard Island. Today I snorkeled in Watson?s Bay. There is so much to explore.

The job itself is not all that exciting, but I am not here for the job as much as I am for the place. I am working as a room attendant, and as in most corporate resorts, I am overworked and definitely underpaid. I literally RUN around the rooms as I work because we have to do so much in a minimal amount of time. Hey, at least I am active. The work is physically hard, especially in the heat of the tropics. The best thing I like about the job is finding all the stuff that the guests leave behind like books, magazines, and other little odds and ends. Believe me, in a place this remote, every book and magazine is read and passed around amongst the staff!

Anyway there is lots more to tell about this job, but I will leave that for the next entry. I will try to write more often now that I’m in one place for awhile.

One of many great diving spots near Lizard

How cute is he!

Another great sunset at Watsons Bay

Entry Filed under: Australia,Diving,Lizard Island