In 2025, Lee and Don Cameron took a 12-month job as Low Isles’ live-in caretakers; their 7-day weeks start before 6 a.m. amid thousands of noisy birds

The Tasmanian couple took a 12-month contract as live-in caretakers of Low Island, part of the Great Barrier Reef, and traded a self-built off-grid home for a job that requires them to maintain buildings, manage vegetation and help protect the island’s natural environment. The couple’s appointment was announced by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority on October 29, 2025, which said that they had won a tender to replace outgoing caretakers Colin and Renata Musson. The role involves looking after heritage buildings and infrastructure, coordinating with tour operators, welcoming visitors and monitoring compliance with marine park rules..The birds are part of the jobLow Island is about 15 kilometres northeast of Port Douglas, and along with nearby Woody Island, it forms the Low Isles group, a pair of coral cays that are surrounded by reef waters popular with snorkellers, researchers and tour groups. The area attracts about 50,000 visitors annually, according to the Marine Park Authority. The annual nesting season brought large numbers of bridled terns and pied imperial pigeons to the island, which is when the Camerons arrived, and in an October 28 report, ABC News described the noise from the birds as a constant feature of life there. Little terns tap along the island’s aluminium stairs, pigeons coo, and other seabirds produce louder calls through the night and early morning.Lee Cameron told ABC that she enjoyed observing the birds and their individual behaviour, even when the noise became difficult. The island’s wildlife is a part of the caretaking work, as the couple has experience with monitoring seabirds and other species through conservation volunteering in Tasmania.Maintenance without a nearby hardware storeCaretakers must clean and repair heritage buildings, manage weeds, keep visitor areas presentable and maintain essential infrastructure, while also overseeing systems that support the island’s off-grid operation, including solar power, rainwater collection and filtration, wastewater treatment and composting toilets. The Marine Park Authority describes Low Island as a carbon-neutral coral cay, and its facilities have to keep working despite the island’s isolation, heat, humidity and exposure to cyclones. Supplies and specialist help are not as readily available as they would be on the mainland, so caretakers need practical maintenance skills and the ability to handle problems independently.The Camerons spent 12 years travelling internationally by sailboat before returning to Tasmania, where they built an off-grid solar home overlooking the River Derwent. They had also volunteered on several remote islands and worked on heritage lighthouse projects, and their previous experience included conservation work on Maatsuyker Island, where volunteers monitor wildlife in challenging conditions. The couple’s Low Isles contract also requires them to welcome visitors and liaise with tour operators, which means that the island is both a workplace and a destination used by day-trippers, even though the caretakers live there full-time.A seven-day working weekABC News reported that the typical day begins before 6 a.m. and that the work continues seven days a week. Tasks vary, but can include raking, checking facilities, gardening, repairs and cleaning, and Lee said that the routine involved more walking than she had expected when she first saw the size of the island. The couple have a residence on Low Island, while separate accommodation is available for visiting researchers and volunteers. They can seek help with larger jobs that exceed what two caretakers can manage themselves, but ordinary upkeep remains their responsibility.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.