Is this your dream job? Scot lands post as lighthouse keeper on remote Australian island with only colony of penguins for company
A Scottish man makes his dream come true as a lighthouse keeper on a remote Australian island with only a colony of penguins for company.
Sandy Duthie, 42, was given the role on Gabo Island, off the coast of Victoria, after the previous lighthouse keeper and island manager decided to retire after 25 years.
Mr Duthie, from Aberdeenshire, visited Australia with his partner five years ago and never left.
He studied ecology at the University of Aberdeen before becoming an arborist.
Mr Duthie now spends six months of the year on the island: one month on and one month off. Another goalkeeper, who has been there for 16 years, shares the rotation with him.
Speaking to the BBC about his first stay on the island in his new role, Mr Duthie said: ‘It immediately felt like home, it felt very much like the North East of Scotland.’
Sandy Duthie, 42, (pictured) was given the role on Gabo Island, off the coast of Victoria, after the previous lighthouse keeper and island manager decided to retire after 25 years
The Gabo Lighthouse (pictured) was built over 160 years ago and has connections to Scotland and the Highlands. Mr Duthie is now manager of the lighthouse and the island itself
A map showing where Gabo Island is compared to mainland Australia
Mr Duthie first went to the island two years ago and “immediately fell in love with the place”.
He always dreamed of being the caregiver, so when the position opened up, he jumped at the chance.
Previous goalkeeper Leo op den Brouw, 70, had been in the position for 25 years and had decided earlier this year to return to family life on the mainland.
Mr Duthie said it takes about 30 minutes to get to the island by small boat, but conditions can often be choppy.
He described Gabo Island as small but with “amazing wildlife,” including a colony of penguins, whales, sea eagles and seals.
His duties on the island range from weather observations every six hours to cleaning the public toilets and painting, as the salty air is highly corrosive.
“The house needs a lot of maintenance,” Mr Duthie added, “you just have to expect the unexpected.”
Mr Duthie first went to the island two years ago and ‘immediately fell in love with the place’
Mr Duthie spends six months of the year on Gabo Island – one month on and one month off – with only a colony of penguins for company
Although Mr Duthie loves his job, he said it has not been without challenges as there are “some days where it feels like a prison at times”.
Sometimes the phone signal can be lost and supplies can run out if a boat doesn’t come.
He told the BBC that the previous manager called it “Alcatraz the Rock” because you can’t go to family events and can sometimes be stuck on the island for days due to the weather.
However, Mr Duthie said: ‘You can basically write your own script for the day and do your tasks.’
The Gabo Lighthouse was built over 160 years ago and has connections to Scotland and the Highlands.
Mr Duthie said documents he has found suggest that the person responsible for the construction in 1859 sought Scottish stonemasons because they were used to working with hard materials.
Many of the previous keepers in the lighthouse’s history were also Scottish, Duthie said.