The caretakers of the Wonga Beach Caravan Park say the worldwide interest in their new lifestyle role has made their appointment even more special.
Douglas Shire Council had a trickle of applications for the position before a Channel 7 report on the role – titled Australia’s Best Job? – saw interest spike.
Staff were overwhelmed by hundreds of enquiries from across Australia and overseas following the segment but eventually found two outstanding applicants in Richard Martin and Karen Atwell.
Richard said the interest in the position took them by surprise.
“We put our application in on the second day that it opened. And then the television advert—if you want to call it that—came on and we’ve gone, ‘Holy heck, this position that we’ve applied for has gone Australia-wide, if not nationwide,’” he recalled on Council podcast DSC For You & Me.
“So, it was a bit of a shock to us, but it got great promotion for the area and great promotion for the Douglas Shire.”
Karen said the extra attention made their recent appointment as caretakers even more special.
“Richard and I both look at each other every day and just feel so blessed,” she said.
Only in the job for a few weeks, the couple have already seen a diverse range of visitors stay at the park, including backpackers, grey nomads, families, fishing enthusiasts and tourists on their way to a Daintree Rainforest adventure.
The park doesn’t have the features of the giant holiday parks, but Richard said its simplicity is what makes it appealing to many.
“There’s not many of those caravan park types left. You haven’t got the jumping castles and the coffee machines, and I think a lot of people just come here because that’s what it is—it’s the old-school caravan park,” he said.
LISTEN: https://douglas.qld.gov.au/community/your-douglas/#NEWS
