Q
Q has been tour guiding Australia for over 12 years
Guided by intuition.
Standing on that cliff edge of Watarrka National Park, N.T was my job for a few years. I had set out from the Gold Coast in Queensland, where I lived in the rainforest of Lamington National Park & worked at the top of the Q1, the tallest skyscraper in town and found myself there in 2013.
I had been a stay at home Mum for around 4-5 years and the remoteness I felt was only partially due to location. I was atop a mountain ridge, deep in the rainforest. I had moved from the city to raise my children amongst nature, a decision I will never regret. However, this move meant a huge shift in lifestyle for me. I had moved 90 minutes' drive from my support networks and no matter how much time I buried myself in the veggie patch, I was undeniably depressed.
This heaviness of heart was lumped with the term postnatal depression. I was not fussed on the name, I was fussed on life. I was finding myself crying streams of salty tears almost as soon as I woke each morning. The cries of the children tensed my muscles. The green of the forest became an icon of aloneness. I was finding the days to be long and my patience dwindled. I was perplexed at my capacity to dwell on the sadness. Conversations with my best friend would unlock some tricks to subdue the hurt I was feeling, but these methods proved effective mainly due to the genuine love I felt from my friend. Did I see doctors? Oh yes, I did. That is a blog in itself.
Eventually, I decided I needed to re-establish myself in the adult world. I needed the father of my children to support my independence, which was where my journey begins.
Previous customer service positions I have held have seen me working in some of the most iconic locations in the country. My genuine persona and vibrant character have assisted me to be promoted from customer service to manager roles on several occasions. I have successful client services working history, with some of my most notable positions being as a tour guide. Tour guiding began for me when I applied for a job washing dishes at Binna Burra Mountain Lodge in Lamington National Park. After interviewing me for the position they decided I was best suited to Guest Activities, which saw me facilitating information talks, history walks, full-day hikes, abseiling, zip line and all the school and university group activities.
Almost four years at Binna Burra saw me gain confidence as a guide and I was soon employed by Skypoint Climb, taking tours on top of the iconic Q1 building in Surfers Paradise. With my contribution, Skypoint was awarded the best new tourist venture in Queensland during the year I worked there. In this position, I demonstrated the ability to work in a team environment. I had to develop the skills to answer and escalate, prioritize and redirect inquiries as directed in order to provide this award-winning service.
I was asked to travel to Uluru for my next job and I spent three years touring the famous rock. These tours were up to ten days long and I was awarded a certificate 3 in tour guiding for my excellence in this position, due to the difficulty of the conditions and my skill shown. Due to my well-developed verbal communication skills including my ability to effectively and professionally engage with a diverse range of clients. I was promoted to manager of the guide accommodation and became an office manager in Alice Springs.
While working in the office in Alice Springs, I received a phone call from the CEO of Hot Air Balloon Gold Coast. He had been on my Skypoint Climb and took note of my name for when he needed staff. I was offered a 2IC position with him and I returned home to Queensland to start work there. My most recent tour guiding position was at Tangalooma Island Resort in 2016. It was around this time I decided I wanted to study and achieve my degree.
Since that time, I have been working as a therapy assistant for my client who is training to make the Paralympic swimming team, with my background as a swimming coach. in this position, I liaise with coaches, physios, occupational therapists, personal trainers, and dieticians to achieve consistency and a quality approach to assisting my client to achieve her goal.