You heard that right, pack your bags with your partner and you are ready to live on this Australian Island for free and not less than 6 months, but wait! Are you single? Then you are out of luck.
Maatsuyker Island, in around 180 hectares of area and located approximately 10 kilometers off the south-west coast of Tasmania, can be your home for 6 months if you are an eligible applicant, and the first requirement is that you have to be a couple who are willing equivalently to live on the island for 6 months together. The weather is frequently cold, wet and very windy.
Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) of Tasmania Parks is recruiting couples on the basis of their caretaker program to look after Maatsuyker Island, you can even get paid for the duties you will be assigned there.
But do not worry if you are willing to spend your time of life on this beautiful island for free with your partner, the catch of living here is — you cannot leave the island before 6 months except in case of an emergency and you will be responsible for maintaining the island’s grounds and environment, taking care of the establishments and reporting weather observation daily to Bureau of Meteorology. Simple, right? But there are also a few things you must know before you plan a trip here.
For starters, the internet service there is limited and most of the time won’t be available. You will also be responsible for your own food and cannot carry more than 325kg of supply for each person. But a resupply is probably scheduled after 3 months of your stay. Moreover, you will also be maintaining a productive vegetable garden for your own needs.
If you are selected, you will be living on this little piece of heaven for 6 moths either from March to September or September to March. Currently, the applications are open from 2020 to 2022. Your home will be a 4 bedroom establishment with basic furniture including beds, mattresses, tables, and chairs. Home appliances will include a refrigerator, smaller freezer, gas stove, and oven and other basic required items.
You also don’t have to worry about the average low temperature of 6.7°C
(44.1 °F) while in the house as a diesel heater is also present in the lounge area.
Also, keep in mind that the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service is very particular about the couples they will select as the caretakers of the island. Firstly you must be physically fit and pass all necessary medical exams, and secondly, both you and your partners must have a proven ability to live and work in a remote location.
So, get ready if you think you can live with your partner for 6 months, without any contact with your family, friends, and don’t need anything or anybody to live as a couple, then Maatsuyker Island is the place for you.
