Caretaker Couple Returns to Great Barrier Reef Island Paradise of Low Isles

A family who once called a remote Great Barrier Reef island home has returned to their tropical paradise for a second stint as caretakers. Louise Collier and Steve Sharpe, along with their 21-year-old son Tom, have resumed their role on Low Isles, a coral sand cay located 15 kilometres offshore from Port Douglas.

The family first took on the physically demanding gig as volunteers in July 2003, before winning a tender to continue in a paid capacity two years later. Their first stint ended in December 2008, but they're now back for a second experience that they expect to be different from their first.

A New Outlook

Louise Collier was 41 weeks pregnant when a warning came in for potentially damaging winds in February 2005. She and her husband Steve agreed that was to be their signal to travel to the mainland in case their baby arrived. Little Tom Sharpe was born the next day, and a day-old Tom was bundled on to the family boat with his older siblings and taken back to Low Isles, the off-grid island his parents were responsible for looking after.

About 50,000 tourists visit Low Isles annually. The job involves maintaining the grounds, repairing buildings and water systems, watching for any unauthorised boat arrivals, and engaging with the tourists who visit the isles each year.