Yes, Australia! I have accepted a job at The Cairns Post, the local News Corporation-owned newspaper that covers the city and the broader region. It was a real curveball being offered the position while we were Down Under, and a fantastic opportunity. To work as a journalist with the Great Barrier Reef and world’s oldest rainforest on my doorstep is a dream come true. I’m looking forward to non-stop nature, perfect blue skies and a five minute commute to work, plus swimming outdoors every day! A real sea change. Dreamy.
My new workplace: The Cairns Post, Abbott Street
Far North Queensland is well located for Rachelle’s business, a three hour flight from agency and warehouse in Sydney and within easy reach of China’s factories too. We’re very excited about home-making in the tropics, and already researching native exotics for our lush new garden, plus hammocks for our veranda (average daily high is a balmy 29 degrees).
The Lagoon: Cairns Esplanade
Of the other contenders, we were very tempted by Thailand. Chelle had great success with bags sampled there and I had a good offer from the Bangkok Post, but the country is tearing itself apart and we eventually decided the ongoing civil unrest makes it too risky an option.
Elsewhere, I was offered a job in Mumbai (too intense and chaotic), plus regular freelance work at the South China Morning Post, but we feel Hong Kong is too expensive to enjoy a decent lifestyle without a proper salary, and anyway Chelle spent much of her twenties there.
Mexico didn’t live up to our expectations and the drug war makes it a dangerous a place to be a journalist. Beautiful Bocas del Toro appealed the most in Latin America, but we’re not ready to shelve the careers and set-up a boutique hotel-cum-bookshop quite yet!
I was offered a tempting job in Sydney too, but at this stage we’re much more excited about the tropical exoticism of Far North Queensland. It’s a stunning part of the world. Come visit!
One Comment
Hi Simon,
I am enjoying your blog.. I to live here in Cairns. In fact We have similar backgrounds..Manchester, I grew up in Altrincham/Timperley, the Hacienda never went but in fact I have a mate from school days called Dave Rofe who was the main DJ there for many a year before going off to manage The Doves..Me, Dave and Ian Brown of Stone Roses fame all used to hang out together..football you obviously got drunk in the wrong pub in Manc when you arrived as it is a shame you chose the now noisy neighbours. My work involved press to (AD DEPARTMENTS MAINLY) Daily Express London when it used to sell, Punch, She Mag where I worked with the big bosses wife Michelle Harris- as in Jerry Harris’ other half (he is ex Times in London as well if you were unaware) I ended up in the 90s running 4 papers in Papau New Guinea as GM many years ago. I find it interesting the choices you went through in deciding where to settle-we and my wife went through much the same. How ironic that a journo from manc land ends up running the online Cairns Post and a guy from Cairns ends up running Man Uniteds website..