How did you become involved in tour guiding?
By chance.  After completing a B.AppSc degree in Ecology and Resource Management in Canberra in 1976 I moved to Queensland to work for the then QNPWS.

After 3 years I resigned and travelled to Europe. By fortunate circumstance I ended up in North America for 3 months as a guest of the US National Park Service and Parks Canada.

I was very impressed with the interpretation in parks particularly the living history interpretation at old forts at various locations in both countries.

I came back to Australia with the idea of looking for interpretation work in one of the National Park Services but quickly got side tracked into the hospitality industry. After only two days back in the country a mate of mine offered me a job running the campsite at Binna Burra Lodge.

Having no money, no where to live and no transport, the prospect of a job with board and lodgings, a wage and with a constant stream of visitors was too good to miss.

The world came to me, it was like backpacking without leaving home and my backyard was Lamington National Park. After 3 interesting months I moved up the road to Binna Burra Lodge itself as a Guest Activities Person and my guiding career began. I found my niche and, apart from a period guiding tours overseas, I stayed for 20 years.

What is your occupation and where are you located?
I am based at my home in Beechmont in the Hinterland of the Gold Coast only 5 kilometres from Binna Burra and surrounded by Lamington National Park.

When I left Binna Burra in 2003 I started my own company, Gondwana Guides, to work as freelance tour guide. Shortly after a former colleague, Dan Blunt, joined me in a partnership and we expanded our role into ecotourism consulting, interpretive signage design, educational tourism and special interest tourism, particularly bird watching.

Our first major consulting job was an interpretation plan, the design of a walking track system and interpretive signage for the Coomera Waters development on the Gold Coast. This project is continuing and even in the early stages has won a UDIA award for excellence.

We have completed, or are working on, a number of other ecotourism/environmental consulting projects including signage for Birds Australia and an interesting conservation project by for the Queensland Sporting Shooters.

This year (2006) we are starting a Cert III and Cert IV tour guide training course. The course will be by correspondence and residential workshops and will start about June. We have had enquires from prospective students from as far away as Switzerland.

Our objective is to provide students with the benefits of our practical skills as well as the academic requirements they need. We are also developing training workshops to fit the requirements of individual operators and tour companies.

Tour guiding is still the main part of the business. We sub-contact as tour guides for walking, educational and other special interest tours throughout Australia and New Zealand and will happily go further a field. We also design our own tours, specialising in bird watching.

Our website www.gondwanaguides.com.au has more information about what we do. I read it sometimes to remind me of what my occupation is.

What does a general day at work involve?
I'm not sure there is such a thing as a general day at work. When I'm at home I spend most of my time sitting in front of the computer writing reports, doing research, planning tours, writing training programmes etc.

I am very fortunate that I only have to look over the rim of my reading glasses to see Regent Bowerbirds and other spectacular birds in the trees outside my window.

In the field on consulting jobs I'm usually identifying trees, searching for animals, assessing landscapes and trying to imagine creative and sustainable ways to develop and conserve beautiful places. It never ceases to amaze me that people actually pay me to do this.

Touring is what I like doing best. I love getting out on the road or the track and sharing stories about places, wildlife, people, plants and all manner of things with my guests.
Whether it be driving a bus through the Kimberley or walking in the rainforest, the days are always long, exhausting and interesting.

As a guide I accept that the social, intellectual and physical welfare of guests is my responsibility and I take that responsibility seriously (whilst having fun).

When your office is where you are at the time it is hard to generalise about a typical day.

Where is your favourite spot for tour guiding?
In spite of having guided all over Australia and in New Zealand and had the privilege of guiding in such iconic places as the Galapagos and Macchu Picchu, my favourite place is still my backyard, Lamington National Park.

The Coomera Circuit track on the Binna Burra side of Lamington National Park is my favourite place to walk with guests. In autumn after the summer rains the forest is a rich tapestry of dripping leaves, brightly coloured fungi, butterflies and bird song.

The waterfalls are spectacular, especially from the new Coomera falls lookout, and the bizarre blue and white Lamington Spiny Crayfish bail you up along the tracks. Even the leeches seem tolerable when the sunlight shines down through the mist.

What do you believe is the most important attribute for a tour guide?
Sincerity. Guides must genuinely enjoy the company of their guests and be passionate about the places they visit. Cynical, disinterested, dispassionate tour guides do not provide the positively unforgettable experiences that we should all be striving to achieve.

The positive bond between guests and guides, so critical to the success of a tour, can only be achieved through the sincerity of the guide.

As an interesting exercise next time you go shopping take a careful note of the behaviour of the people that serve you. Watch their body language, see if they make eye contact, listen carefully to the way they say 'have a nice day'.

You will soon pick the ones who are sincere and I guarantee they will be the ones providing the best service. It is the same with tour guides.

What has been your best Tour Guiding experience?
The single most amazing moment for me as a tour guide was walking up a staircase on the Inca trail and suddenly seeing Macchu Picchu spread out before me.

No amount of pictures can prepare you for the magic of that moment.

The best moment though was when I was instructing abseiling at Binna Burra and I persuaded a visually impaired guest to abseil.

Seeing how proud she was when she succeeded, and her gratitude for my help in achieving it, made that a very special moment.

Having the opportunity to encourage people to extent themselves beyond the limits they set for themselves is one of the most satisfying aspects of being a tour guide.