How did you become involved in tour guiding?
I created my own opportunity buy starting a tour business 20+ years ago. I grew up on the land, the eldest son of a mallee farmer and was expected to go on the farm.

My biggest problem was that I was happiest wandering the bush.

After 15 years of farming and working for a stock & station agency I made the break and now my love is my work.

Winning this award has really given me the satisfaction of knowing that I can continue my love with a badge of honour.

What is your occupation and where are you located?
As I own and run the business, I would have to say I am the jack of all trades.

That is one of the beauties of the work, it never gets mundane.

My operation covers the north and west of South Australia and the south east of Western Australia.

This includes the Eyre Peninsula, Gawler Ranges, Great Victoria Desert and Nullarbor regions. Much of this includes the largest tracts of mallee left in Australia.

One only has to look at a map of conservation areas in Australia to see the things I have available.

For more take a look at our website which I maintain, www.greatsafaris.com.au

What does a general day at work involve?
A general day for me is as I stated above.

I am always guide and driver, although other tour companies do contract me to offer their clients an in depth interpretation of the area.

Then there is the office and marketing, both of which I know enough about to head bush every opportunity I get.

Where is your favourite 'spot' for Tour Guiding?
I like to tell my customers my favourite spot is “anywhere in Australia as long as it is not a city”.

I find the diversity of this country fascinating and more than a lifetime of discovering and learning’s worth.

There is nothing like sitting quietly in the scrub and having wrens, babblers or choughs moving around you going about there family business.

Or it could be a desert dune on a moonlit night, with geckos and small marsupials nearby or perhaps even a dingo sniffing around to see what you are.

What do you never leave home without?
Binoculars, magnifier, and camera.

As I have said, the discovery of new things is always around the corner and one just has to view it and record it, be it any of flora or fauna, and I find my customers get a thrill of discovering with me.

An essential part of the kit because of this is good field guides, which I am constantly on the hunt for.

What has been your best Tour Guiding experience?
There are so many good memories that I have learnt not to choose or I might miss the next one.

However some of them are sitting on the Nullarbor Cliffs with a pod of 20 Southern Right Whales milling around below you, or oysters and champagne on the seaweed banks in small remote bay at sunset.

I guess I am selfish as my best experiences seem to be when we have it all to ourselves, and I live in the best location to have this.