In 2021-2022, my plans to work in a boarding school in England were foiled by Covid (as most things were), so I re-routed to working on Hayman Island in the Whitsundays for my gap year instead - not the worst substitute!

Living and working on a private island in the Great Barrier Reef sounds like something from a novel, and in many ways, it was magical. But it wasn’t all infinity pools and cocktails at sunset (though there was plenty of that too). If you’re considering an island job or just curious about what goes on behind the (very picturesque) scenes, here’s the honest, slightly chaotic, and surprisingly character-building truth of my time as a Hayman Island staff member.

Having to actually work

Crazy, right? A working holiday actually involves working.

My island career kicked off in housekeeping. I applied to an open position through the IHG careers website, had a phone interview with the housekeeping manager and then was sent instructions for getting to the island. Two weeks later I was there!
After two days of orientation, I was taken through the art of housekeeping and wondering what exactly I had gotten myself into. However, while it wasn’t the most glamorous of jobs, I can now make a bed with a mean hospital corner and fold toilet paper into pretty shapes. It was also good for character-building and resilience training.

A typical day working in housekeeping involved a morning meeting in the office with everyone at 8am, discussing the day ahead and collecting our buckets, trolleys, tablets and vacuum cleaners. Sometimes we would work in pairs depending on how busy the day was or how the big our assigned rooms were. Cleaning the three-bedroom Hayman Beach House was no small feat, that’s for sure (although the views were spectacular).

We would then work our way through the rooms on our list, departures first to get them ready for afternoon arrivals, and then services after that. The finishing time would depend on when we were all done with the rooms, if someone needed a hand, everyone would go to help them, which was nice. Usually it was around 3-4pm, 5pm if it was really busy. There was also the mid shift, which meant working 8-12pm in the morning, then 4pm-8pm for turndown service.

The typical roster was five days on, two days off, but as COVID prompted more border lockdowns and travel restrictions, the number of guests and rooms needing to be cleaned dwindled so we only worked 3-4 days a week and had 3-4 days off, which was fine by me!

Housekeeping was pretty hard, I won’t lie, it was a lot of physical labour and a lot of guests would look down their noses at you, but I made some great friends and learned a lot about myself during it.

After three months in housekeeping, I applied for a role in front office as a porter, collecting the guests’ bags from the transfer vessels and then delivering them to the rooms, and then the reverse on departure. I got to drive a buggy and feel like a top dog on the island.

After another couple of months, I transitioned into working as a guest services agent on the boats, serving the guests and checking them in before they arrived on island. I got to chat, admire the ocean (and whales!) and hang out on a luxury catamaran everyday. There were a few rough days (including the time I caught a flying Corona mid-air during a choppy ride), but it was still one of the best jobs I’ve ever had.

2. Days off were a dream

Not that this is a real surprise, but the days off were far and away the best part of living and working on an island. It felt like I was living in a Pinterest board.

With fewer guests around courtesy of COVID, we had more days off than expected (no complaints here!) I had the most beautiful beaches and hikes right on my doorstep, plus as an employee of the resort you could hire paddle boards, kayaks and the catamarans (provided they weren’t already booked by guests).

The staff village also had so many activities and facilities like a pool, tennis courts, a movie room, organised themed events, staff hikes, etc. Safe to say, I was never bored.

Winners of the Hayman Staff Village Olympics!

We also had the option of heading back to the mainland via Coral Sea Marina at Airlie Beach or Hamilton Island, where we’d eat, shop or go out. I also went to the mainland (Airlie Beach) about twice a month and shopped, went to bars/restaurants or did day trips around the area. The cabin fever does catch up to you sometimes.

My absolute favourite place in Airlie is Northerlies Beach Bar and Grill, it’s got a beach club kind of feel and the best seafood platter I’ve ever had.

You also haven’t had the proper Airlie experience until you’ve been to one of the backpackers bars like Magnums (Maggies to the locals) or Mama Africa’s.

3. The friends you make along the way

Island life forges fast friendships - mostly because you’re always together. You eat together, work together, party together, and share rooms, clothes and laundry baskets.

It’s pretty intense, but also really fun.

For me, as a person who tends to be more on the introverted side, it definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone, in a good way. I met people from all over the world and because the staff turnover rate was high, I was constantly meeting new faces (and saying goodbye to old ones).

Some of my closest friends today are people I met on Hayman. There’s a certain kind of connection that forms when you’ve both had to scrub the bottom of a hotel room shower.

4. Reality TV, but Real Life

Honestly, if you dropped a camera crew on Hayman Island, you’d have a hit reality show in a week. The staff village was its own little world and drama was inevitable - relationships sparking quickly and ending even faster, people getting fired (NBO = Next Boat Out) or some other scandal caused by havoc at the staff bar.

If something exciting happened at lunchtime, it was guaranteed that everyone knew about it by dinner. It wasn’t always easy to navigate the social politics, especially when you couldn’t exactly avoid people. But it was never boring, and it made the whole experience even more memorable.

5. Staff Bar and Staff Parties

The staff bar was not for the weak - the parties were frequent and the drinks were cheap ($6 double vodka Red Bulls, anyone?). There was a themed night practically every week - Toga night, Halloween, the Matrix, and of course, Pay Day Wednesdays.

There was also a pool table, dart boards, a DJ booth, cheap cocktails on Sunday afternoons, trivia nights, and meat tray raffles. The amount of sliders with truffle sauce I had was obscene.

I’m pretty sure the staff bar shaved a few years off my life and I now live like a grandma, despite being in my early 20s, but it was worth it.

6. What the Accommodation is like

Staff accommodation in the village was basic, but perfectly functional. Whether you shared a room or had one to yourself depended on your role/seniority.

Since I started in housekeeping, which is pretty much the bottom of the ranks, I was assigned to a shared room. I started with a beautiful Colombian lady called Marcela. She was lovely and we became good friends, I even went with her on a yacht trip for her birthday. She left the island after I had been there a month, so my friend Clancy and I then requested to be in the same room, which worked out great.

The shared room has two single beds, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers, air con, a small bathroom with a shower, toilet, sink and mirror. Clancy and I bought some decor, like a big coloured rug and new bedspreads in Airlie, which brightened the place up. We even had a lava lamp and printed out photos to put on the walls.

The rooms also have a private courtyard if you’re on the ground floor (which we were) or a balcony if you’re on the top. It wasn’t fancy, but it was home and after a long day of housekeeping, flopping onto the single bed felt like heaven.

7. Wildlife and Weather

The staff aren’t the only permanent residents on Hayman - there’s wildlife everywhere (as you would expect on an island). Possums raided the outdoor tables at the staff diner, as did the resident kookaburra.

The cockatoos started off as cute, but then became the bane of my existence after they consistently got into the housekeeping carts (they loved the sugar sachets). There was also rock wallabies, which were more timid and spotted less frequently.

One morning I saw at least 20 stingrays in a cluster at the staff beach, which was such a cool experience. I also spotted lots of whales while working on the boats and countless fish when I was snorkelling.

The weather on Hayman was PERFECT in winter, I loved posting videos of the beach while everyone at home was rugged up. However, in summer, it was typical of a tropical climate and super muggy + humid, the aircons in our rooms were our saving grace. The activities on the island were also really dependent on the wind and tides. The first thing everyone did when they woke up was check Willy Weather to see what kind of day was ahead.

8. Hikes, walks and sunsets

Hayman has multiple hikes around the island with beautiful vistas and amazing scenery overlooking the turquoise water. Some of them include:

Blue Pearl Bay - a 45min trek from the staff village, ending in a gorgeous secluded bay.
Dolphin Point - a 1-hour walk with panoramic views from the rocks at the top
Cooks Lookout - For the best views of the island and surrounding reef.
Whitsunday Lookout - the shortest of the hikes, overlooking nearby Arkhurst Island.

Even the walk from the staff village to the Marina was dreamy - rainforest, palm trees and ocean.

However, despite the first-class hikes available, the scenery highlight was easily the sunsets at the beach. Because of how Hayman is situated, the sun sets over the water like in Western Australia. Most afternoons, everyone would grab snacks and drinks from the village shop and head down to watch it.

9. The Staff Diner

The staff diner was honestly pretty good, especially considering we were on a remote island. There was always options for all dietary needs (vegan, gluten-free etc) and the menu rotated enough that it didn’t get boring. Everyone joked that you left the island with “Hayman Hips”. Even when it wasn’t mealtimes, there was always toast, cereal and fruit available.

If you weren’t a fan of the staff diner, you could get groceries from the mainland Woolworths delivered twice a week. This was particularly handy for stocking up on snacks to have after a night at the staff bar.

10. The Resort

One of the absolute perks of working on Hayman was getting to experience the luxury side of the resort—not just as a staff member, but every now and then, as a guest.

As an employee, you could apply through Village Reception to dine at the resort restaurants on certain nights, usually when things were quiet. I’m not sure if this was just a special COVID-era privilege or a regular offering, but either way, I did not waste the opportunity. It was my first foray into fine dining (my family is more into Sunday dinners at the local pub, plus options were limited in my town). It felt like a total treat to be allowed into the guest areas in my finest island attire, sit down to a beautifully set table, and be treated like I was on a $1000-a-night holiday.

And the food? Incredible. There are three and a half restaurants in the resort (Aqua - the poolside bar - only runs during the day). Pacific serves a stunning buffet breakfast each morning - eggs made to order, an array of tropical fruit, fresh pastries, charcuterie, juices and coffee. However, the real magic happens at dinner. Pacific’s dinner menu leans modern Australian - steaks, local seafood, seasonal vegetables and, on certain nights, a phenomenal seafood buffet (king prawns, oysters, Moreton Bay bugs, lobster, the WORKS).

There’s also Bam Bam, an Asian-fusion restaurant with an infinity pool wrapped around it. All the food was so delicious, and the cocktails were amazing too. My personal favourite was a mojito served in a coconut by the pool.

Amici is the resort’s Italian option, all about warm lighting, woodfired pizza and fresh pasta. It’s also where I experienced what might be the best pizza of my life - the truffle funghi. Perfection! I still dream about it.

I was lucky enough to host my family and grandparents during my time on Hayman, and using my employee discount, I booked them into the resort for a few nights. Seeing them soak up the experience made me feel so proud and my mum still talks about it constantly.

So Should You Do It?

If you’ve ever dreamed of running away to a tropical island, I say: go! But don’t go expecting to be sunbaking and sipping cocktails the whole time - it’s hard work and social rollercoasters (like life in general really). But it’s also unforgettable sunsets, friendships that last a lifetime and stories you’ll tell forever.

Living on an island changed me in the best way and, if you’re up for the challenge, it just might change you too. If you have any questions or need further advice, leave a comment, I’d love to answer it!

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Molly Beare's Foreign Affairs is your behind-the-scenes pass to life, travel, and the unexpected adventures in between. For more stories, follow along on Instagram, TikTok and right here on the blog.

The Reality of Living and Working on an Island

Having to actually work