Tasmania lists ‘wombat walker’ among odd jobs to boost winter tourism

Tasmania is offering a range of “odd” jobs to visitors this winter in a bid to boost their winter tourism.

The jobs on offer include ten unique vacancies, including an oyster organiser, paranormal investigator, a stargazer, and a wombat walker.

The Australian island is promising visitors an escape from their mundane life for unforgettable experiences and all-expenses-paid trips.

“Whether you’re craving creative stimulation or outdoor exhilaration – the company of animals, artisans, or absolutely no one – there’s an Odd Job for that,” Tourism Tasmania said.

While the positions are unpaid, successful applicants will have all their travel, food and hotels covered by the Tasmanian tourist board.

“As temperatures drop during winter, we know Australians are seeking a well-being boost and a break from the daily grind,” Lindene Cleary, the authority’s chief marketing officer told local media.

The jobs, only open to Australian citizens, offer one day of experience but there’s an eligibility criterion to be met and duties one would have to complete.

The job description for wombat walker says you will “help maintain the physical and mental wellbeing of our wombats” by taking them on daily morning walks. The employees will “coax them out of bed to get them moving” and “keep them motivated with encouragement and snacks”.

To be eligible, the tourist would have to be an “animal and nature lover, a keen walker and a patient soul”.

A paranormal investigator will get to use the “latest ghost-hunting equipment” to pick up on paranormal activity at Willow Court, Australia’s oldest continually run asylum.

“You’ll enter the maximum security ward for the criminally insane and tune into the signs of paranormal activity,” the description says.

For this, the tourism board wants someone with a “magnetic personality” and a “sixth sense”.

Someone with a “flexibility to wiggle yourself in and out of our waterproof waders” can become an oyster organiser and gather, sort, and clean shellfish.

For tourists worried about the cold, Tourism Tasmania says there’s a vacancy for a “sauna stoker” that involves tending to the wood-fired sauna at a glamping site overlooking the Tasman Sea.

There are also jobs for truffle hunters and “wine whisperers”. Tourism Tasmania is looking to boost its tourism numbers with these jobs, as they aim to bring it back to pre-pandemic levels.

Some 1.25 million people visited the island last year, versus the 1.35 million visitors in 2019, before the pandemic.