Fishing for tradies in Cairns
UK-born electrician Callum Scott decided he wanted to live in Cairns when he first visited more than 10 years ago. Worries about finding work in a tourist town slowed him down but he made the move in 2020. He found plenty of employment opportunities, an easier way to live … and some really great fishing.
“I completely fell in love with Far North Queensland when I came here in 2009 from the UK. I knew that I was going to be back here to live at some point but it was difficult to find the time and, I guess, to have the courage to make the move.”
“At the end of 2020, we (my partner and I) made up our minds and moved up. I found work quickly. There's a lot of opportunity for the trades. I was pretty surprised when I did move up and had a look around on the internet that there was actually a lot of opportunities for tradesmen and women, whether that's an electrician like me, or plumbers or roofers or scaffolders.”
“Cairns is quite clearly a growing city”
“There’s a lot of building and there's a lot of new infrastructure getting put in … seems to me that I'm not the only one that's decided to move up here! By and large it looks like there's work for people who are looking. Particularly in the trades. I'm enjoying my work up here now as an electrician in Cairns Regional Council’s water and waste department.”
“When I first came to Cairns, it was a bit of a wild moment coming from the UK originally. It's so very different - the temperatures, the weather, the storms. I mean, it rains when it's hot … I wasn’t used to that! Yet, it hasn't really taken me too long to adjust. In fact, I don't mind the rain anymore because I know that it's going to be gone sooner or later.”
“The diversity in the landscapes up here is just crazy”
“I've always been keen on boats and fishing - me and my partner - we’re avid campers. We like bush camping and we get out of the city a fair bit up to the Tablelands and further west for camping.”
“The fishing up here, as people well know, is pretty diverse and there are so many species to target. My favourite is obviously the coral trout. I'd say that they’re probably the best eating fish in the ocean out of the ones I've tasted. My partner likes it too when we get a few of them in the boat.”
“You can always find somewhere to go, something to do”
“I think the good thing about the Cairns region and the Far North is that if it's too windy, or too rough to go offshore, you can always head inland and find something amazing to see up on the Tablelands -maybe a waterfall, or an old historic town. But if the weather is good, and the wind is down, I'm on the reef.”
“It's an easy life up here”
“Living somewhere that you absolutely love, enjoying the natural environment of where you are, and having the ability to get out and pursue your hobbies, it’s an easy life up here for us.”