Ranger Andrea Turbett loves her ‘office’ on rugged Macquarie Island

Parks ranger Andrea Turbett will this week undertake one of the highlights of her job on remote and rugged Macquarie Island.

THE winds are ferocious and the temperatures hover close to zero, but Andrea Turbett has only warm words to describe her job as Australia’s southern-most ranger.

Her posting on Macquarie Island can be dangerous at times because of the gusts, but she goes in the direction it blows her and soaks in the scenery.

“It’s spectacular here,” she says.

Andrea Turbett is a DPIPWE ranger works on Macquarie Island. Picture: JASON EDWARDS

The 34-year-old said the extreme weather made it dramatic, as did the sub-Antarctic Island’s extreme location.

“Part of the charm of Macquarie Island is the remoteness. Because of where it is in the Southern Ocean, it’s very rugged and has special wildlife like giant petrels, albatross and elephant seals.”

This week the ranger will undertake one of the highlights of the job: counting the king penguin chicks.

A king penguin chick.

Weather depending, the annual chick count will see Ms Turbett make her way around the island to photograph the many colonies - the chicks will then be tallied with the help of a computer counting tool.

“We are hoping there will be around 70,000 chicks across the island, but the numbers fluctuate every year,” Ms Turbett said.

She said the mist and snow would pose the biggest challenge for the count.

“The biggest challenge for that job is lining up a good weather window, it is problematic at this time of year in the sub-Antarctic.”

The ranger role is one of the most remote in Australia, and Ms Turbett was among the many rangers recognised last week for World Ranger Day.

The day recognises the sometimes dangerous work undertaken by rangers in their effort to protect the world’s natural and cultural assets.

Macquarie Island Nature Reserve and World Heritage Area presents both spectacular scenery and weather for the 34km island’s 14 expeditioners.

Ms Turbett said they learned to live with the wind, and let it be their guide.

“We get buffeted by the wind as we walk along, and we can be blown off our feet by the strongest winds,” she said.

Ranger Andrea Turbett checks on the Macquarie Island penguin population. Picture: PETER LAYT.

If the gusts are too dangerous they don’t venture out, but other times they plan field work so their course is in the same direction as the wind.

Ms Turbett is usually based in the planning section of Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service, but she never refuses an opportunity to get to Macquarie Island.

This is her third winter as the Ranger in Charge on the island, and before that she visited the island in 2010 while working on the Macquarie Island Pest Eradication Project, which targeted rabbits, rats and mice.

Since the island was declared pest free in April 2014, Ms Turbett has discovered huge changes.

“The vegetation is flourishing all over the island, and the wildlife is recovering really well,” she said.