Our driver’s name is Alana. She’s either really excited to see people or she’s really good at her job, because she gives us a warm, enthusiastic welcome as she drives us to the top of the mountain. She describes the history of Fitzroy Island, how it used to be a part of the mainland, how the trail we were on before and the road we are using now are relics from when the island was used as a lookout location during World War II. She chatters about the turtle sanctuary, how she and her team take a boat out from the mainland every morning, how they have no access to anything but a radio if they need to call for help.

When Andrew asks if she likes working in such a remote environment, she laughs. ‘Sometimes I really want to be able to order a pizza for lunch,’ she says, ‘but there’s nothing like being surrounded by nature.’

When we reach the peak, we climb out of the van and Alana herds us to a giant rock, where we have a panoramic view of the island. Crystal blue water stretches out in all directions. We can see both the beach where Coral Sea Dreaming is docked and the private cove we had walked to earlier. The turtle sanctuary is at the opposite end of the island, we can just make out the white roof of the building from our perch.

I scramble around the rock and go stand next to Hugh, but he’s talking to Alana about turtles. He’s listening to her intently, his sandy hair mussed from the wind that’s rippling over the mountaintop. She’s so passionate about it that there isn’t a moment to cut in, and she talks non-stop until we are all back in the van and heading to the place she calls her office. Although every time she says ‘office’ she giggles, like she’s part of an inside joke. I’m envious of her passion for her work, and I find myself daydreaming about the possibility of having a job where I was so removed from corporate America that I didn’t even have the option to walk with Bella to get bubble tea.

When we arrive, Alana walks us through a series of outdoor tanks, each one bigger than the last, home to a vast array of sea turtles, some small and some massive.

The sanctuary rescues turtles from everywhere around the Great Barrier Reef, up to hundreds of miles away, responding to distress calls from boats or volunteers who see turtles in need of help. Their team nurses the turtles back to health and releases them back into the wild.