Amy Gash

Amy’s love of tourism started from a very young age, having grown up on and around the Great Barrier Reef. Her family are fortunate to be the current Custodians/Lease Holders of the Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort on the Southern Great Barrier Reef.

In 2014 she graduated from the University of Queensland with Bachelor of International Hotel and Tourism Management, during her time at university she was offered the opportunity to complete a six-month internship at Walt Disney World in Florida, USA, gaining real world experience and learning new skills. Upon returning to Queensland, she has worked in many diverse roles at Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort including reservations, marketing, reception, dive shop and the bar/café. Being agile and working across the business has enabled her to gain a strong understanding of the organisation and the operational requirements of an island resort.

Currently she has the privilege of leading the mainland and island teams as their Executive General Manager. She takes many years of learning under the incredible team that’s come before her to now lead Lady Elliot Island. She is driven to grow the brand and recognition of Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort through storytelling as is passionate about sharing this special part of the world.

She has volunteered on the Women in Tourism Gold Coast Committee, completed the Queensland Tourism Industry Council’s Young Professional Mentoring Program, and obtained her Private Pilot’s license in 2018. In 2019, she was nominated as a Queensland Young Tourism Leader and in 2022 was honored at the Queensland Tourism Awards with the Young Achiever Award for outstanding contributions to the tourism industry. In 2023 she also received the Gold Coast Bulletin Women of the Year ‘Environmental Warrior’ award for her commitment to the environment and the reef. 

Amy is currently on the board of Ecotourism Australia and hopes to use this as an opportunity to take her knowledge as a tourism operator on the Great Barrier Reef to assist and grow ecotourism opportunities within Australia. 

In April 2026, Amy launched her first children’s book “Ellies Reef Adventures with Bubbles the Bottlenose Dolphin” which has been inspired by her childhood growing up on Lady Elliot Island. In the first adventure, Ellie explores the vibrant Coral Gardens on Lady Elliot Island, Australia and is joined by Bubbles, a cheeky Bottlenose Dolphin. Together, they discover the reefs amazing marine life and learn about the challenges it faces. Back on land, Ellie shares her discoveries with her family and shows young readers how everyone can help protect the Great Barrier Reef. The book can be found in the Island Gift Shop or purchased online here. 

Amy is passionate about encouraging young people to pursue a career in tourism and continues to advocate for sustainable tourism solutions.