Since Ms Zammit, 21, moved from Canberra to Ballarat to study at the University of Ballarat about nine months ago, her modelling career has moved ahead in leaps and bounds.

In recent months Ms Zammit, who has been a model since she was 18, has worked in Melbourne, Sydney and Ballarat (she was one of the models in The Courier's Bridal Extravaganza)..

And last Thursday Ms Zammit returned from a shoot on the Gold Coast, where she and 11 other young women posed for the 2003 Australian Swimsuit Calendar.

Eight days of beach and sun were a welcome break from Ballarat's winter, but Ms Zammit is not shy of the cold.

She recently did a photo shoot on the Mornington Peninsula with only a bikini between her and the wind off Bass Strait.

"It was freezing," she said. "I did some shots holding a surfboard and the wind kept blowing me over."

The Gold Coast shoot gave Ms Zammit the chance to be pampered in a luxury hotel - and her first taste of celebrity.

"There were people asking to take shots of us with their children and we went to Dreamworld and had photos taken with the tiger cubs," she said.

Organisers also took the models to Surfers Paradise night clubs, where they received the sort of welcome lately reserved for members of the Big Brother house.

Ms Zammit agreed the experience was a bit weird, but it was one she would happily repeat.

"It was the first time I've been to the Gold Coast. There were a lot of fantastic people."

She may yet get her chance. People who buy the Australian Swimsuit Calendar are asked to vote for their favourite model, with the winner travelling to the Bahamas to pose for the American Dream Calendar.