Scott Jones is indelicately hacking into a lifeless blue salmon on a white plastic table in his driveway.

It is freshly caught, but has already curled and stiffened into the shape of a shimmering banana.

"This is something I'm absolutely horrible at, filleting fish," Mr Jones told the ABC's Back Roads program, with an unmistakable American twang.

"I probably wouldn't be a good surgeon."

He is probably right. But it is ironic, given most of the town relies on Mr Jones and his medical acumen.

Mr Jones is one of just two paramedics who serve the tiny remote community of Karumba, which sits at the end of the road at the Gulf of Carpentaria in far north Queensland.

Population 586, Karumba is an hour's drive from the nearest hospital, and does not have a regular full-time GP.

But it is home for this former US marine, with his Australian wife Anthea and their tribe of four excitable and inquisitive daughters.

'The barra aren't biting'

Scott Jones filleting some freshly-caught fish in his home driveway in Karumba. ( ABC TV Back Roads )

The family has been out fishing most of the day — one of the perks of living and working in a place renowned for its bountiful barramundi.

Only they are not biting at the moment. The blue salmon, though, are abundant.

Mr Jones' knife is sharp, but the blade jerks hesitantly and awkwardly, leaving most of the flesh behind on the skeleton.

Like a steady diet of fish, dealing with potential knife wounds is a new life staple.

"This is a bit scary for me because I've been to a lot of cases for [knife wounds] as a paramedic, especially up here," he said.

"People, what they normally do, is cut themselves, then they finish the fish and then they call you.

"They could probably cut their finger off and they're going to get the fish done first."

It is that sort of place. Fishing is the way of life up here, and healthy commercial catches are vital to the economy of the town.

Like elsewhere in Queensland, Karumba has been hit hard by the drought.

The lack of rain has meant the waterways — and fish stocks — have not had a chance to regenerate.

"When people who can normally catch fish are telling you that the fish aren't biting you know it's the truth," he said.

"Nobody was catching stuff for weeks, which is really bad for the economy of the town.

"It wasn't until you get here that you realise how much the rain affects everybody."

An unusual patient named Buttercup

Buttercup, a raptor with a broken wing, shelters in Mr Jones' backyard. ( ABC TV Back Roads )

Mr Jones met his Australian wife after leaving the US Marine Corps. He was working as a personal trainer in a gym in Milpitas, California, when he heard an Australian accent.

He sought out the source, Anthea, and was smitten.

They returned to Australia as a couple, and now have four daughters ranging in age from three to 13 years old.

They moved to Karumba two years ago so Mr Jones could take up the paramedic job.

He is now on a first-name basis with most people in Karumba, and many have his phone number.

But there have been a few unusual patients.

Take Buttercup for example — a raptor with a broken wing sheltering in his backyard.

"I'll just leave the fish here," Mr Jones whispers, bending slightly to toss the meaty fish carcass carefully at the base of a tree.

"You can hear the other kites above us and so they normally come down and share. Hopefully they won't carry it away."

Buttercup is not the first non-human Mr Jones has treated.

The nearest vet is almost eight hours drive away, and the requests started soon after his arrival.

"My first month here I was playing basketball with the kids and some guy showed up saying 'are you the paramedic?'," he said.

"When I said yes, he said 'good because I've run over my dog'.

"And that was the welcome aboard."

Jones using fitness to inspire confidence in kids

Scott Jones is active in and outside of the town of Karumba. ( ABC TV Back Roads )

Mr Jones' energy is infectious. When he is not out treating patients, or fishing, you might spot him on a long distance bike ride on a quiet stretch of highway in 30 degree heat.

Or corralling kids at the local gym or pool.

"There is nothing to do here, which is why I do basketball, swim, teach training, triathlon training," he said.

"I grew up and I didn't have any confidence.

"The whole point of the group that I run is just to make sure that the kids know they can do so much more than what they think they can do.

"That's why we do this. We push them, but we try to do it in a fun way."

What started as triathlon training with three kids, has now grown to 16 participants.

Some travel in from the neighbouring town of Normanton, 70 kilometres away.

"A lot of these kids didn't even know what a triathlon was," Mr Jones said.

It is all part of living in a small town.

"It's a really great family atmosphere and that's why we moved here, for my family," he said.

"My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner."

Back Roads travels to Karumba, in far north Queensland at 8:00pm on ABC1 tonight.