Ryan,
Is being a helicopter pilot worth it...Yes.
Should you do it straight away...No.
By that I mean don't worry about getting into the Australian Heli industry too quickly. It can be a cut throat and harsh place with a fairly hard road to get to the 'best' jobs. What everyones 'best' job is is a matter of preference. Some people love chasing cows, some instructing (weirdos), some offshore and some HEMS. There is also the Australian Army and Navy option with uni thrown in.
My advice, concentrate on getting the best yr 12 results you can and then have a good look at what further education (uni) is open to you. Your views on career paths and life priorities will change as you get older so don't limit your long term options by putting all your efforts into the one idea of becoming a pilot.
I've been around helis for about 25 years now, military, civil, onshore and off and even though I still enjoy the experience of flying it is just a job and as such my time off is far more valuable.
Having invested these 'pearls of wisdom' with you it may all be for nothing as you could be one of the dyed in the wool aviation perverts (aerosexuals) that occasionally enhabit this site. they are easily identified as such by the fact that have obviously spent their entire working lives doing nothing but living for flying itself. Unfortunately, when their time comes to retire, as it does for everyone, they realise they have very little else that they are interested in and then find themselves in a huge void. Bit sad really.
If after getting as solid an education as you can and you still have the flying bug REALLY badly then get on the bottom rung of the ladder (normally some form of hangar rat) and start climbing. Some times it can be a hard climb and sometimes easy. Some people even fall off the ladder completely and never get back onto it. Talk to the right people and avoid the tossers if you can. The Gold Coast is knee deep in chopper pilots so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding some good guys and also quite a few tossers.
Think about the big picture mate it's a big world outside the cockpit. Good luck.
