A British charity worker was named today as the winner of the “Best Job in the World” - a six-month contract to serve as caretaker of a tropical Australian island.
Ben Southall (34), from Hampshire, beat nearly 35,000 applicants from around the world for the dream assignment to swim, explore and relax on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef while writing a blog to promote the area.
He was selected for the 150,000 Australian dollar post by officials from the tourism department of Queensland state.
Irishman George Karellas succeeding in making the shortlist of 16 for the job. The 31-year-old Meathman had previously worked for RTÉ and Carr Communciations.
The 16 finalists spent the past four days on the island for an extended interview process, which required applicants to snorkel through crystal waters, gorge themselves at a beachside barbecue and relax at a spa. The finalists also had to demonstrate their blogging abilities, take swimming tests and sit through in-person interviews.
“I hope I can sell the reef as much as everybody is expecting,” Mr Southall said after he was crowned the winner at a ceremony on Hamilton Island. “My swimming, hopefully, is up to standard.”
Mr Southall once worked as a tour guide in Africa, but most recently has worked as a charity fundraiser. In his application video, he expressed a love for adventure, and featured photographs of himself riding an ostrich, running a marathon, scuba diving and kissing a giraffe.
Mr Southall will live for free in an airy, three-bedroom oceanfront villa with a private pool and sweeping views of the surrounding islands. He plans to bring his Canadian girlfriend with him to the island for the duration of the job. He starts “work” on July 1st.
The job is part of a 1.7 million Australian dollar tourism campaign to publicise the charms of north-eastern Queensland, and officials say it has already generated more than 110 million dollars worth of publicity for the region.
It quickly became a viral marketing hit, spreading quickly across the world via YouTube and social networking sites such as Facebook.
PA