A Meathman is among the 50 people shortlisted to work on a tropical island off the Queensland coast in what Australian tourism officials describe as 'the best job in the world'.
George Karellas (31) fought off almost 35,000 people from more than 200 countries to be shortlisted for the position, which involves being a “caretaker” of tropical Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef.
Mr Karellas has worked previously worked for RTÉ and Carr Communications.
No formal qualifications are needed for the job, but candidates must be willing to swim, snorkel, dive and sail, exploring some of the 900 islands and cays of the Great Barrier Reef, reporting back on the adventures to Tourism Queensland HQ in Brisbane (and the rest of the world) via weekly blogs, photo diaries and video updates.
Candidates had to submit a video application in English explaining why they should be chosen for the job.
The winner will receive return airfares, rent free accommodation in a luxury three-bedroom house and transport on Hamilton Island, as well as a salary of AUD $150,000 (€75,000) for the six months.
The 50 applicants will now be reduced to10 candidates selected by Tourism Queensland and one wildcard, voted for by visitors to the website islandreefjob.com
The winning applicant will be announced on May 6th, with the six-month contract commencing on July 1st.