The Perfect Job

[Mr. Brightside]

Australia is advertising the perfect job for someone who wants to take a break from the credit crunch - a six-month sabbatical on a tropical island.



Hamilton Island needs you!

And best of all, says the Queensland Tourist Board, there is absolutely no catch.

The authorities are looking for a caretaker for Hamilton Island, which has year-round sunshine, sandy beaches, warm lagoons and sea life galore.

Free return flights, transfers, expenses and transport are included in the deal, not to mention pay of just under £6,000 a month.

The lucky person who lands the job will also stay in a three-bedroom villa, set on a shady hill overlooking the sea.

Their 'chores' will include feeding turtles, watching whales and collecting the post.

This campaign aims to highlight the islands of the Great Barrier Reef and showcase Australia's unique island experience to the global market.

Anthony Hayes, chief executive of Tourism Queensland

He or she will not need qualifications. although they will have to be a good swimmer, and enjoy snorkelling and scuba diving.

Computer skills would be handy too - a weekly online blog, photo diary and video updates are also part of the job description.

The boss of Queensland Tourism, Anthony Hayes, says the idea behind the offer is to promote the island globally.

"This campaign aims to highlight the islands of the Great Barrier Reef and showcase Australia's unique island experience to the global market," he said.

The last date for applying is February 22. Eleven potential candidates will be picked and flown out for interviews, with the final choice being made on May 6.

Helen McNaught from Tourism Queensland told Sky News online there has been no shortage of interest.

"The successful applicant will need to be keen on the water and all water sports activities... and, most important of all, they'll need a zest for life." she said.


How cool would that be, and getting paid for it too,

[Narnia]

I really like the bit about feeding turtles and they'll need a zest for life!

Mann, this makes my heart ache, because first, I know I would never get a job like that (I am just not that lucky) and second they'll probably end up hiring some young 20 something, who's a hot chick with blonde hair who is fun, smart, and multi-lingual!

[Later Edit]

I would be all over this job, if it weren't for the fact my passport is expired and the annoying process I have to go through to get it up-dated.....(I'll give you a hint).....never get your name changed when you're applying for a pasport at the same time, bound to come back and bite you in the.....(fill in the blank)!!

Anyway, this is the perfect job! It's perfect in every aspect! Thanks for sharing this with us Sean!

[God's Toy]

Yep thats been in all the papers and on the news non stop over the last few days.
who would pass up a job like that?
me? yea right!

its almost as good as the job i have now! .

[Mr. Brightside]

A website offering the "perfect job" has crashed after receiving as many as 2,000 hits per second.



People enticed by the almost £6,000-a-month "best job in the world" flocked to Islandreefjob.com - only for the site to crash.

It has already received over 330,000 unique users - 63,000 from the UK.

Jonathan Sloan, UK spokesman for Tourism Queensland, said: "It's gone absolutely crazy, which is fantastic.

"We were expecting around 400,000 unique visitors over six months but we've already had that in the first day and a half."


Oh dear, that's some competition for the job, wonder who selects the right candidate, they have their work cut out..

Maybe the job doesn't exists and its just a marketing ploy to draw peoples attention to the island?

[Narnia]

Maybe the job doesn't exists and its just a marketing ploy to draw peoples attention to the island?

Hmmm, you know what, I bet you're 100% right, makes absolute sense!

[SoulChild]

the only way they can draw me to that island is if there are no mosquito's

[Narnia]

the only way they can draw me to that island is if there are no mosquito's

I fully understand the logic behind that! Boy, you are so funny!

[Rana]

the only way they can draw me to that island is if there are no mosquito's

hey soulchild, sorry to say QLD has alot of mosquitos but you can spray aeroguard (reppelent)and they leave you alone that island is better in real life !

[God's Toy]

So did someone get this job yet or what. i would love to have a read of the blog they have to keep up to date.

[Narnia]

So did someone get this job yet or what. i would love to have a read of the blog they have to keep up to date.

This might be your answer GT. Although, maybe someone already nailed the job and we don't know it yet...

I am still wondering if its a real job?

...The last date for applying is February 22. Eleven potential candidates will be picked and flown out for interviews, with the final choice being made on May 6...

[God's Toy]

ah thanks for that Polly, I see now we have few weeks to wait yet.

how cool would it be just to get called up for an interview!

thats if the job is really that job.

edit. this is my 500th post! woohoo.!

[Narnia]

Lucky Brit Starts Tropical Dream JobAP


BRISBANE, Australia (July 1) – Briton Ben Southall said he'll miss his mom's Sunday roast as he began what's been dubbed the "Best Job in the World" — a six-month contract to serve as caretaker of a tropical Australian island. The 34-year-old former charity worker bested nearly 35,000 applicants from around the world for the dream assignment that started Wednesday 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 ($120,000) gig by officials from the tourism department of Queensland state in early May. Southall said he hit the ground running on his first day on the job after returning to the island from England where he spent almost two months. "Now that I've got back out here, all of a sudden it's really hit me again ... it's going to be very full on," he told Nine Network television.

Dream Job WinnerJonathan Wood, Getty Images7 photos Ben Southall and girlfriend Breanna Watkins pose as he departs from Brisbane Airport on July 1, 2009 in Brisbane, Australia. Southall will swim, relax and write a blog promoting his host island in the Great Barrier Reef to tourists.(Note: Please disable your pop-up blocker) Southall said his mother cooked "a good roast" for the family on Sundays. "That was just one of the things I said was going to obviously be missing out of my routine," Southall said. "What I'll actually be doing is donning the apron, sticking the tongs in my hand and sticking the shrimp on the barbecue," he added. "So I can adapt particularly well — don't worry about that." He said he saw his role more as an ambassador than a caretaker. "I've really got a very full itinerary, flying away to different parts of the Barrier Reef to go and explore it, to go and write about it, and then to try and sell it to the rest of the world," he said. Southall was selected on May 6 among 15 other finalists after four days spent on the island for an extended interview process, which required applicants to snorkel, gorge themselves at a beachside barbecue and relax at a spa.

The finalists also had to demonstrate blogging abilities, take swimming tests and sit through interviews. The job is part of a tourism campaign to publicize the charms of northeastern Queensland, and officials say it already has generated many millions of dollars in publicity. It became a viral marketing hit, spreading across the world via YouTube and social networking sites such as Facebook.




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Well by the looks of it, it turned out to be real! Lucky dog!

[Rana]

guys there is more than one job going at any given time at this Island , a friends son was working there for 6 months and she says they are always hiring ..just send your resumes in anytime even when not advertising.. and if not there ,there are other equally beautiful islands that are always needing staff also ..hmmm

[Mr. Brightside]

guys there is more than one job going at any given time at this Island , a friends son was working there for 6 months and she says they are always hiring ..just send your resumes in anytime even when not advertising.. and if not there ,there are other equally beautiful islands that are always needing staff also ..hmmm

FANTASTIC Lets all go, How cool would that be we could rename it Mysterious Island

As for the lad who won, Ben Southall he has a blog , Just on his way there now by the look of it, Should be quite interesting to follow I would have thought

Dream Job

[Rana]

ohhh Sean wouldnt that be so great !! imagine all of us at Mysterious island ..ha ha ..awesome ..one day ok ..