A bungee jumping, ostrich-riding British charity worker was named Wednesday the winner of what's been dubbed the "Best Job in the World" -- a 150,000 Australian dollar ($111,000) contract to serve as the caretaker of a tropical Australian island.
Ben Southall, 34, beat out 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 for six months while writing a blog to promote the area.
He was selected for the gig by officials from the tourism department of Queensland state.
Southall and 15 other finalists spent the past four days on the Queensland island for an extended interview process, which required applicants to snorkel through crystalline waters, gorge themselves at a beach-side barbecue and relax at a spa. The finalists also had to demonstrate their blogging abilities, take swimming tests and sit through in-person interviews.
In his application video, Southall expressed a love for adventure, and featured photographs of himself riding an ostrich, running a marathon, trekking through Africa and kissing a giraffe.
The job is part of a AU$1.7 million tourism campaign to publicize the charms of northeastern Queensland, and officials say it has already generated more than AU$100 million worth of publicity for the region.
Southall will live for free in an airy, three-bedroom oceanfront villa with a private pool and sweeping views of the surrounding islands.
The job begins July 1.
“世界上最好工作”最终人选于本周三揭晓，获得该职位的是来自英国的一名爱好蹦极和骑过驼鸟的慈善义工。他将获签一份薪酬达15万澳元（合11.1万美元）的合同，成为澳大利亚一个热带岛屿的护岛人。
现年34岁的本•索思豪尔击败了全球近3.5万名应聘者，赢得了这份梦想中的工作，他所要做的就是在大堡礁汉密尔顿岛游泳、探索和放松六个月，同时写写博客宣传该地区。
索思豪尔是由昆士兰州旅游局的官员们最终遴选出的。
在过去四天中，索思豪尔和另外15名决赛选手在昆士兰的这个岛屿上接受了一个密集面试，面试内容包括在清澈的海水里潜水，在海边大啖烤肉，以及做spa放松等。选手们还要展示他们写博客的能力、接受游泳测试以及与考官面谈等。
在应聘视频中，索思豪尔表达了自己对冒险运动的热爱，还展示了自己骑鸵鸟、跑马拉松、徒步穿越非洲以及亲吻长颈鹿的照片。
该工作是宣传昆士兰东北部岛屿魅力旅游推广活动的一部分，总耗资170万澳元。有关官员称此次招聘为该地区创造的宣传价值已超过1亿澳元。
索思豪尔将免费住在一栋通风的三居室的海滨别墅内，别墅配有一个私人游泳池，而且还能在此欣赏到周围海岛的无限风光。
他将于7月1日正式上岗。