the best job in the world...ever?

A British charity fundraiser has been given a what's been called 'the best job in the world- he's going to be the new caretaker of an Australian tropical island!

Ben Southall was picked as the winner after an advertising campaign from Tourism Queensland that attracted 34,700 video entries from almost 200 countries, according to a Reuters report.

It sounds like a nightmare to wake up to this on a Monday morning. The job involves exploring the islands of the Great Barrier Reef for six months, reporting back to the tourism body with blogs, video diaries, a photo diary and interviews, all for a salary of around £75,000.

Southall said: "To go away now as the island caretaker for Tourism Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef is an extreme honour.

"I hope I can fill the boots as much as everybody is expecting, my swimming hopefully is up to standard and I look forward to all of the new roles and the responsibilities that the task involves."

The next question has to be, "Does he need an assistant?"