Six jobs offering £34,000 salary including 'taste master' and 'chief funster'
More than 130,000 people from 140 countries applied in the first 72 hours
Britain ranked fifth after U.S, France, Australia and Italy
Candidates must send 30-second videos to apply for the 'best job' roles


More than 130,000 people applied for one of Tourism Australia’s six ‘Best Jobs in the World’, within 72 hours of recruitment opening.
With youth unemployment of 20.8 per cent among those aged 16-24 in Britain the prospect of earning £34,000 for six months' work has attracted a surge of applications.
Out of 140 countries which have seen candidates applying for roles such as 'taste master' and 'chief funster', Britain is ranked fifth.



The recruitment drive is aimed at showcasing the benefits of the Working Holiday Visa Maker Programme to young people from around the world.
The six jobs on offer include a park ranger in Queensland, a taste master in Western Australia, a wildlife caretaker on Kangaroo Island, a chief funster in Sydney, a lifestyle photographer in Melbourne and an outback adventurer in the Northern Territory.
Rodney Harrex, the regional general manager of Tourism Australia, said: 'The huge response to the ‘Best Jobs’ recruitment drive within three days, and the increasing demand for Working Holiday Visas over the past year shows that young Brits are looking to live the Aussie lifestyle, swapping the challenging economic environment here for a new adventure down under.


'At the moment, we’re also seeing large number of job applications from the USA, France and Italy, so Brits wanting to follow in Ben Southall’s footsteps will need to make their video application stand out from the crowd.'
Rachel Parker, a University College London student who applied for the lifestyle photographer job said: 'This competition is awesome. I take my camera everywhere and I’ve always wanted to go to Australia so I’ve applied for the lifestyle photographer job.
'Earning so much money, whilst doing something you love in an incredible city like Melbourne is not something I want to miss out on.'




The competition has been revived following the success of Tourism Australia’s campaign to find a 'caretaker' of Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef in 2009.
Briton Ben Southall beat over 34,000 applicants from over 200 countries to win the dream job, which required him 'to explore the islands of the Great Barrier Reef, swim, snorkel, make friends with the locals and generally enjoy the tropical Queensland climate and lifestyle'.
With six jobs available this year, the number of applicants has nearly quadrupled for the unusual roles.
The job title of 'outback adventurer' is suitably vague but the job description involves getting 'up close and personal' with the wildlife, sleeping under the stars in a bush camp and soaring across 'postcard-worthy' landscapes in a hot air balloon.
The successful applicant will also be expected to immerse themselves in the indigenous culture, taste traditional bushfoods and 'gaze upon breathtaking sunsets at Uluru'.
Park ranger duties include protecting and promoting Queensland's native plants and animals, along with patrolling the beaches and ‘checking the water temperature’.
Applicants are required to have an 'adventurous spirit, a connection with nature and a love of the outdoors' and are asked to ‘leave only footprints’.




The person hired as 'wildlife caretaker' on Kangaroo Island in South Australia will help to look after the eponymous kangaroos, swim with dolphins and sea lions, cuddle koalas and sunbathe with seals on the pristine beach at Seal Bay.
The role is not for the faint-hearted though, as the job description states the successful candidate will come 'face-to-face' with great white sharks.
Those with a talent for photography and writing features can apply for the position of lifestyle photojournalist for Time Out Melbourne.
The successful applicant will be required to photograph the city's cafes and bars as well as major festivals, music events and tourist activities a little further afield, including surfing on the Great Ocean Road, skiing at Mount Hotham or meeting penguins at Phillip Island.



Foodies can apply for the role of ‘taste master’ in Western Australia, and will be required to tour the best restaurants, pubs, wineries and breweries and mastering the art of wine and beer making.
The ‘chief funster’ hired in New South Wales, where will live like a VIP in Sydney and work behind the scenes reviewing the Sydney Festival, Mardi Gras and Vivid Festival, and the spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks on Sydney Harbour.




Applications for the competition opened on March 4 and candidates can complete an online application form at www.facebook.com/australianworkingholidayor www.australia.com/bestjobs.
To apply candidates must submit a 30-second video explaining why they are right for the role.
The closing date is April 10 and the successful applicants will be expected to take up their positions on August 1, sharing their experiences with regular blogs and social media updates.
Tourism Australia managing director Andrew McEvoy said: ‘We've taken one of the most successful tourism campaigns in recent times - ‘Best Job in the World’ - and made it bigger and better by coming up with a competition which represents our breathtaking landscapes, our unique wildlife, great food and wine and, of course, our huge sense of fun.'



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