Australia's dream job down to final 16

Apr 3, 2009, 1:07 GMT

Sydney - There are two men for every woman among those shortlisted for the dream job of caretaker on a paradise island in Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

The 15 candidates that organizer Tourism Queensland named Friday will be summoned for interviews next month on Hamilton Island along with Taiwan's Clare Wang.

The Taipei interpreter qualified as the wildcard entry by getting the most votes in a field of 49.

Tourism Queensland, the ostensible employer in what is a tourism campaign masquerading as a recruiting effort, said the quality of the field was such that 15 had been chosen for the interviews rather than 10 as originally planned.

All the interviewees are under 40, none are from the Middle East, Africa or South America, and two are Australians.

Tourism Queensland will announce the winner on May 6, and the six- month posting will begin July 1.

For cleaning the swimming pool, feeding fish and producing a blog to relay to the world his or her impressions of Hamilton as a holiday destination, the lucky winner will earn the equivalent of a six- figure salary plus travel expenses.

In what is regarded as one of the world's most successful tourism promotions, 34,634 people submitted 60-second video-clip applications. The finalists can be found on the website islandreefjob.com.