Remember the “Best Job in the World” contest? Back in 2009 Tourism Queensland made headlines for its innovative marketing campaign. Thousands of video resumes were received, and Tourism Queensland chose Ben Southall as the lucky winner who got to live in a gorgeous three-bedroom house on Hamilton Island while blogging about his exploration of the Great Barrier Reef. After a successful year-long stint as Island Caretaker (paid $150K), Southall is embarking on a new adventure- "The Best Expedition in the World." Ben, now Queensland Tourism Ambassador, is exploring Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef on a four month, 1600 km kayak and sailing journey, retracing the route of Captain James Cook from the Town of 1770 on the Central Queensland coast, north to Cooktown in Queensland’s Tropical North. He’s setting of on May 21, 2011, and armchair travelers can keep up to date on Ben’s experiences by reading the official blog. Now that’s a cool job.

Photo: The dreamy Hayman Island Resort on the Great Barrier Reef. (*Not* Ben's digs, but check out that incredible setting.)