If you're thinking about the best way to spend a year out from the grey world of the UK, there are few better options than a working holiday visa for Australia and, if you're looking to go soon, why not apply for one of the best jobs you can get anywhere? 

A couple of years ago Tourism Australia launched its first 'Best Job in the World' campaign, to be the 'caretaker' on Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef, a paradise-like tropical island where the duties included snorkelling, surfing and generally just relaxing.

Naturally, the position scraped a couple of applications but it was Briton Ben Southall who beat out 34,000 other applicants from 200 countries to secure the gig.

Ben did such a good job that he's since secured a position as Tourism Ambassador for the whole state of Queensland.

And now Tourism Australia is relaunching the campaign, but this time there are SIX positions available, here's Ben to explain:

Relaunched campaign - bigger and better

So, this time there are six, that's right SIX jobs available: lifestyle photographer in Melbourne, Outback adventurer in the Northern Territory, park ranger in Queensland, taste master in Western Australia, wildlife caretaker in South Australia and 'chief funster' in Sydney.

Which of these is the best remains to be seen but all are guaranteed to blow your mate's 2 weeks in Malia out of the water as a decent holiday and put the one kid who went to your school with a decent accountancy job to shame.

Andrew McEvoy, managing director of Tourism Australia, said the scheme was being reopened in the hope of bringing even more working holiday makers to Australia.

"The value to the economy [of working holiday makers] is good but I think the fact that these kids work and holiday and get deeply into regional Australia is really important," said Mr McEvoy.

"Capital city tourism has been going for a while but regional Australia has been struggling for a while and now we're seeing it bounce back."

Ready to give it a shot?

If you want to apply for one of the best jobs in the world, all you need to do is complete an application form and upload a 30 second video explaining why you need the job.

Given there was 34,000 applications for one job last time and there are six this time PLUS the massive success of Ben's campaign, you might be in for a little competition so you should probably steer away from words like 'banter', 'top laugh', 'messy', 'bubbly' and loads of other words you see on Facebook profiles in your video.

Any working holiday in Australia is almost guaranteed to be one of the best years of your entire life but you could lock that in.

"I didn't know if I was going to be diving or skydiving or cooking or bushwalking and I did all of them," said Ben.

"It's one of those things where you've just to go for it and see where it takes you."

Ben might be right but if you really need more encouragement to apply for a job that forms the bulk of most people's day dreams, there's also a six month employment package paying you AU$100,000 (£67,400) for your 'trouble'. Closing date is 10 April.

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- Dominic Ladden-Powell is the Online Editor with the Australian Visa Bureau, an independent migration consultancy specialising in helping people lodge applications for a Working Holiday Visa to Australia.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2013

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Once the Melbourne Cup hangover wears off there's plenty going on in Australia this November, kicking off with Steve Irwin Day on Tuesday November 15, where Australia and the world pays tribute to the Crocodile Hunter and his conservation work.

The main festivities will take place at Irwin's old stomping ground at the Australia Zoo at Beermah near Brisbane, Queensland. The day starts with an authentic Aussie sausage sizzle which is included in the admission price.

The freebies continue if you wear khakis Irwin-style. You'll get 10% off the gate entry price and an unspecified gift, so embrace your inner Indiana Jones for a good cause - all proceeds go to the Australian Wildlife Hospital and other conservation projects the Croc Hunter was involved with.

Guests will also be treated to a live performance by iconic Aussie bluesman Xavier Rudd in the Crocoseum. If you've never seen Xavier you're in for a treat, mixing blues, roots, folk and traditional Aboriginal music to create a big sound that is uniquely Australian.

Keeping with the khaki theme, any budding adventure junkies should pencil in the Adventurists Afternoon Tea on Saturday 12 November at the Justice & Police Museum in Sydney's Circular Quay. Afternoon tea is a tradition for adventurists, offering a peaceful break from epic journeying and world record breaking where they can relax with a cuppa and swap stories.

The Sydney Afternoon Tea will feature a talk from Jon Muir, Australia's most famous adventurer and the first man to walk solo and unaided across the Australian continent, as well as make the first sherpa-less ascent of Everest from the South.

If you're partial to drinks a little stronger than tea, never fear! The Adventurists Afternoon Tea is sponsored by Hendrick's Gin and lashings of the spirit will be on offer.

But if an excuse to drink and plan more adventures is the last thing you need on your Aussie holiday, perhaps take a minute for some spiritual healing. The Buddhist Spring Festival kicks off on the 5th of November at the Tibetan Buddhist Temple just outside Melbourne. A number of talks and seminars on Buddhist teachings as well as guided tours of the gardens are available. On the Saturday join in the Ceremony for World Peace and rack up some karma credit points!

 - Aleks Vickovich is Online Editor with the Australian Visa Bureau, an independent migration consultancy specialising in helping people lodge applications for a Working Holiday Visa to Australia.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2013

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

Kakadu National Park in the Northern Territory is Australia’s largest national park: and nothing makes you feel like an adventurer than exploring 20,000 square kilometres. To give you some idea, the Kakadu is the size of Israel, a third the size of Tasmania and nearly half the size of Switzerland  so you’ll need plenty of time to explore it fully.

The place to start is at the Window on the Wetlands Visitor Centre on Beatrice Hill, approximately 60 kilometres from Darwin. You'll easily see the upswept line of the Visitors Centre roof, and there is plenty of information there to give you some idea of things to do.

The Arnhem Highway takes you across five of the eight rivers as you travel between Darwin and Jabiru, the main township in Kakadu and the gateway to the national park.

The name Kakadu comes from the Gagudju Aboriginal people who once lived here. They left a rich heritage and with more than 50,000 years of heritage, this land has one of the longest historical records of any people in the world. There are more than 5,000 recorded rock art sites along and ancestral trails known as Dreaming Tracks across the landscape.

Kakadu National Park was first inscribed on the World Heritage list in 1981 so it has impeccable environmental creds as well. Around one-third of all Australia’s bird species can be found in the Kakadu!

Jim Jim and Twin Falls are among the most spectacular natural sights in the top end but you’ll need 4WD to get there and it’s only accessible in the dry season.

If seeing a crocodile in the wild is on your ‘to-do’ list – this is probably your best chance, as both ‘salties’ and ‘freshies’ live in here, so take notice of the signs! And you can’t miss the Warradjan Aboriginal Cultural Centre - it’s built in the shape of the local pig-nosed turtle.

From Jabiru you could take a scenic flight for a bird’s-eye view; or take a boat trip on the East Alligator River and experience the ever changing palette of nature’s best scenery. See the land through the eyes of the local Bininj people by spending the night at the Kakadu Culture Camp.

The Mary River region is considered by many to be the most beautiful in the Top End and a day should be set aside to explore it fully. Other areas to visit are Yurmikmik in the wet season or Gunlom in the dry. Ubirr, the most famous of Kakadu’s art sites is not to be missed; while Nourlangie Rock, Kakadu’s second greatest art site, has the image of Namarrgon, the lightning man.

The Kakadu has six seasons, not four, with each revealing its own wonder – from torrential rain to mud-cracking drought. That’s just one of the reasons Kakadu is a must-see Australian destination.

- Happy and safe travelling on your Australian working holiday!

©Visa Bureau 2003-2013

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.

One of the great things about taking a gap year in Australia is discovering a new culture and a different way of looking at things. To get a real look at the culture, history and ties to the land try going walkabout with an Indigenous guide.

The Melbourne central business district around the Yarra River was once a vibrant wetland; its skyscrapers were large river gums, tenanted by sugar gliders.

In fact, near what is now Southbank, where modern Melburnians feast on their sushi and burgers and sip their cappuccinos, the original Australians gathered for trade and fellowship in a wetland f bulrushes, swamp wallabies and rainbow lorikeets.

With a little imagination and an Indigenous guide, you can take a walkabout back into time and see Melbourne through the eyes of an original Australian!

Walkin’ Birrarung (meaning 'river of mists') is a two-hour tour back to the ancestral lands of the five tribes of the Kulin, the collective name for the south-eastern Aboriginal People.

Tour guide Dean Stewart greets walkers with a warm "womin jeka", or “welcome to my beautiful country” and leads the group in a brief moment of recognition of the traditional owners before setting off. To get your imagination started, Dean uses a series of paintings and sketches by early settlers depicting the area to show the contrast between then and now.

The two-hour tour begins at Enterprize Park where you will follow the river upstream, stopping at significant sites and landmarks to the Kulin people and the colonial settlement of Melbourne. The tour ends at Princes Bridge and Federation Square but a short walk further on into Birrarung Marr and the new ‘Common Ground’ Aboriginal public art space is an optional but very worthwhile addition.

As well as the Walkin’ Birrarung tour there is also an introduction to Koorie Culture tour, to give you an insight into south-eastern Indigenous culture.

These tours are projects of the Koorie Heritage Trust, a mid-city cultural centre in Melbourne where you can learn more about Indigenous life, beliefs and history. There are more than 4000 artefacts, photos and artworks on display, as well as a gift shop (perhaps a postcard for mum? Hay, I’m just saying!), and a modern gallery showcasing Koorie artists.

You can find out more information about Koorie culture and where to join the tour at www.koorieheritagetrust.com.

- See the real Australia with an Australian Working Holiday.

©Visa Bureau 2003-2013

Visa Bureau takes no responsibility and cannot be held accountable for action taken as a result of any information or comment provided on this blog, and we recommend that you always seek a number of opinions before making a decision regarding your migration or visa application. Please refer to the Visa Bureau terms of use for more information.