by Ellen Joy Anastacio

There has been a mad rush to go to www.islandreefjob.com ever since Tourism Queensland unveiled the A$150,000 contract to be the Island Caretaker.

As a result, the website has crashed as page visits to the website went through the roof last night.

One person who did manage to send in his application is a familiar face to many people. Collin Low, one half of the Singaporean team that won The Amazing Race Asia (season 2) has applied for this unique opportunity.

'This is my dream. I've always loved the outdoors and the idyllic island lifestyle,' said Collin, 36, regional sales director. 'I visited the Great Barrier Reef in 1996 and I've always wanted to go back. It was amazing.'

'On The Amazing Race, we got to visit many different countries but it was more like a snapshot of all these places. This Best Job, however, would give you the chance to really savour the Islands and all the experiences.'

When asked what he thought about his chances of getting the job, Collin said: 'I took part in the Amazing Race without any expectations. So similarly, I'm just going to give this a shot. After all, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 'And if I do get the job, it would be great to share my experiences with everyone who is stuck in the office and to say 'Eat your heart out!'', he quipped.

Tourism Queensland has received more than 2,000 applications from the one million page views the site has garnered since January 11.

Regional Director Ms Lim Mui Khim, from Tourism Queensland's Southeast Asia office, said: 'The global response has been absolutely amazing. We targeted to get at least 400,000 unique visitors during the entire campaign. We've already more than doubled this number in less than four days!'

Recruitment advertisements will appear in major newspapers in various countries this week, including The Straits Times Recruit on Saturday, January 17.