Ben Southall made headlines around the world when he scooped the “Best Job in the World” competition organized by Tourism Queensland, to become caretaker to the islands of the Great Barrier Reef. Ben beat 34,000 rivals from over 200 different countries for the position, and called in the overseas removals to begin his job last July.

Ben’s prize-winning role involves various responsibilities. “The job really is acting as an ambassador for Tourism Queensland. My main focus is having all of these wonderful experiences and writing about them in my blog.” Other responsibilities include speaking at corporate events and meeting members of parliament and tourism officials to discuss the campaign. He has also been photographed for Aussie Bum surf clothing and participated in a live interview while diving in an aquarium for UK TV.

So far he has become an advanced diver, watched whales swim past his house; sailed and kayaked around the Whitsunday islands, met koalas, been diving with sharks, raced cars, ran the ‘Whitsunday Great Walk,’ a 28km undulating track through the forest finishing in Airlie Beach, and he’s now training for the Hamilton Island Triathlon at the end of November.

“It’s all great fun!” Ben insists. “My job is very busy, more so than anyone thought it would be, but I like that. I’m not the sort of person who can sit still anyway, so it fits me perfectly. Other people might find it too busy, though.

Homeowners encouraged by the lowest stock levels for ten years have begun to increase their asking prices, property website Rightmove said today.

Optimistic sellers listing their properties in the New Year have been demanding 0.4% more than those who advertised in December.

According to Rightmove, the average asking price for UK properties fresh on the market is now £222,261, compared with £221,463 last month.

The property website said that an increasing number of buyers fighting for a very small number of properties has allowed sellers to jack up their asking prices as those looking for home removals strive to find a bargain.

‘The rise in asking prices is an early indicator that new sellers in 2010 have the confidence to try for a higher price,’ said Miles Shipside, Rightmove’s commercial director.

‘We are now seeing the lowest number of properties on the market this century.

‘Buyers have little choice in popular areas, and while this continues sellers have a window of opportunity to obtain a higher price and a speedier sale.’

A recent survey has found that Australian cities have become more affordable places for global expats to live in 2009 compared to 2008.

Research, carried out by Mercer, revealed that all five Australian cities included on its annual cost of living survey moved down the rankings significantly this year, primarily as a result of worldwide currency fluctuations.

While Sydney remains the most expensive Australian city for expatriates, it has slipped down the rankings from the 15th most expensive city overall to 66th. The next most expensive Australian city is Melbourne in 92nd place (it was 36th in 2008) followed by Brisbane in 116th (from 57th place last year), Perth one place further back (53rd in 2008). Adelaide is the cheapest Australian city included in the survey, ranked 130th, down from 73rd last year.

What’s more, the survey found that the differences in the cost of living between different Australian states is narrowing, with the cost of common expatriate living expenses now competing on a more level playing field between the states – a trend which mirrors recent remuneration and Consumer Price Index (CPI) trends.

The Mercer research for international movers also stated that this positive data would make the country far more attractive to multinational organisations seeking to manage and contain the costs of a mobile workforce in tighter economic conditions.

“Across the Asia Pacific region, Australian cities are extremely cost-competitive destinations for global workers in comparison to cities such as Beijing, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Osaka, which have all climbed in the rankings this year,” stated Rob Knox, head of Mercer’s information product solutions business. “This helps makes Australia a very attractive hub for companies looking to grow their presence in the Asia Pacific region.”

The August 2009 issue of Emigrate magazine is out now, featuring stories on Perth, Victoria, Australian property, office politics down under, trades, downshifting and much more.