Ontario man wins ‘Best Job in the World’

TORONTO — Canadian tour guide, blogger and photographer Greg Snell earned one of the “Best Jobs in the World” on Thursday.

The Oshawa, Ont. native won the Wildlife Caretaker job in a global competition coordinated by Tourism Australia.

Snell, 27, will spend six months caring for South Australia’s wildlife on Kangaroo Island and the Eyre Peninsula — and earn a salary package worth about $50,000.

“I did it,” he said in a blog post. “I am on cloud nine, sitting atop the world. I feel absolutely elated and am finding it difficult to realize the extent of the announcement that was made this morning in Sydney.  This has changed my life forever.”

The competition attracted entries from 330,000 people in 196 countries. Eighteen finalists — six groups of three — were selected to compete for six different jobs. Snell was the only Canadian.

“I will bring my passion for life, travel, conservation, and storytelling to South Australia,” he told Globalnews.ca in May.

Snell said he will spend a few weeks in Australia before returning to his home base in Brazil. He also plans to visit Canada in the fall before moving to Australia to start his new job in December.

“This feels like just the beginning of something so much bigger,” he wrote. “Are you coming along for the ride?”