Queensland’s state government has announced a contest that will award one lucky person $150,000 Australian (about $105,000 U.S.) to live as caretaker on a beautiful tropical island for six months.

The caretaker’s duties: Stroll the beach, snorkel the reef, maybe clean the pool and report to a global audience the wonders of taking a vacation in Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef region.

Qualifications: must be an excellent communicator — and be good at relaxing.

The chosen applicant will stay rent-free in a multi-million dollar three-bedroom beach home complete with pool and golf cart.

The campaign is part of a drive to protect the state’s $18 billion tourism industry during the current tough economic times.

The application is online at www.Islandreefjob.com.

Levine had been producing a series on National Public Radio (NPR) since early December called, “American Moxie: How We Get By.”

The series focused on how Americans have been handling economic pressure.

One example: An Illinois farmer who had to sell some of his cows.

Midway through her series, Levine obtained a first-hand view of how Americans are dealing with tough economic times: She was part of a 64-employee lay-off at NPR.

Levine then pitched the idea that the final segment of her series should be about her own situation.

At first, her boss wasn’t keen on the idea but eventually came to like it.

The final report (click here and then scroll down) about Levine’s own situation ran in late December.

Levine views what happened to her as an opportunity. “Every story that we all do, we’re always looking for the perfect ending,” she told The New York Times. “And suddenly it was handed to me. It was not one of my choosing, but as a storyteller, what could make a better story?”