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AN unprecedented rush of candidates keen to be paid $150,000 to laze about a tropical Queensland paradise has caused the website advertising the job to crash.

Just two days after the launch of the "best job in the world" campaign, hundreds of thousands of prospective candidates have flooded the site.

Tourism Queensland sent out a worldwide call for the dream job on Monday, with flights to Australia and cushy accommodation to be paid for.

The six-month stint on the Great Barrier Reef's Hamilton Island will allow the successful applicant to explore neighbouring islands, swim, snorkel, enjoy the climate and then blog about their experiences.

Interest has flooded in from all over world, including the US, UK, Turkey, Spain and Italy, taking Tourism Queensland by surprise.

The site - www.islandreefjob.com - crashed about 10am (AEST) on Wednesday, unable to cope with the number of people uploading their video applications.

Technicians are working to restore the site.

The campaign is part of a $1.7 million global marketing strategy and is expected to generate more than $70 million worth of publicity for Queensland.

Applications are open until February 22 and 11 short-listed candidates will be flown to Hamilton Island in early May for the final selection process.

An announcement will be made on May 6 with the contract beginning on July 1.