Mineral wealth means area is booming and all sorts of posts are on offer – from 'roo poo picker' to 'beach babes judge'

Tired of looking for a job in credit-crunch Britain? Fed up of cloudy skies? Fancy working on a tan while working? Well, South Australia might have the job for you.

With a growing economy that will need 187,000 new workers by 2015, the state government is offering Britons aged 18 to 30 a chance to move down under for a year with "unusual, exciting and potentially life-changing jobs".

Some jobs are less attractive than others – like picking and bagging roo poo (Kangaroo manure) in the outback. But driving the world's first solar-powered bus fleet in the coastal city of Adelaide might appeal more. Nature-lovers could help catch koalas on Kangaroo Island, where the beasts easily outnumber the 2,500 human inhabitants. Other jobs, such as "beach babes judge" or beer taster, could prove popular.

Matt Johnson, deputy agent general of South Australia, said the region's mineral wealth meant the area was booming, unlike the rest of the western world. "The thing about mining is that it is preceded by construction and that means jobs. There are two sides to this – we have jobs in engineering and also the lighter end jobs for those who want a better lifestyle in a dynamic part of the world."

The Australian state will target the south-east of England first, as research shows it has the highest percentage of young people who say "boredom is the thing they dislike most about their job".

The welcome mat rolled out for young Britons contrasts with Australia's controversial treatment of asylum seekers who, if they arrive by sea, are escorted by Naval gunboats to countries such as Timor-Leste or Nauru to be processed in camps.

"You will need to talk to federal government about that," Johnson said.