Australian tax accountant wins tropical island resort

A lucky man has won an island complete popular for diving and fishing

An Australian tax accountant has won a multimillion-dollar tropical island resort in a raffle.

The remote Micronesian island of Kosrae has been home to Australian couple Doug and Sally Beitz since the 1990s.

They decided to raffle their home and, after selling more than 75,000 tickets, will return to Queensland with nearly A$4m ($3m, £2.3m).

Josh Ptasznyk, 26, from the city of Wollongong in New South Wales state, said he was "overwhelmed" by the win.

Josh Ptasznyk initially did not believe that he had won a tropical island

"What started as a simple click of a news article during my lunch break that piqued my interest has resulted in a life-changing experience that I could only dream of," he told the Daily Telegraph.

"I would like to thank Doug and Sally and the whole Beitz family for providing this amazing opportunity and am looking forward to cutting the red tape, making a trip to the resort to see what paradise looks like, and to experience all that the resort has to offer."

The island lies north of the Solomon Islands and southwest of Hawaii

To inspect his winnings, Mr Ptasznyk will need to fly to Guam and then catch a ferry.

Running the 16-room resort and scuba business will be a big change from filling out tax returns from small business owners.

Mr Beitz said the island's new owner "will do a great job".

"He didn't believe us at first," he said.

"He is still coming to grips with it. I was trying to convince him it was real ... it was a surreal moment. It was relatively controlled — it took a while for him to sink in."

The Beitz family thought that selling the resort in a traditional way would be "really boring"