A NORTH-EAST man who emigrated to Australia six years ago is selling his life as job-lot on internet auction site eBay - for the starting price of one Australian dollar.

After splitting with his wife of five years, Ian Usher, 44, is offering a ready-made life in Perth, Australia - including his custom-built house, Mazda car, 140 mph Kawasaki motorcycle, jet-ski, job and even access to his friends.

Included in the package is a host of gadgets which will help the successful bidder - expected to pay at least A$500,000 or £230,000 - live Mr Usher's sun-drenched Australian lifestyle to the full.

The package includes a set of kite-surfing gear, bodyboards, a mountain bike and even a complete sky-diving outfit as well as an a projector television, DVD player and six-foot screen that can be viewed from the spa in the garden of his open-plan house.

Also included in the deal is the two-bath three-bedroom house, situated a 30-minute train ride from Perth city centre in the leafy suburb of Wellard, and its entire contents.

"My life here is absolutely fantastic," said Mr Usher, who is originally from Darlington and became an Australian citizen in 2006.

"But I just want to make a clean break and start again, so I am selling everything lock, stock and barrel, from the contents of my wardrobe to my kettle, and from my cutlery to my car.

"Laura and I chose the house together and intended it to be our family home. Despite my life being busy and fulfilled, I still miss my wife so much. Everything around me is simply a reminder of the wonderful past we shared."

Mr Usher, who was educated at Barnard Castle School and lived in Scarborough during the 1990s, will also provide the person who buys his life access to all his friends and details of his favourite bars, restaurants and places to go.

The auction winner will even be given a fortnight's trial with his employer, Jenny Jones, who owns a Perth rug store.

The bidding opens on June 22 and lasts for seven days, but potential bidders can get an advance preview of his life on a website complete with blogs and videos detailing exactly what is up for grabs.

Mr Usher said the idea came from one of his friends, who after a bad day, came up with the idea of selling his life as a job-lot by advertising in The Sunday Times. Although his friend never went through with the idea, Mr Usher always remembered it.

"My aim is to walk away at the end of the eBay auction with my wallet in one pocket and my passport in the other, go to the airport and just jump on the first available plane to anywhere," he said.

"My tale is a bit of a sad one, but I am not trying to sell anyone a sob story. I appreciate that many people have had to cope with much more than I have and have had much more sadness in their lives. This is just my way of dealing with what has happened to me."

To see what Mr Usher is offering, log on to www.alife4sale.com