In December 2010, Oprah Winfrey brought 302 audience members on an eight-day, seven-night trip to Australia, to film four special episodes of the her show, appropriately titled ‘Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure’.
The audience members broke up into groups and visited all eight Australian states and territories. Oprah herself travelled to Queensland’s Hamilton Island and Great Barrier Reef then on to Uluru in the Northern Territory. She also visited Melbourne where she met Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Oprah completed her "Ultimate Australian Adventure” in Sydney where she filmed two shows with a live audience which featured famous guests including Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman and Olivia Newton John.
The four episodes were first screened in the US in January 2011 and then re-screened in March 2011. They have also been broadcast around the world as The Oprah Winfrey Show is screened in 147 countries.
About the production
- About 700 hours of footage was filmed around Australia, which formed the basis of four episodes of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” produced in Australia – two consisting of field footage and two from the Sydney Opera House.
- In addition to the contribution of Tourism Australia and various state and territory tourism organisations, Harpo and its corporate sponsors invested close to $7 million to make “Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure” a reality.
- Some of Australia’s biggest stars joined Oprah to tape two shows at the Sydney Opera House on 14 December 2010. They included Russell Crowe, Bindi Irwin, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban and Olivia Newton-John. Bon Jovi performed some of their greatest hits, and hip-hop superstar Jay-Z stopped by for a special surprise.
- There were more than 350,000 requests for tickets to the tapings at the Sydney Opera House. Of the seats awarded through an online lottery system, more than 95% were given to Australian residents.
- There were approximately 6,000 audience members at each taping. The tickets were available free of charge.
- The program aired in January 2011 in syndication in the US and in primetime in January 2011 on Network Ten in Australia.
About Oprah’s travels
- Oprah travelled first to Queenland’s Hamilton Island where she visited a wildlife park where she met Queensland Premier Anna Bligh and also cuddled Elvis the koala. She then took a helicopter ride to see the beauty of The Great Barrier Reef, landing on spectacular Whitehaven Beach, where Oprah and her guests were treated to a beach BBQ prepared by world famous Australian chef, Curtis Stone.
- Oprah then travelled to Uluru in the Northern Territory, where she toured the rock by helicopter, met with Malandirri McCarthy as her guide, visited Uluru National Park and Kuniya walk where she met Anangu elders and attended an indigenous dance performance.
- She went on to Melbourne where she met Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, and was welcomed by 10,000 Melburnians. She also surprised a mother-to-be with an impromptu baby shower and stopped by at a local “taco night” party.
- Her final destination was Sydney, where she attended a welcome party in the Royal Botanic Gardens, successfully conquered the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb with Gayle King and 249 audience members, and sailed in a regatta on Sydney Harbour with Russell Crowe.
About the audience
- There were 302 audience members from “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in Australia for “Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure”.
- Audience members hailed from 38 US states, as well as 13 from Canada and one from Jamaica.
- On Saturday 11 December 2010 the audience returned to Sydney and reunited with Oprah for the first time since the trip was announced in September to attend the welcome party, hosted by the NSW Premier Kristina Keneally.
- The audience members attended two tapings of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” at the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday 14 December.
- The audience travelled throughout Australia, and the various groups visited all eight Australian states and territories (more information on each below). They returned to the United States on 15 December 2010.
Locations
Location | Details |
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Victoria |
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Northern Territory |
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Tasmania |
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Queensland |
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Western Australia |
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Australian Capital Territory |
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South Australia | The audience interacted with untamed native wildlife on Kangaroo Island, ‘Australia’s Galapagos’, indulged in fine food and wine from the Barossa, met outback characters and marvelled at the incredible landscapes of the Flinders Ranges and Coober Pedy. |
New South Wales |
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