outback information

Every so often someone will put together a list of the best Australian films of all time. It doesn't seem to matter who puts the list together, most of the films on the list will have one thing in common — stunning outback landscapes are an integral part of the success of each.

I can‘t wait to see Baz Luhrmann's 'Australia' because if it is half as good as it looks like it will be, it will a stunning film of epic proportions. It's being filmed on location on Carlton Hill Station (near Kununurra, East Kimberley region of WA), Darwin (Northern Territory) and Blowin' Bowen (north Queensland), as well as Fox Studios Australia (Sydney). The film is set around the 1930s/early 1940s and is the story of an English aristocrat (Nicole Kidman) who comes out to check up on her husband on their station in the Kimberleys. She is caught up in the Japanese bombing of Darwin, before heading overland to the station with a drover (Hugh Jackman).

Baz lived up to his reputation as a stickler for detail and for weeks prior to filming people scoured the north for everything from authentic 1930 office furniture and vehicles to genuine 1930 44-gallon drums, and the shorthorn cattle sourced especially for the film waited on agistment for more than twelve months. And a few months prior to filming they purchased a couple of very good books for research purposes! (A Million Acre Masterpiece.)

'Australia' will do more for the Australian bush and foster more of a sense of pride and patriotism than any amount of documentaries or advertising campaigns by Tourism Australia or farmer organisations. For too long the bush has been considered unfashionable in many circles, so it would be nice to see this reversed. To produce a film like this properly, the costs are massive. It has been good to see state governments chipping in toward the production costs, which can only be considered a good investment in the hands of a top film maker. We will all benefit from the success.

Information on Baz Luhrmann's previous films (Moulin Rouge, Strictly Ballroom, Romeo & Juliet etc) can be found at Bazmark.

Information on 'Australia' can be found at fan-run site called Australia Movie Net. There are a lot of newspaper links on this site and more can be found by searching the web. The Townsville Bulletin has run many stories and photographs of the film set at 'Bowenwood'.