Over the next three days, Tourism Australia will unleash a diverse live program of virtual travel experiences, showcasing a huge range of the country’s best to inspire domestic travel once restrictions lift.
Anyone with an internet connection can discover a wide range of Australian experiences across everything from nature to music, world-class food and, of course, wildlife. Highly curated, the program seeks to highlight some of the nation’s favourite things to do, as well as a few hidden gems people should aim to discover when local travel is once again available to us.
It all kicks off at 7:30pm tonight with a special one-hour broadcast on Network Ten and in conjunction with The Project, dubbed “The Love Australia Project” and headlined by a host of the country’s favourite personalities from tourism and entertainment.
Then, from Saturday morning a dizzying amount of exciting virtual events will be rolling out. Anyone can tune in on the hour, every hour, from 7am (AEST) when a timetable of events will kick off. This will include a dance party with The Wiggles, a workout in Byron Bay with Chris Hemsworth’s personal trainer Luke Zocchi, a breakfast bowl class with chef Guy Turland, a close crocodile encounters with Outback Wrangler Matt Wright, and a dinner party with Matt Moran.
This schedule will happen across 16th and 17th May, but there also be a bunch of stuff rolling out from the 18th as part of the ongoing campaign. This will extend to even more arts and cultural experiences through Tourism Australia’s digital and social media channels. Ever wanted to take an underwater tour of the iconic Great Barrier Reef without getting wet? Have Wippa take care of bedtime stories for a change? Make some cheese with Jo Barrett and Matt Stone? Or even go mud crabbing with Juan Walker? You can do all that without having to even leave the couch.
“Even though demand for travel is currently on hold and the timing of the recovery is still uncertain, it’s important that we don’t go quiet as a destination,” explained Tourism Australia Managing Director, Phillipa Harrison. “While people can’t travel right now, they can certainly dream and plan for those holidays to come.”
“The brands that continue to engage with their audiences in a crisis are the ones that tend to recover the fastest. Our marketing job right now is about keeping Australia front of mind for travellers by using this enforced period of self-isolation to engage with people in their living rooms, feed their escapism and inspire them to travel again once the restrictions start to lift.
Streaming live content across digital and social media platforms has almost tripled in the past month with the current health measures, and television viewership in Australia has climbed 11 per cent on last year. It was only a matter of time before some of Australia’s best and brightest experiences were curated into a schedule this rich and diverse, set to reignite that wanderlust and curiosity Aussie travellers are known for. Us here at the AU review would strongly encourage anyone to go check out the online program here, and then simply watch along on Facebook or YouTube.
https://youtu.be/kKma8WB4JyY
16th and 17th May Schedule
Saturday 16 May
7:00 AM
Acknowledgement of Country with Clarence Slockee, live from Sydney’s South Coast
8:00 AM
Workout with Chris Hemsworth’s trainers, Luke Zocchi & Dan Churchill from Centr, live from Byron Bay and New York City
9:00 AM
Bondi Brekkie Bowls with Guy Turland
10:00 AM
Kids Club: Sing and Dance with The Wiggles, live from Sydney
11:00 AM
Indigenous Ingredients with Jock Zonfrillo, live from Melbourne
12:00 PM
Koala-ty Time with Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary & Candice Dixon, live from the Gold Coast
1:00 PM
Cheesemaking with Jo Barrett & Matt Stone, live from the Yarra Valley
2:00 PM
Putt Like a Pro: Great Golf Courses of Australia Masterclass, live from Barnbougle
3:00 PM
Questacon: Behind the Scenes live from Canberra
4:00 PM
Underwater Reef Tour with Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef
5:00 PM
Wine For The People: Australia Uncorked, live from the Adelaide Hills
6:00 PM
Uluru Sunset Session with First Nations music curated by Sounds Australia
7:00 PM
Mate Date Dinner Party with Matt Moran, live from Sydney
8:00 PM
Your local Aussie pub trivia night hosted by Rove McManus, live from Sydney
9:00 PM
Tassie Whisky Waffle with Bill Lark and Chris Thomson, live from Hobart
Overnight 10PM-6AM
mona Spectra Light Show, live from Hobart
Sunday 17 May
6:00 AM
Sunrise Yoga with Elements of Byron, LIVE from Byron Bay
7:00 AM
Coffee Masterclass with ONA Coffee, live from Canberra
8:00 AM
Aussie wildlife with Zookeeper Chad & Laura Brown, live from Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park & New York City
9:00 AM
Mud Crabbing on Walkabout with Juan Walker, live from Cooya Beach
10:00 AM
The Great Aussie Brunch with Three Blue Ducks, live from Sydney, Byron Bay & Melbourne
11:00 AM
Sunday Funday Great Walks, with Matthew Evans and Zane Denmen, live from the Bay of Fires Lodge, Tas
12:00 PM
Crocodile Encounter with Matt Wright, live from Darwin
1:00 PM
Sunday BBQ Lunch with Hayden Quinn, live from Sydney
2:00 PM
Kimberley Snapshot with Scott Connell, live from the Kimberley
3:00 PM
Wine & Art Pairing with Chester Osborn at the d’Arenberg Cube, live from McLaren Vale
4:00 PM
Kangaroo Feeding with Chris ‘Brolga’ Barns, live from Alice Springs
5:00 PM
Kangaroo Island Tour with Craig Wickham from Exceptional Kangaroo Island
6:00 PM
Penguin Parade Bedtime Stories with Wippa, from Phillip Island
7:00 PM
Dreamtime Stories with Darren ‘Capes’ Capewell, live from Shark Bay
8:00 PM
A Night at the Sydney Opera House
9:00 PM
Sunday Session with Sounds Australia – Artists to be announced
Image: Tourism Australia.
