Oprah Downunder

Oprah Winfrey Come On Down! Australia Welcomes Oprah Downunder

Oprah in Australia went to air early in 2011. Her final season kicked off with Oprah's Ultimate Australian Adventure which showcased the experiences she and 300 of her most loyal fans had while in Australia in December 2010.

Oprah Winfrey surprised and delighted her audience on Monday, September 13th, 2010 by announcing she's taking the whole lot of them on a trip to Australia. The trip was taken in December 2010 when she took 300 of her most devoted fans half-way around the world to experience a taste of Australia during a whirlwind tour.

This image is used under a Creative Commons licence from Wikimedia Commons

The Oprah Effect - What Was The Verdict? 

What impression did Oprah leave Australia with? 

Well they came, they saw and they left raving about the place! Here's how Joshua Crouthamel : The Armchair Traveller summed up Oprah's visit downunder:-

"Tourism industry pins it all on the Big O

To get a product plug from arguably the most powerful woman in the world is no small feat. But to receive four hours of lovin' broadcast in 145 countries around the world to literally hundreds of millions? Priceless. At least that's what our tourism industry is banking on.

As you'll know by now, Oprah Winfrey flew 302 of her American audience members to Oz for a week of touring. The grand dame of daytime checked out the sites and sounds on Hamilton Island, at Uluru, and the best of the rest in Melbourne and Sydney on her whistle-stop visit, whilst audience members opted for short excursions catered to their interests (foodies feasted at the fabulous Tower Lodge in the Hunter, rev-heads cruised the Great Ocean Road, animal-lovers overnighted at Taronga Zoo's Roar 'n Snore, and the like). But not without a few raised eyebrows."

Read the rest of the article... 

Will Oprah's Visit To Australia Bring Tourists Downunder? 

Oprah showed just how fantastic Australia is for a vacation. 

Australia has been in the news a lot recently, first came Oprah Winfrey's announcement to bring 300 of her most loyal fans on a trip of a lifetime then came the Canberra floods. Oprah's visit took place in December during idyllic conditions and almost as soon as she left the heavens opened so that by the time her show Oprah's Ultimate Australian Adventure went to air, an area the size of France and Germany combined was under water in Queensland. Then came the flooding of Brisbane, the worst in more than 30 years, the flooding of Victoria, three tropical cyclones, the worst a category 5, hit Queensland for another round, bushfires in Western Australia and a heatwave in Sydney. So did Oprah's visit do enough or has all the bad press turned visitors away?

Here's How Oprah Announced It 

An audience of 300 to share Oprah's experience in Australia 

How Did Tourism Australia Pull It Off? 

Getting Oprah Winfrey Is A Tourism Coup 

According to Karl Quinn of smh.com.au "THE announcement that Oprah Winfrey and 300 of her closest friends were coming Down Under took everyone - her audience, Australia, the world's media - by surprise. But the truth is it had been a long time coming.

''For years, people have been trying to get major TV shows to come down and broadcast, and other countries have also had a bit of a crack at it,'' says Andrew McEvoy, managing director of Tourism Australia. ''It's in no way a new idea. Our achievement has been to get it across the line.'' "

read the full story HERE

Oprah Does It Large 

Who Can Forget The Mob Dance With The Black-Eyed Peas For Oprah's 24th Season Kick-Off 

Australian Food Experience 

Some Things Oprah's Group Might Enjoy While In Australia 

Day 1 of Oprah's Ultimate Australian Adventure featured a barbecue on the beach hosted by Curtis Stone where of course, what else? Oprah threw a "shrimp on the barbie" So what else might you expect to find in Australia's culinary arena. Things have changed a lot in Australian cuisine. Influenced largely by our diverse culture, the platter we offer locals and visitors alike combines fresh produce with simple flavours often influenced by our asian neighbours. But there are some iconic dishes and these also have their merits.

Making Damper Bread
Damper is a traditional Australian wheat flour bread baked in the coals of a campfire. Made from nothing more than flour and water with perhaps the addition of salt, damper of the early days of Australian settlement was meant to do little more than fill a...

Ode To The Vegemite Sandwich
"You can't write a whole page about a vegemite sandwich! " This would be one response I might expect to hear were I to propose the suggestion to someone who 'doesn't get it'. After all, what we are actually talking about is tw...

Throw Another Prawn On The Barbie
Australians love a barbie! Let's face it our climate is perfectly suited to outdoor living and the barbecue is an essential component of that lifestyle. In days gone by, some feel those days are best forgotten, the suburban aussie's idea of a bar...

A Downunder Christmas Lunch
Allow me to show you how we celebrate Christmas downunder. The early Australian from which I am descended derives largely from British stock with little or no inter- cultural mixing for much of our first 200 years. Up until only fairly recently, say the la...

The Great Australian Pavlova
The Pavlova was first created in 1925 by Chef Herbert Sachse of the Hotel Esplanade in Perth, Western Australia, to celebrate the visit of the legendary Russian ballerina, Anna Pavlova. It has been suggested (only in New Zealand) that this enticing dessert...

I Still Call Australia Home 

The Ten Tenors Welcomed Oprah To Whitehaven With This Song 

Oprah's Book List

You will be so busy exploring and enjoying yourself while you are in Australia that you probably won't have time to read but there may be times when you just want to take a little break and catch up with your favourite book. Here are some of Oprah's recent recommendations.

 

Say You're One of Them

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie

The Invention of Wings

Have No Shame

See more titles from Oprah's Book Club.

Oprah Merchandise 

Will We Be Able To Recognise Them By Their T-shirts? 

I wonder if we will see hordes of American women wearing Oprah t-shirts and carrying Oprah totes trailing Oprah holding a yellow umbrella. Join Oprah's team with one of these items

 

Will You Follow In Oprah's Footsteps? 

Or Find Your Own Aussie Jewels? 

While Oprah was in Australia she visited Hamilton Island and Uluru (I grew up knowing it as Ayers Rock), shopped in Melbourne and sailed on Sydney Harbour. But there is far more to see in Australia than just these famous icons. Here are some other ideas you might like to consider.

A Short Stay In The Blue Mountains
World heritage listed, a "City Within A National Park" these are just some of the descriptions and labels the Blue Mountains near Sydney wears with pride. Majestic escarpments, magical waterfalls and pools, amazing forest walks are just some of t...

Klingon Cave Tours
In August 2010, a well- known cave system near Sydney Australia became the first tourist attraction to offer self guided tours in the Klingon language. The momentous occasion was promoted under the catch phrase 'Boldly Go Where No Tourist Has Gone Bef...

Visit Floriade - Australia's Biggest Flower Festival
Every year in October, visitors flock to Canberra for Floriade - the annual festival of the flower. The centrepiece of Floriade is a mass display of tulips arranged to form patterns and images. This riot of colour never fails to delight all comers. Floriad...

Taronga Zoo
One of the best known zoos in the world - Taronga Zoo - is a perfect day trip for us. We hadn't been there for a long time and our ten- year old daughters couldn't remember having ever been (we worked out that they were probably three the l...