Bushwalk Australia

I work for a UK television company called Twofour Broadcast (http://www.twofourbroadcast.com/)

We're currently in the process of developing a potential show for the BBC that will effectively be a race between a British & Australian team to trek from Melbourne to The Gulf of Carpenteria as Burke and Wills did. Each team will be comprised of two people.

As part of this development we're researching who would form the Australian team; if made the show would be cut seperately for Australian audiences. Being a Brit we're regrettably out of the loop on what the well known and well liked Australian stars are.

What well known faces on Australian television do you all think would be great for the Australian team?

They could be athletes, TV hard men, survival experts, actors or singers - anything at all, but they must be fit enough to take on the challenge and well known enough to appeal to a wide audience. Any thoughts?

Boonie!!!!

But seriously... Warnie!!!

Skippy.

Kyle Sandilands

Former Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins
Just not Ray Martin or Daryl Sommers, please...

Ahh its got to be Ricky Ponting,

No doubt one of the worlds best batsmen, local boy and worldwide celebrity.

Would assume he is pretty fit and will probably be looking for a new sideline following the recent ashes defeat.

Come on the poms, in the tv show that is!

Si

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None, why would you want non-bushwalkers anyway!! I reckon you would be better with Stu and ILSWT against any pommy celebrities. . They might not be celebrities yet but soon would be (havnt met them so dont know if they have faces for TV )
Besides that 'The Minister for Water Snow and Ice' and his girlfriend should have recovered by now
Warnie would be no good - possibly no mobile reception along the way (to text Simone of course )

Hang those guys, you'd want someone with personality and true bush skills, take Russell Coit for example.....

I reckon Sam Kecovich - he could bot some lamb off all the farmers along the way!

Of course if you wanted a pair of walkers we could go for ...

Kevin Rudd and Malcolm Turnbull - they might be able to sort out their differences on a walk like that.

Tim Fischer and Ernie Dingo - there is a good combination!

Thomas Keneally and Tim Winton?
Roy and HG!
Jennifer Hawkins and Reggie ??? from Big Brother

Nuts wrote:Hang those guys, you'd want someone with personality and true bush skills, take Russell Coit for example.....

Haha - yes, I'm crackin' up already

Hopefully none...

Humphrey B Bear - the ultimate in ultralight hikers - he's so extreme he doesn't even wear pants!

AGRO from cartoon connection - tough as nails he is.

Phil wrote:Kyle Sandilands

Lol, second that.

David Koch?

Lano and Woodley, but seriously would any sane celeb want to walk from melbourne to mildura?

geoskid wrote:None, why would you want non-bushwalkers anyway!! I reckon you would be better with Stu and ILSWT against any pommy celebrities. . They might not be celebrities yet but soon would be (havnt met them so dont know if they have faces for TV )

Im Honoured


How about Ben Maloney... he could face off against that recent pommie guy that got "lost" in the blue mountains......

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I like the idea ephillips, and I don't want to sound negative or whatever, but I wonder if you guys realise how far that journey is. To put it into perspective for you, a 3000km trek from London would have you winding up somewhere near the border between Syria and Turkey.

At an average of 20km walked per day, that is 150 days straight. Then there's the desert to take into account....

Now I reckon it would be hard enough to get a team of trained, enthusiastic bushwalkers to voulunteer for that particular 6 month trek, let alone a celebrity, let alone a team of celebrities.

Apart from that, I'd love to see Shane Crawford (may be able to break some kind of World Record), Anthony Mundine (maybe this would shut him the hell up because nothing else seems to), that Toady guy from Neighbours (might do him good), Pauline Hanson (she may not make it), Hamish & Andy (to keep the audience entertained)(and throw in Megan Gale for good measure).

Oh I suppose I may as well include the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny, cos if you can get any of the others, then you'll definitely be able to get them.

Xavier Rudd - noone knows him, but at least there would be music Would make a great soundtrack album.
Tend to share Pebbles scepticism, it would either be a very long series or some very creative editing

I've been giving this a bit of thought... Pondering in the back of my mind.
Finally the penny dropped.
Retracing the steps of Burke and Wills? Step for step? Didn't they perish?
Fantastic! That makes it easy...
The Gunns board. And a few red necked politicians for good measure (the ones with their heads on backwards)
Sadly though, I suspect the show wouldn't be very popular, until they got beyond the tree with the initials.
Then I reckon the ratings would go through the roof!

I have been through some of the desert country that Burke and Wills traveled through and I think I would prefer to walk in the 500m per day SW Tasmania.

Tony

I think Brit audiences would relate to stars of Neighbours or Home and Away. Not to mention that 'Ruby' and 'Martha' would both do a pair of shorts and some walking boots a hellva lot of justice.

Pebbles wrote:I like the idea ephillips, and I don't want to sound negative or whatever, but I wonder if you guys realise how far that journey is. To put it into perspective for you, a 3000km trek from London would have you winding up somewhere near the border between Syria and Turkey.

At an average of 20km walked per day, that is 150 days straight. Then there's the desert to take into account....

Now I reckon it would be hard enough to get a team of trained, enthusiastic bushwalkers to voulunteer for that particular 6 month trek, let alone a celebrity, let alone a team of celebrities.

Apart from that, I'd love to see Shane Crawford (may be able to break some kind of World Record), Anthony Mundine (maybe this would shut him the hell up because nothing else seems to), that Toady guy from Neighbours (might do him good), Pauline Hanson (she may not make it), Hamish & Andy (to keep the audience entertained)(and throw in Megan Gale for good measure).

Oh I suppose I may as well include the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny, cos if you can get any of the others, then you'll definitely be able to get them.

Trust me - we know how far the trip is! and we already have the British celebs signed up.

Thank you everyone for your input! - I'll keep checking this thread and research the names that you've put foward thus far.

J. W. Howard and K. M. Rudd for sure.
Or
Any of the fellas from the Chaser's team.
Or
As before mentioned, Boony and now that the Kandy man Muttiah Muralidaran is playing with Victoria, why not him?
I win!!

ephillips wrote: well known enough to appeal to a wide audience. Any thoughts?

Anyone in Main Road Mogadishu would know them.

Can we send the entire Geelong Football Club?

(No, I'm a Hawthorn supporter. But it's really time the poor long-suffering Saints fans were put out of their misery.)

Noooooo!! St Kilda supporters are nearly half as bad as Collingwood supporters!!!

Also A Hawks fan!!!

Nah, the Saints are OK. Any team who wins its only premiership in almost 140 years by beating Collingwood by one point is tops.

Ererrr . . . tops apart from the mighty Hawks, that is . . .

Thats a point I cannot argue

Mighty Cat, what a team.

ephillips wrote:Trust me - we know how far the trip is! and we already have the British celebs signed up.

I'm glad they understand that. There must be a serious budget involved to convince celebs to take that much time out.

ephillips wrote:Thank you everyone for your input! - I'll keep checking this thread and research the names that you've put foward thus far.

Hmmm... It seems they're serious. I just wonder how much our British friends understand the irony and sarcasm which accompanies most of our suggestions.

Anyway, here's mine...
Let's team Crawf up with Dermie, Dipper and Dunstall. Those blokes are indestructible in the eye of this one-eyed Hawk fan. (Please, don't anyone shatter my illusion by suggesting 3 of the 4 are old, overweight and unfit.)