Australia Live
Encyclopedia
Australia Live was a four hour telecast, broadcast live on Channel Nine
, on 1 January 1988 to open Australia's
Bicentennial celebrations. The telecast crossed live to over 70 locations right across the country (and some overseas) to represent a 'typical' day in the life of the Australian people. At each of the locations, Australian television celebrities talked with everyday Australians about their experiences, with the whole event anchored by Clive James
, Ray Martin
and Jana Wendt
from the TCN-9
studios in Sydney
. Other presenters included Paul Hogan
, Tony Barber
, George Negus
, Derryn Hinch
, Greg Evans
, Daryl Somers
and Graham Kennedy
who billed the programme as a "unique electronic carpet ride"
Locations were as diverse as Thursday Island in Queensland
, a remote lighthouse in Tasmania
, the Mount Lofty Fire Tower
near Adelaide
, Kings Cross
in Sydney
, The Lodge in Canberra
, Kakadu National Park
in the Northern Territory
, and remote Kingoonya
with a population of six in outback South Australia
.
It was, at the time, a great achievement in television technology, if not in terms of the quality of the content. A number of crosses were made to people in remote locations from which live television had never been broadcast. These included the Indian Pacific passenger train on its way through the middle of Australia, a conversation (through a translator) with soviet cosmonauts who were orbiting the earth, and, perhaps the most outstanding achievement, a live broadcast from the Davis Base in Antarctica.
The telecast included pre-recorded messages from world leaders including US President Ronald Reagan
and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
. Australia Live was simultaneously broadcast on Channel Nine
, ABC
and SBS
in Australia (as well as all regional stations), on Channel Four in Britain
, and on the A&E Network
in the United States
.
The grand finale of this TV special included the famous rendition by Julie Anthony
of the Australian national anthem at the Old Parliament House
in Canberra
. The ABC
later picked up this version of the anthem (and its matching video footage) and played it at closedown until it began round-the-clock broadcasting in the 1990s.
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
, on 1 January 1988 to open Australia's
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
Bicentennial celebrations. The telecast crossed live to over 70 locations right across the country (and some overseas) to represent a 'typical' day in the life of the Australian people. At each of the locations, Australian television celebrities talked with everyday Australians about their experiences, with the whole event anchored by Clive James
Clive James
Clive James, AM is an Australian author, critic, broadcaster, poet and memoirist, best known for his autobiographical series Unreliable Memoirs, for his chat shows and documentaries on British television and for his prolific journalism...
, Ray Martin
Ray Martin (television presenter)
Raymond George "Ray" Martin AM is an Australian television journalist. He is best known for his various on-air roles on Channel Nine from 1978 to 2008. In 2011 he returned to 60 Minutes....
and Jana Wendt
Jana Wendt
-Early life:Wendt was born to Czech parents who emigrated to Australia in 1949, and was educated at the University of Melbourne.-Career:Wendt's television career began as a news presenter for ATV-10 evening news...
from the TCN-9
TCN-9
TCN is the Sydney flagship television station of the Nine Network in Australia and is located at Willoughby. The licence, issued to a company named Television Corporation Ltd headed by Frank Packer, was one of the first four licences to be issued for commercial television stations in...
studios in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. Other presenters included Paul Hogan
Paul Hogan
Paul Hogan, AM is an Australian actor best known for his role as Michael "Crocodile" Dundee from the Crocodile Dundee film series, for which he won a Golden Globe award.-Early life and career:...
, Tony Barber
Tony Barber
Anthony "Tony" Ferraro Barber is an Australian game show host and television personality.-Early life:...
, George Negus
George Negus
George Edward Negus is an Australian author, journalist, and television presenter. He previously presented 6:30 with George Negus on Network Ten, until it was axed by the Network on 19 October 2011.-Education:...
, Derryn Hinch
Derryn Hinch
Derryn Nigel Hinch is an Australian media personality best known for his work on Melbourne radio. He is currently the host of 3AW's drive time radio show...
, Greg Evans
Greg Evans
Greg Evans is an American cartoonist and the creator of the syndicated comic strip Luann. He received the 2003 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award for the strip...
, Daryl Somers
Daryl Somers
Daryl Paul Somers OAM , is an Australian television personality. The son of a dairy farmer and a cabaret singer, Somers rose to national fame as the host of the long-running comedy-variety program Hey Hey It's Saturday.-Early life:Somers, who has an Irish Catholic heritage, was educated at...
and Graham Kennedy
Graham Kennedy
Graham Cyril Kennedy, AO was an Australian radio, television and film performer, often called Gra Gra and The King of Australian television.-Childhood:...
who billed the programme as a "unique electronic carpet ride"
Locations were as diverse as Thursday Island in Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, a remote lighthouse in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, the Mount Lofty Fire Tower
Mount Lofty Fire Tower
Mount Lofty Fire Tower sits on top of Mount Lofty in the Adelaide Hills just to the east of the city of Adelaide, South Australia. The 34m high tower has a commanding view over a huge area of the rural areas surrounding Adelaide, and on a clear day the view can extend to as far as Kangaroo Island...
near Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Kings Cross
Kings Cross, New South Wales
Kings Cross is an inner-city locality of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Sydney...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, The Lodge in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park
Kakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin.Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of , extending nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres...
in the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, and remote Kingoonya
Kingoonya, South Australia
Kingoonya is a small settlement in the far north of the Australian state of South Australia. It was established in the early 1900s as a railway support town on the line extending west and played a significant role in the construction of the Trans-Australian Railway...
with a population of six in outback South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
.
It was, at the time, a great achievement in television technology, if not in terms of the quality of the content. A number of crosses were made to people in remote locations from which live television had never been broadcast. These included the Indian Pacific passenger train on its way through the middle of Australia, a conversation (through a translator) with soviet cosmonauts who were orbiting the earth, and, perhaps the most outstanding achievement, a live broadcast from the Davis Base in Antarctica.
The telecast included pre-recorded messages from world leaders including US President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
. Australia Live was simultaneously broadcast on Channel Nine
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
, ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
and SBS
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
in Australia (as well as all regional stations), on Channel Four in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and on the A&E Network
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The grand finale of this TV special included the famous rendition by Julie Anthony
Julie Anthony (Australian singer)
Julie Moncrief Lush OBE AM , better known as Julie Anthony, is an Australian entertainer. She sang the Australian National Anthem at the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics with Human Nature....
of the Australian national anthem at the Old Parliament House
Old Parliament House, Canberra
Old Parliament House, known formerly as the Provisional Parliament House, was the house of the Parliament of Australia from 1927 to 1988. The building began operation on 9 May 1927 as a temporary base for the Commonwealth Parliament after its relocation from Melbourne to the new capital, Canberra,...
in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
. The ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
later picked up this version of the anthem (and its matching video footage) and played it at closedown until it began round-the-clock broadcasting in the 1990s.
