HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Date: Mon, 13 Feb 2012 07:43:22 GMT
Server: Apache/2.2.17 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.2.17 OpenSSL/0.9.8e-fips-rhel5 mod_auth_passthrough/2.1 mod_bwlimited/1.4 FrontPage/5.0.2.2635
Last-Modified: Sun, 11 Jul 2010 04:42:28 GMT
ETag: "33818d-3596e-48b1543635500"
Accept-Ranges: bytes
Content-Length: 219502
Connection: close
Content-Type: text/html

<html>

<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<title>Baz Luhrmann's Australia - Production</title>
<meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft FrontPage 6.0">
</head>

<body bgcolor="#EBD7A7" link="#804040" vlink="#400040" alink="#804040">

<p align="center"><b><u><font face="Book Antiqua" size="4">
<img border="0" src="AustraliaBanner.jpg" width="235" height="69"></font></u></b></p>
<p align="center"><u><b><font face="Book Antiqua" size="4" color="#800000">MOVIE DEVELOPMENT:<br>
April 2007 - June 2007</font></b></u></p>
<p align="center"><font color="#804040" face="Book Antiqua">The following is a 
detailed summary of movie news and speculation that was reported from late April 
2007<br>
(when <i>Australia </i>started production) until the end of June 2007 (when 
filmed ended in Bowen).<br>
All news is accompanied
by the name of the media source, and links to original articles.</font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#804040"><b>
<a href="australiamovie.htm">Click here</a> to return to my <i>Australia</i> 
page on my main website.</b><br>
&nbsp;</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/28/4167_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Post-movie tension </font></a><font color="#004080"><br>
</font><font color="#800000">Townsville Bulletin, 28 June 2007 </font>
<font color="#004080"><br>
<br>
</font>If people in Bowen today are bleak, unreasonable and accuse you of not 
understanding them, blame it on PMT &#8211; Post Movie Tension. Baz Luhrmann, Nicole 
Kidman and Hugh Jackman and Co have been in Queensland's tomato capital for the 
past six weeks filming the movie Australia. They shot their last scenes in the 
town last night. The word on the street yesterday was that star Nicole Kidman 
had already abandoned the town. If she had, she didn't stop to say goodbye. It 
has been an emotional roller-coaster, and it has even been said the town's 
ebullient mayor Cr Mike Brunker could suffer a form of post-natal depression 
when the movie crew pack up and leave town. It was Cr Brunker, whispering sweet 
nothings about a wooden jetty and open foreshore land into Baz Luhrmann's ear 
that convinced the famous Aussie movie producer to shoot the 1922 and 1942 
scenes &#8211; to be depicted in the movie as Darwin &#8211; in the town that was once 
considered the `ugly step sister' by the likes of Townsville, Mackay and Airlie 
Beach. Cinderella Bowen is sky walking and it was Prince Baz who helped the 
ostracized sister, bullied and ridiculed by evil step-mum Townsville, and 
jealous step-sisters, Airlie and Mackay, to meet her prince and to live happily 
ever after. Cr Brunker said there was no stopping Bowen now that she had been to 
the ball and had won the hand of the handsome prince. &quot;The movie has been 
monstrous for the town. The number of people who have come in to see the sets 
and then discovered the beaches. It's just been great,&quot; he said. Cr Brunker said 
the town would get to keep movie memorabilia such as the WWI cenotaph, all 
signage, and a police cell and prison. He said this would all be collected in a 
permanent display to remind the locals and visitors the time Bowen became 
Bowenwood.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a target="blank" href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/23/4054_bowenwood.html">
<font color="#800000">Filming to wrap </font> </a><font color="#800000"><br>
The Townsville Bulletin, 23 June 2007</font><font color="#004080"><br>
<br>
</font>The buzz won't go out of Bowenwood the minute the stars leave town next week. 
Bowen Mayor Mike Brunker said once the cast and crew had left the town by 
Friday, film buzz would continue. &quot;We're working on ideas to keep the momentum 
going and we're planning to redevelop the foreshore and when that's done we will 
have an interpretive centre with a board walk of the stars that featured in the 
film on the footpath,&quot; Cr Brunker said. &quot;The foreshore will be totally dedicated 
to the film.&quot; Cr Brunker said most of the set would be removed and taken back to 
Sydney. &quot;Some private businesses will keep parts of the set but we will focus on 
the interpretative centre which will have everything about the film in it,&quot; he 
said.&nbsp; &quot;It's probably better than having the iron buildings anyway because then 
we don't have to worry about it being broken into, burning down or blowing away. 
Fox Studios have also been filming a documentary on the making of the film so we 
hope to get a copy of it to be able to show in the centre.&quot; Bowen Collinsville 
Enterprise economic development manager Martin Homisan said not only Bowen but 
the entire region had benefited from the film. Only four days of filming, 
including today, remains in Bowen before Australia's cast and crew heads to 
Darwin and Kununurra.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a target="blank" href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/22/4023_bowenwood.html">
<font color="#800000">Dousing Darwin </font> </a><font color="#800000"><br>
The Townsville Bulletin, 22 June 2007 </font>
<font color="#004080"> <br>
<br>
</font>The flames that blazed on the set of Australia on Wednesday were doused 
yesterday by wet weather. All the soldiers carrying heavy machinery were nowhere 
to be seen as the war-torn Darwin set looked completely deserted. With only days 
left to catch a glimpse of the filming in action, the sudden rain kept onlookers 
disappointed as cast and crew re-located to an indoor studio. Despite the rain, 
a spokeswoman for Australia said filming was still on track. &quot;We've reverted to 
our weather plan and the cameras are still rolling,&quot; she said. If weather 
permits, more wharf scenes are expected to be shot today with both Hugh Jackman 
and Nicole Kidman scheduled to be back on the job. Then on Saturday, shooting of 
the bombed stockyards, gun emplacement and beacon will run from noon to midnight 
across several on-set locations. All actors will be given a well-deserved rest 
on Sunday before cameras resume rolling at the wharf, stockyards, gun 
emplacement and beacon from 6am on Monday.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a target="blank" href="http://www.gcbulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/22/5906_columnist.html">
<font color="#800000">Bowen gold rush</font></a><font color="#800000"> <br>
Gold Coast Weekend Bulletin, 22 June 2007</font><font color="#004080"><br>
<br>
</font>When Bowen was founded in the 1800s, there was a strong push for it to become 
the capital of north Queensland, the political and administrative headquarters 
of a tropical paradise. History shows Townsville assumed that mantle -- thanks 
to the Charters Towers gold rush -- and Bowen has become more famous today for 
its mangoes than its MPs. Drive through Bowen today and it's easy to see time 
has stood still since those gold rush days and you get the impression the locals 
like it that way. So when noted Aussie film-maker Baz Luhrmann started scouting 
for locations for his Hollywood blockbuster, Australia, starring Nicole Kidman 
and Hugh Jackman, some locals were a little sceptical that he would take such an 
interest in little old Bowen, population 9000. But the filming of the Twentieth 
Century Fox epic has put the sleepy little place back on the map and, since the 
shoot began a few months ago, 10,000 tourists have visited Bowen. The local 
bakery has sold more pies in the past three months than it did in the previous 
three years as hundreds of cast and crew make it their second home. In the first 
three weeks, the production team spent more than $2 million on accommodation 
alone and 98 locals are working as volunteers and 600 have become extras, 
including Joy Jocheim, whose family own the local bakery. Luhrmann has taken a 
shine to Joy, who he says now has a speaking role in the film. Jackman has 
jokingly told her she needs an agent. Such is the community spirit within Bowen 
right now that Jackman's seven-year-old son Oscar has been baking cakes at the 
Jocheim family pie shop and he's already told his dad he wants to live there. 
There's now a massive sign titled 'Bowenwood' which greets motorists as they 
drive into the town. Movies, as the people of Bowen can attest, are big 
business.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#004080">
<a target="blank" href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/21/3976_bowenwood.html">
<font color="#800000">Fire scene razes church </font> </a></font>
<font face="Book Antiqua" color="#800000">
<br>
The Townsville Bulletin, 21 June 2007</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
As 
quickly as it went up, it came back down. All that remains of the church and 
schoolyard that doubled as Mission Island on the set of Baz Luhrmann's Australia 
is a burnt down pile of rubbish. Hugh Jackman's character Noah played a crucial 
role in the church where school children were dashed to safety when the Japanese 
invaded and a fire broke out. On day 31 of shooting yesterday, a scene that saw 
kids fleeing from that church to the wharf was shot. A simulated fire was ablaze 
&#8211; the result of a possible bomb raid.&nbsp; Soldiers in uniform carrying backpacks 
and rifles were also seen parading up and down the set, reminiscent of a true 
war zone. Debris now lies over the once pre-war red Darwin dirt and black soot 
now covers all the buildings on set. Tomorrow more wharf scenes are expected to 
be shot with both Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman set to be back on the job. A 
movie spokesperson said despite unexpected rainfall, filming was still on 
schedule. &quot;The weather hasn't been great so we've been shooting things that we 
can do in wet weather,&quot; she said. &quot;Everything is going really well and the shots 
we have got look amazing.&quot;</font></p>
<p><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a target="blank" href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/21/3975_bowenwood.html">
<font color="#800000">Nic lavished with gifts</font></a><font color="#800000"> <br>
The Townsville Bulletin, 21 June 2007</font><font color="#004080"><br>
</font>
<br>
Birthday 
wishes from celebrity superstars arrived in Bowen yesterday for Nicole Kidman's 
40th birthday. Local florist Frangipani Florists were inundated with orders from 
around the world, including from ex-husband actor Tom Cruise and wife Katie 
Holmes for the big day. And Bowen locals got into the spirit too, with a local 
bakery making a cake. Even Bowen Mayor Mike Brunker baked a celebratory roast. 
&quot;My wife spent all day baking, now we're just waiting for Nicole to arrive,&quot; he 
said. But the birthday girl was nowhere to be seen. It is believed the 
Oscar-winner spent most of the day high atop the hills of her Bowen residence 
with Keith as she was not scheduled to be on set shooting the epic Australia. 
Urban made a surprise dash to Bowen to celebrate the milestone by his wife's 
side after spending the last fortnight touring the US. They were gathered with 
close friends at the top of Flagstaff Hill last night for a party bash, which 
included a spectacular fireworks display. There was also a small party on the 
set. Baz Luhrmann organised the main party, with food caterers from the US 
making the trip for the prestigious party and fireworks set to light up the 
night sky for all to see at about 7.30pm. Kidman hasn't been spotted around 
Bowen this week and was last seen in Bondi Beach at the weekend where she 
kicked-off an early birthday celebration with her sister Antonia, mum Janelle 
and a group of close girlfriends who gathered to raise their glasses in 
celebration of the leading lady's milestone. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii to 
Australian parents, Kidman has won critical acclaim for her varied roles as an 
actress over the years.</font></p>
<p><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a target="blank" href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/20/3941_bowenwood.html">
<font color="#800000">Sounds of an epic </font> </a><font color="#800000"><br>
The Townsville Bulletin, 20 June 2007</font><font color="#004080"><br>
</font>
<br>
Baz Luhrmann has been busy capturing all of the sights of Bowen &#8211; and now he has 
the sounds, too... Bowen Fire Station's siren, an authentic World War II relic 
which is still used to summon firefighters to emergencies. The sound of the 
siren has now been immortalised in film, recorded during the scene in Luhrmann's 
Australia where Darwin is bombarded by Japanese airplanes.&nbsp; Ironically, the 
siren was previously used in Bowen to warn residents of an impending air raid 
during the real World War II. Retired firefighter Glen Skinner said the antique 
siren was a surprise find for Luhrmann. &quot;When the firies told them they had an 
old air raid siren from the war years, the film crew couldn't believe it,&quot; Mr 
Skinner said. While Bowen was not on the target list during WWII, the siren 
drove residents into shelters when enemy planes neared Townsville.</font></p>
<p><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a target="blank" href="http://www.news.com.au/sundaytelegraph/story/0,22049,21921295-5001028,00.html">
<font color="#800000">Hugh Jackman falls in love with Bowen</font></a><font color="#800000"> <br>
Sunday Telegraph, 17 June 2007</font><font color="#004080"><br>
</font>
<br>
Forget 
the Bowen mango - the north Queensland country town will be known for something 
much more famous if actor Hugh Jackman's son gets his way. The Hollywood and 
Broadway star today told Queensland Premier Peter Beattie on the Bowen set of 
Baz Luhrmann's outback epic Australia that his son Oscar wanted the family to 
relocate to the country town.&nbsp; &quot;When you are travelling around a bit like a 
circus it is not always easy to assimilate into the community, that's why I love 
being here in Bowen,'' Jackman told reporters today. &quot;I will never forget it, my 
son wants us to live here full time. I will have to have a serious chat with his 
mum about that.'' He said Oscar had taken a shine to Bowen after starting to 
help out at the local pie shop and offering to sell his own pastry creations to 
the public, for a reasonable profit of course. ''(The shop owner asked) how much 
for? And he (Oscar) goes $7. He (owner) said 'you're hired','' Jackman laughed. 
Bowen's charm has also seduced Jackman's co-star, none other than Oscar winner 
Nicole Kidman. &quot;Nicole (Kidman) and I were sitting here and just went 'how lucky 
are we?','' Jackman said. About a third of the film is being shot in Bowen and 
shooting is expected to wrap up in a fortnight before heading to Darwin. But Mr 
Beattie believed the movie would remain synonymous with Bowen. &quot;Bowen could be 
known for mangoes as well as the Jackman family and movies - it could be 
Bowenwood,'' he said.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">Luhrmann hoped to 
reward the country town by holding a premiere at Bowen. &quot;We hope to hold 
premieres all over the world but I hope we do a very special one here,'' he 
said. Mr Beattie was amazed at the difference the movie had made since it began 
filming at the 9,500-strong town last month. The state government gave the 
filmmakers a $500,000 sweetener for choosing the Queensland location. &quot;They've 
had more than 10,000 tourists who have come as a result of the movie set, which 
I think justifies the $500,000 that the state government has invested into this 
project,'' Mr Beattie said. &quot;Bowen's got not just those 10,000 tourists but they 
will be able to promote this well after this movie has hit the silver screen. 
It's reshaped the town.'' Mr Beattie also met Luhrmann and local volunteers on 
set today. The film centres on an English aristocrat, played by Kidman, who 
becomes the proprietor of a cattle station before World War II. When cattle 
barons try to take over her land, she enlists the help of a &quot;rough-hewn'' 
drover, played by Jackman. </font></p>
<p align="left">---&nbsp;</p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a target="blank" href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/16/3848_bowenwood.html">
<font color="#800000">Baz's love shack buzz</font></a><font color="#800000"> <br>
The Townsville Bulletin, 16 June 2007 </font>
<font color="#004080"> <br>
</font>
<br>
It's definitely not the most romantic looking building &#8211; but Baz has created a 
love shack. A secret three-day film shoot session at an industrial shed in 
central Bowen took place earlier this month, and word was Hugh and Nic were 
getting down and dirty. Raunchy love scenes are said to feature heavily in the 
movie and Nic even slyly mentioned to reporters that she was looking forward to 
the filming. For three days earlier this month, security, make-up and crew vans 
surrounded the corrugated iron shed in Bowen's Richmond Rd. Magazine reports 
claim the sex scenes have been filmed &#8211; with Nic's husband Keith Urban watching 
on jealously. While an Australia spokeswoman would not shed much light on the 
filming schedule, blaming paparazzi for her secrecy, scenes have definitely been 
shot in the shed. The adjoining car wash was closed for the three days. But with 
no windows to steam up and heavy security, there was no chance of peeping toms.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a target="blank" href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/16/3849_bowenwood.html">
<font color="#800000">Plucking heartstrings</font></a><font color="#800000"> <br>
The Townsville Bulletin, 16 June 2007 </font>
<font color="#004080"> <br>
</font>
<br>
The team at Bowen Retravision aren't really in the business of making dreams 
come true, but they have helped put an enormous smile on the face of one of 
Australia's youngest movie stars, completely by accident. For two weeks, a small 
Aboriginal boy kept visiting the store, admiring a green classical guitar. 
Occasionally he would ask staff members whether it was okay to try and play it. 
His father accompanied his son into the store and when shown the guitar, was 
overheard telling his son they did not have enough money for it. Not knowing who 
the 11-year-old was, store owner Georgina Pio decided to give the $69 guitar to 
the boy as a present. Later they found out the would-be classical guitarist 
played one of the main characters in Baz Luhrmann's Australia &#8211; Brandon Walters, 
who plays the part of Nullah. Nullah lives on Lady Ashley's (Nicole Kidman) 
cattle station and becomes a central figure in the relationship between Lady 
Ashley and the cattle drover (Hugh Jackman). &quot;We just thought he was a little 
Aboriginal boy from town who couldn't afford the guitar,&quot; Mrs Pio said. 
&quot;Apparently he plays it now every day.&quot; Other major cast members have also 
visited the shop, popping in to buy digital cameras to capture their Bowen 
adventures, or perusing the CDs. &quot;Hugh Jackman is the most loveliest person you 
could ever meet,&quot; Mrs Pio said. &quot;He comes into town all the time and has a 
coffee and works out at the gym. His parents have been here, his in-laws have 
been here, he's really adopted the town as a home and I guess we've adopted 
him.&quot;</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a target="blank" href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/16/3851_bowenwood.html">
<font color="#800000">Town still buzzing with movie fever </font> </a>
<font color="#800000"><br>
</font>
</font><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#800000">The Townsville Bulletin, 16 
June 2007</font><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#004080"><br>
<br>
</font><font face="Book Antiqua">Enthusiasm certainly hasn't abated as filming continues in Bowen, with a stroll 
down the main street almost more entertaining than trying to peer past security 
guards for a glimpse of the stars. Herbert St businesses are still dressing up 
shop windows with movie paraphernalia and restaurants have created dishes in an 
attempt to lure cast and crew. Witty staff at the Central Hotel have created a 
menu fit for the A-list stars. A 400g steak called `the Baz Lurhmann's Directors 
Cut' is drawing hungry herds and a special treat has been created for the 
leading lady herself. Central Hotel's Pam Graham said her head chef Kade Spencer 
had created three special dishes to honour Baz, Nic and Hugh. Acting on a tip 
from local chef Michel Bonnet found in the Collinsville State School Recipe Book 
2002, Mr Spencer recreated a dish using what was believed to be some of Nic's 
favourite foods. Atlantic salmon with asparagus and a mango chutney, or the 
Nicole Special, was `made up with Nic's favourite ingredients, she said.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a target="blank" href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/15/3789_bowenwood.html">
<font color="#800000">Transported back in time</font></a><font color="#800000"> <br>
The Townsville Bulletin, 15 June 2007 </font>
<font color="#004080"> <br>
<br>
</font>Bowen's first ever fire engine has been doing some trippy time travelling. The 
1924 Model T Ford has been used as an `extra' in Baz Luhrmann's Australia. After 
80 years of trundling around Bowen's streets, from fire to fire, the Ford has 
been transported back to the 1940s to appear on screen as part of the local 
scenery. It is unknown whether the little scarlet car, which could carry several 
firefighters and equipment, has a starring role in the movie, during the scene 
where Darwin is attacked in World War II. The vintage vehicle, which was 
lovingly restored by a committee of locals four years ago, has had quite the 
journey back into the past. The near derelict fire engine had been kept in a 
garage in Townsville for close to 30 years before its owner kindly gifted it 
back to Bowen in 2003. The owner gave the Bowen Queensland Fire and Rescue 
Service the first option of having it back before selling it to anyone else. It 
was purchased by North Queensland Newspapers to mark the 100th anniversary of 
the Bowen Independent. &quot;The amazing thing was, after sitting in that garage for 
all those years, they cranked it once and the engine kicked over immediately,&quot; 
said station officer Rob Luscott. The fire engine was brought into service in 
Bowen in 1925. It has a top speed of 45km/hr, just enough power to get 
firefighters to the scene of a fire in time. Nowadays the Model T Ford is only 
brought out for special events, including shows, festivals and displays.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#004080">
<a target="blank" href="http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21906764-25090,00.html">
<font color="#800000">Baz's billets</font></a></font><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#800000"><br>
The Australian, 15 June 2007</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">The housing crisis in 
the northwest of Western Australia is not news - converted shipping containers 
are considered five-star accommodation in most mining towns - but things are 
getting out of control in Kununurra as the cast and crew from Baz Luhrmann's 
epic film Australia move in. If, like Nicole Kidman, you earn $25million for a 
movie, a shipping container - no matter how chic - probably doesn't appeal. So 
Luhrmann's minions are scouring the surrounding rural properties offering big 
bikkies to anyone prepared to vacate their station homestead and give Nic or her 
co-star Hugh Jackman a bed for the duration of the film shoot. Owners of lesser 
houses, for lesser stars, are being offered $300 to $400 a bedroom a week and 
the film company is negotiating with the race club to bring 80 campervans on to 
its racecourse. Luhrmann has even agreed to build an ablutions block for the 
crew's six-week stay. </font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font color="#004080" face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.nt.gov.au/ocm/media/releases/martin_070614_movie_set.pdf" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Northern Territory Government Media Release</font></a></font><font color="#800000" face="Book Antiqua"><br>
Clare Martin, Chief Minister, 14 June 2007</font><font color="#004080" face="Book Antiqua"><br>
<br>
<!--EZCODE BOLD START--></font><font face="Book Antiqua">
<strong style="font-weight: 400">WHARF GETS MAKEOVER TO BECOME MOVIE STAR</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br>
<br>
Stokes Hill Wharf is undergoing a makeover in preparation for its starring role 
in the Baz Luhrmann film Australia. Chief Minister Clare Martin was given a tour 
of the movie set by the production company's location manager, Carl Wood. &quot;This 
big budget film will bring a touch of Hollywood to Darwin &#8211; we expect it to 
provide a big boost to tourism,&quot; Ms Martin said. &quot;Millions of people around the 
world will see this film which is set in Darwin &#8211; it's a real coup for the 
Territory. Work has started on turning the wharf into a film set before filming 
begins on July 3 &#8211; they will turn back time to recreate what the wharf looked 
like in the 1930's and 40's. If you think of a house renovation &#8211; times it by 
ten &#8211; everything is on a massive scale, just like the movie itself.&quot;<br>
<br>
The work includes:<br>
&#8226; 100 metres of handrail<br>
&#8226; 90 square metres of timber deck<br>
&#8226; 15 metres of fake railway track<br>
&#8226; 11 metre long staircase down to the water<br>
&#8226; 37 square metre floating pontoon<br>
&#8226; working crane to lift luggage from pontoon onto the Wharf<br>
&#8226; cladding existing concrete and steel to look like timber<br>
<br>
Products and services for the filming are being sourced from locals where 
possible with the production company, Bazmark, expected to spend around $4 
million locally in total. Bazmark has been overwhelmed by interest from locals 
to be extras in the movie &#8211; with 1200 people attending casting sessions hoping 
for one of the 300 extra roles available.<br>
<br>
Media Contact: Richard O'Leary</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a target="blank" href="http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,21910541-5012990,00.html">
<font color="#800000">Australia's housing crisis</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Perth Now, 14 June 2007</font><font color="#004080"><br>
<br>
</font>Hundreds of Kununurra residents want Nicole Kidman to sleep in their bed - and 
she's interested. Film director Baz Luhrmann's film Australia begins shooting in 
the Kimberley town next month but producers have found one problem - there is no 
where to accommodate the 400 cast and crew, including Hollywood stars Kidman and 
Hugh Jackman, during peak tourism season. Organisers of the big budget movie are 
asking residents to offer their homes to accommodate them because hotels and 
caravan parks are fully booked. The film company want residents to move in with 
family or friends or take a take a holiday so senior cast and crew have 
somewhere to stay during the six weeks of shooting. Lachlan Burnett, who lives 
in a two-story house overlooking Lake Kununurra, is willing to offer the 
Hollywood starlet his bed as long as she signs his bed sheets. &quot;I would give my 
right arm, I would give any part of my body to have Nicole Kidman stay at my 
house,'' Mr Burnett said. &quot;I could just imagine Nicole opening up the doors of 
my house in the morning and having that nice wind blowing through her hair.''&nbsp; 
Mr Burnett, a pilot for Air North, said he would even offer his services and be 
Kidman's personal pilot for the six-week stint and let her take anything she 
wanted from the fridge. &quot;She can even have all the Emu Bitters, that's one 
condition I will even stock the fridge full of beer for her.'' <br>
<br>
Despite booking every room at the recently opened Kimberley Grande Hotel and 
rooms at a number of motels film organisers still need more than 30 houses.&nbsp; 
Brad Williams from Kimberley First National Real Estate has been approached by 
the film company to help find suitable accommodation. Mr Williams said big 
properties could be preferred over hotel and motel rooms by Kidman, Jackman and 
Luhrmann. &quot;There's every chance that a small number of very nice, very expensive 
rural properties may be made available to the production company and some of 
those might be suitable in terms of security and quality of accommodation for 
key cast members like Nicole, Hugh, Baz and (his partner) Catherine Martin,'' he 
said. Williams said while some of the crew may have to pay up to $300 a week for 
a spare bedroom, there are women in town who are offering to pay to have Hugh 
Jackman stay with them. &quot;We've got a bid in for Nicole Kidman, but I don't think 
it will succeed, apparently these people want privacy,&quot; he joked. &quot;But their 
needs aren't too extreme, they just need quality homes in locations that are 
difficult to get to and can be secured. We've got a few places like that hidden 
in the mangroves and agricultural areas.&quot;&nbsp; He said a six-bedroom house built 
especially for short-term executive rentals which rents at $10,000 a week could 
be suitable. The film company is negotiating with the race club to bring 80 
campervans on to its racecourse. Luhrmann has even agreed to build an ablutions 
block for the crew's six-week stay. Local hotels, motels and caravan parks were 
unable to reserve rooms for the film company because they could not specify when 
they would be arriving and how long they would be staying. </font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#004080">
<a target="blank" href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/14/3747_bowenwood.html">
<font color="#800000">War-hit Bowen lit up</font></a></font><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#800000"> <br>
The Townsville Bulletin, 14 June 2007 </font><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#004080">
<br>
<br>
</font><font face="Book Antiqua">
Bowen is under siege.&nbsp; Bomb blasts and blazing fires are exploding in the centre 
of town as filming for Baz Luhrmann's Australia moves to war-time drama in 
Darwin. The trail of destruction started at Mission Island on Santa Barbara 
Parade, as cast and crew went about systematically destroying the set. Many 
residents were wondering whether real fire would be used or if the trick of 
special effects would be added. But their question was answered when Queensland 
Fire and Rescue Service staff turned up on set &#8211; on stand-by in case anything 
got out of hand. But an Australia spokeswoman was unwilling to reveal the tricks 
of the trade. &quot;I don't know &#8211; can you make fake fire?&quot; she asked. &quot;But if you 
went and touched it, you would burn your hand.&quot; Filming has been centred at 
Mission Island three nights this week, with the school house and church being 
burnt down. It is understood that <!--EZCODE BOLD START-->
<strong style="FONT-WEIGHT: 400">Hugh Jackman's character Noah</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> 
is in the church with school children when Japanese invade and a fire breaks 
out. In town, the carefully created facade at Carney's Corner has been pulled 
away from historic buildings for when its time comes to burn. Bulldozers have 
dug bomb craters in the red dirt road, dumped rubble and even unbalanced 
military trucks.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a target="blank" href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/12/3661_bowenwood.html">
<font color="#800000">A starry close encounter </font> </a>
<font color="#800000"><br>
The Townsville Bulletin, 12 June 2007 </font>
<font color="#004080"> <br>
</font>
<br>
Bowen's luckiest residents, the Daltons, cashed in on their once in a lifetime 
prize last week &#8211; a meet and greet with the cast and crew on the set of 
Australia. Dianne Dalton, who won the prize at Bowen's Seafood Festival, took 
her husband Bruce, daughter Megan, and three of their friends for a tour of the 
set and a chat with the movie's director Baz Luhrmann and his megastar Nicole 
Kidman. &quot;We had a look around the movie set and we had photos taken at places 
around the set,&quot; Ms Dalton said. &quot;We wandered around and then we met Nicole and 
we chatted for a few minutes and had some photos taken with her and then we met 
Baz and we chatted with him briefly and had some photos taken with him. &quot;When we 
met her she was in costume but she wasn't acting at the time. They are really, 
really busy people, they work very long hours.&quot;<br>
<br>
Ms Dalton had nothing but praise for the Hollywood heavyweights. &quot;Everyone there 
is really positive about the film and being here in Bowen and all the rest of it 
and that's great,&quot; she said. &quot;She (Nicole) was very gracious and she's 
absolutely beautiful &#8211; I think she's more beautiful in real life than she is in 
photos. She very open, down to earth, a nice woman. He (Baz) was good. He was a 
bundle of energy and just a really nice guy.&quot; Ms Dalton said she had no trouble 
mixing it with the celebrities, although she was not willing to ask Mr Luhrmann 
how his outback epic was going to turn out. &quot;I don't think that would have been 
appropriate,&quot; she said. &quot;We just spoke about generalities, you don't get into 
deep and meaningfuls when you meet someone like that. &quot;Nicole was very nice &#8211; we 
just chatted about nothing in particular. Megan our daughter has very pale skin 
and she was pretty keen to meet her because as you know Nicole Kidman has very 
pale skin so I think we spoke about that and Nicole thought it was quite funny.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#004080">
<a target="blank" href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/12/3660_bowenwood.html">
<font color="#800000">Lack of thin men</font></a></font><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#800000"> <br>
The Townsville Bulletin, 12 June 2007 </font><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#004080">
<br>
<br>
</font><font face="Book Antiqua">
Baz Luhrmann's legendary attention to detail has left Bowen's men dieting down a 
dress size. Luhrmann and his fellow movie makers could not find enough slim men 
in Bowen to play extras during scenes of the harsh conditions and rationing of 
WWII now being filmed on set. Especially difficult was finding thin men to be 
extras for the army scenes. A visit to the local high school was necessary to 
recruit enough fit young men for the military scenes. Production and costume 
designer, Luhrmann's wife, Catherine Martin is also renowned for her sumptuous 
design on films such as Moulin Rouge and Strictly Ballroom. It is believed she 
is looking to win another Oscar with the design for their latest film. Inside 
the set are a market garden, boarding house, brothel and dry goods store which 
feature actual period pieces and detailed set design.</font></p>
<p align="left">---</p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/09/3609_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Big bucks spent in Bowen</font></a><font color="#800000"> <br>
Townsville Bulletin, 9 June 2007</font> <br>
<br>
Bowen businesses are cashed up. Baz Luhrmann's production Australia has spent 
more than $2 million alone on accommodation in Bowen over the past three weeks 
at 21 different motels. More than 300 cast and crew members, including Hollywood 
stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, are all being housed in and around the 
small seaside town. Location manager Mary Barltrop said more than $1.43 million 
had been spent on renting film locations, office space and stage space from more 
than 30 businesses. Plus there were things like machinery rental and local 
tradesmen to pay. &quot;Every day we pay water trucks to dampen the red dirt we're 
using on set, sometimes twice a day,&quot; she said. &quot;Then there's things like 
cutting the coconuts off the trees for safety purposes and we've had to have 
made up a lot of extra road signs.&quot; Currently there are 260 extras casually 
employed and by the end of the seven-week filming process there will be more 
than 500 extras. Also the arts department has spent $850,000 and more than 
$750,000 went on ensuring security around the set and stars. Security guards are 
posted throughout the several locations around town, with two-thirds of them 
being employed locally. With another few weeks of filming left to go that amount 
again will be spent before their Bowen stint has been completed. Ms Barltrop 
said the figures didn't include the money injected by crew through day to day 
activities such as grocery shopping and other living expenses. The town has been 
swamped with visitors. As of June 1 more than 6000 tourists had signed guest 
books, collected by 98 Bowen volunteers. A total of 4983 adults and 436 children 
have logged their details in the visitor books, which doesn't include the locals 
who gather in front of the set every day.<br>
<br>
Ms Barltrop said the volunteers had been a great help over the past three weeks. 
&quot;The movie's attracted a huge crowd and a big amount of interest and there are 
so many people coming and talking to the volunteers,&quot; she said. &quot;They're able to 
give them the real colour and flavour of the movie and show them the artwork and 
reference photos we have set up.&quot; Ms Barltrop said residents and businesses had 
been 'extremely compensating' to the production. &quot;Places like Jochheims Pies 
have been opening seven days a week just to feed everyone,&quot; she said. &quot;I don't 
think there's been a day that I haven't been down there for a coffee along with 
half the cast and crew. One of the government departments are actually working 
out of Bryan Brown's office so they have been extremely compensating.&quot; Bowen 
Mayor Mike Brunker said Australia had put Bowen on the map. He said the free 
advertising the small town had received from the promotion of the film was 
priceless. &quot;They have been doing the right thing and looking after the local 
businesses,&quot; he said. &quot;They have been buying all their produce locally and their 
catering from the butchers' shops. There is no better way to advertise Bowen as 
a wonderful town to visit than what we have been getting.&quot;</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<div id="container">
	<div class="homecontent">
		<div id="articlecontainer">
			<div class="topleftcol">
				<p class="storyheadline">
				<font face="Book Antiqua" color="#004080">
				<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/09/3611_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
				<font color="#800000">Stamp on Hollywood</font></a></font><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#800000"><br>
				Townsville Bulletin, 9 June 2007</font></p>
				<p><font face="Book Antiqua">
				<strong style="font-weight: 400">Lick a stamp and send Bowen to 
				the world with a new postcard featuring scenes and sets from <i>
				Australia</i>. </strong>Gordon Fellows, from Bowen Art and 
				Framing, designed the artwork for the postcard and prints and 
				took several of the photos featured himself. The postcard has 
				pictures of Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, the Territory Hotel, 
				stockmen and cattle, the Carney's cattle building, a World War I 
				memorial and other buildings. Mr Fellows said the postcard was 
				selling like hotcakes to tourists and locals. &quot;We've had Hugh 
				Jackman's driver in buying six of the large prints,&quot; Mr Fellows 
				said. &quot;They might be getting signed by Hugh and Nicole for 
				charity. It's been flat out.&quot; Alice Fellows said the prints were 
				also selling well to people who had roles in the movie. Mrs 
				Fellows has been on set herself playing an 'army girl' extra in 
				the film. &quot;That's why I've got my hair curled like this,&quot; she 
				said. &quot;It's been great. I've seen Nicole up close. People in 
				town are all taken up with the movie.&quot; Mr Fellows said there was 
				one shopper they were keen to see. &quot;We're hoping Baz will come 
				in and get his print.&quot;</font></p>
				<p><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p><font face="Book Antiqua">
				<a href="http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/articles/2007/06/07/1181089290360.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2" target="blank">
				<font color="#800000">Bowen's fling with Hollywood</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
				Brisbane Times, 8 June 2007</font><br>
				<br>
				The tour bus pulling into the north Queensland town of Bowen is 
				not here to see one of the area's seven beaches, or go on a 
				bushwalk. It is not even here to visit the museum or the 
				award-winning pie shop. The visitors which emerge from the 
				coach's air-conditioned innards, blinking in the sunlight, are 
				here to see a whole load of cattle being moved from one end of 
				the town's dusty main street to the other. Oh, and maybe also 
				catch a glance of a Hollywood superstar in the process. This is 
				because Bowen is the main location for Baz Luhrmann's latest 
				epic movie, Australia. Starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, 
				the film is set in the 1930s, and revolves around the 
				relationship between a respectable English aristocrat (Kidman) 
				and a rough-and-ready cattle drover (Jackman). The two are 
				caught in World War II bombing raids, which is where Bowen comes 
				in: it is the stand-in location for Darwin.<br>
				<br>
				For a town which lists The Big Mango as one of its chief 
				attractions, this is a bit of a change. Known by some as the 
				tomato capital of Queensland, Bowen's usual core of visitors are 
				backpackers who stream in for fruit and vegetable picking season 
				to earn enough cash to have some fun in Airlie Beach, 90km 
				south, or Townsville, 200km north. But thanks to Baz and 
				company, Bowen is attracting those on sleek air-conditioned 
				coaches as well as economy greyhound buses. It has meant that 
				beds are in short supply; great for the town's resorts, not so 
				great for the backpackers or people wanting to visit right now. 
				Thankfully Bowen is just a 45-minute drive from serene resorts 
				of Hydeaway Bay, at the northern edge of the Whitsunday Islands. 
				The absence of a few backpackers is no cause for complaint by 
				the townspeople though, who seem to have been swept up in the 
				movie excitement themselves. Chance meetings with megastars at 
				the fish and chip shop, the local cafe and even the supermarket 
				have left the locals star struck. Shops on every street hang 
				signs welcoming Hollywood to town, and opportunistic businesses 
				are selling Beefy Hugh Jackman pies or dressing up mannequins to 
				look like fair Nicole. Even the Shire Council website now greets 
				cyber guests to: &quot;Bowen Shire Council: Hollywood style.&quot;<br>
				<br>
				For the coach group, the first hint of the changes is the slogan 
				written in apartment block-high letters on the water tower which 
				overlooks the highway coming into town. It reads: &quot;Bowenwood.&quot; 
				But real (or reel) action is at the far end of town, where whole 
				streets have been roped off for the filming, stretching from the 
				central Grand View Hotel to the waterfront and its long jetty. 
				It is this corner which the visitors make a beeline for, once 
				they are off their coaches. What Bowen locals say was &quot;a hole in 
				the ground&quot; has been turned into a 1930s town through the 
				addition of tonnes of red dirt, a thousand short-horn cattle and 
				half-a-dozen temporary buildings. Among the new edifices are an 
				open-air theatre (The Pearl), a brothel, and an outback pub 
				called the Territory Hotel. On filming days, movie fans seek 
				glimpses of the action by peering through the windows of the 
				pub, which has an extra layer of exterior to make it part of the 
				set. But no-one seems to mind a limited view: many movie 
				aficionados point out that filming in a real town is unusual in 
				the Hollywood world, where entire fake towns are built to 
				provide closed sets.<br>
				<br>
				For the coach group, today is the cattle driving scene, so the 
				set is filled with the clouds of dust raised by the hooves of 
				the short-horn cattle and the horses carrying Jackman and his 
				body double. Volunteers smartly attired in &quot;Australia&quot;-branded 
				polo neck shirts greet the visitors and give them the inside 
				gossip on the film, the stars, and the town. Joan, 72, is one of 
				the 90 volunteers (the film's management asked for 60) giving 
				her Bowen tales a coating of Hollywood glitz. &quot;I have to keep 
				remembering that it's meant to be Darwin,&quot; she said, chiding 
				herself. &quot;It's not Bowen.&quot; As always, the best tales are 
				personal: Joan's husband wandered into the volunteering hall 
				himself to take a look, only to be given acting roles as a 
				barman, storekeeper and movie-theatre attendant. &quot;I told him I 
				was going to kill him when we got home,&quot; she joked, before 
				launching back into movie details. &quot;He told me the film they are 
				meant to be showing (at the 1930s Darwin theatre) is The Wizard 
				of Oz, which didn't come out for another four years, so it shows 
				you they have to cheat a bit.&quot; Joan also explained that the 
				temporary movie set was unlikely to stay up for long after 
				filming as they were not cyclone proof. The irony is that it was 
				a cyclone that cost Darwin most of its old buildings; part of 
				the reason Bowen was chosen as the location.<br>
				<br>
				Even now Bowen evokes the feeling of an age gone by; streets as 
				wide as a six-lane highway and hotel buildings so old you feel 
				like you are already on a movie set. Baz Luhrmann himself was 
				taken aback when he discovered the 1940s Summergarden movie 
				theatre already in Bowen, and immediately started using it to 
				view the end-of-day &quot;rushes&quot; - the raw footage he had shot that 
				day. When the set is taken down and the crew drive out of town, 
				it will be places like the Summergarden which people will still 
				flock to - maybe even to watch the end product. But others have 
				called for there to be a more lasting monument to the day 
				Hollywood fever came to Bowen. One businessman even suggested 
				the set should be preserved as it is and turned into a permanent 
				tourist attraction. Yet it is more likely that Bowen will mark 
				the moment in a way they are more familiar with: a mural. 
				Bowen's history is already celebrated in 24 murals painted 
				around the town, so maybe a 25th will be on the cards.<br>
				<br>
				The Bowen Shire Mural Society has been giving guided tours of 
				the murals on Thursday evenings between April and September - 
				long before Baz ever came to town. Their committee's next 
				decision might be whether the latest mural includes the day Hugh 
				Jackman went body surfing in pristine Horseshoe Bay or the night 
				Keith Urban played an impromptu gig at the local pub. But 
				there's no doubt that there will only be one way to get the full 
				story: get off the coach and ask a local about the day Baz came 
				to town.<br>
				<br>
				IF YOU GO:<br>
				Filming on Australia is due to continue in Bowen until the start 
				of July 2007, before it moves on to other locations around the 
				country. Cape Gloucester Eco Resort, in Hydeaway Bay, is around 
				a 45-minute drive south of Bowen and offers motel rooms (from 
				$100 midweek/$165 Fri-Sun) and cabins ($165 midweek/ $220 
				Fri-Sun) next to a pristine beach with views to Gloucester 
				Island, one of the largest islands in the Whitsunday group. 
				Details: visit <a href="http://www.capegloucester.com" target="blank">
				<font color="#000000">http://www.capegloucester.com</font></a>. Visit
				<font color="#004080">
				<a href="http://www.tourismbowen.com.au" target="blank">
				<font color="#000000">http://www.tourismbowen.com.au</font></a></font>
				for details of resorts and 
				attractions in Bowen; 
				<a href="http://www.australiamovie.net" target="blank">
				<font color="#000000">http://www.australiamovie.net</font></a> for more 
				on the film.</font></div>
		</div>
	</div>
</div>
<p align="left">---</p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#004080">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/07/3529_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Baz's army defies rain</font></a></font><font face="Book Antiqua"><font color="#800000"><br>
Townsville Bulletin, 7 June 2007 </font> <br>
<br>
Rain, hail or shine, filming goes on at the Bowen set of Baz Luhrmann's epic 
Australia. The town was a little wet underfoot after it rained for most of the 
day yesterday. There had also been light showers in the town on Monday and 
Tuesday. Location manager Mary Barltrop said filming would continue even if it 
rained heavily on set, as there is a <br>
wet weather cover schedule. &quot;Most movies have a wet weather cover schedule, not 
just ours,&quot; she said. &quot;We can film inside for a few (scenes).&quot; On Tuesday, the 
filming concentrated on external shots of the evacuation of Darwin and 
manoeuvres by the military extras. But yesterday morning, filming had moved 
undercover onto the veranda of the Carney's corner building, presumably because 
of the rain. Ms Barltrop said the scenes on the veranda had been scheduled for 
filming yesterday. &quot;This was scheduled today by coincidence,&quot; she said. &quot;The 
shots were bought forward to the morning. We are doing some interior shots and 
some exterior shots between showers.&quot; She said the rain earlier in the week had 
no effect on the filming schedule for Monday and Tuesday. &quot;Continuity has been 
fine,&quot; Ms Barltrop said. &quot;It would have been different if it was torrential 
rain. &quot;We started filming on the war-time zone and on Monday it was cloudy then 
too and it has been quite consistent.&quot; Heavy rain could prove quite a headache 
for the film makers as the roads of the World War II-era Darwin set are made of 
specially mixed red dirt trucked in for the movie. The weather bureau recorded 
3mm of rain for Bowen up to 5pm yesterday. Showers earlier in the week had only 
seen about 1mm of rainfall recorded for the town.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/07/3530_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Extra tired, dirty but smiling</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Townsville Bulletin, 7 June 2007</font><br>
<br>
They're tired and dirty and they miss their wives. But Townsville historic 
vehicle enthusiasts Col Feather, Mark Eardman, Rod Roach and Warren Beasley are 
having the time of their lives on the newly militarised set of Australia. Even 
if they do have to keep doing the same thing over and over. The men are all 
members of the Townsville Military and Historic Vehicle Club. &quot;We're having a 
good time but missing the wife because the clothes are a bit dirty,&quot; Mr Feather 
said. &quot;We're given one set [of clothes] a week and they don't get washed.&quot; The 
men will appear in the movie alongside their restored vehicles as army drivers 
and have been issued with World War II-era army uniforms. &quot;I had to pin my 
trousers to my shirt to stop them falling down yesterday,&quot; Mr Roach said. Four vehicles 
including a Ford Blitz ambulance, a Club GMC 6x6, a Studebaker US6 and an 
International have been sourced through the club and are being used on the set 
of Australia. &quot;We might drive 10 foot then reverse and do it again and again for 
each take,&quot; Mr Eardman said. &quot;We're terrorising the foot soldiers by driving up 
behind them. It's safe though, everything is done at walking pace.&quot; While a 
couple of the men are ex-army, being in Baz's army is nothing like the real 
thing. &quot;It's just playing really, it's nothing like an actual re-enactment,&quot; Mr 
Roach said.</font></p>
<p align="left">---</p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#004080">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/06/3481_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Wartime transformation</font></a></font><font face="Book Antiqua"><font color="#800000"> <br>
Townsville Bulletin, 6 June 2007 </font> <br>
<br>
Nicole Kidman was back in Bowen yesterday after a quick trip away to Sydney for 
a glamorous photo shoot.&nbsp; The statuesque actress was spotted by patient 
fans as she ran up and down the jetty in a skirt, blue shirt and brown felt hat. 
She was part of the filming for the movie Australia's Darwin evacuation scenes. 
The town has had another movie makeover in preparation for the next stage of 
shooting. Gone are the dusty rural streets in favour of World War II Darwin, 
complete with military tent city and air raid sirens. Set dressers worked 
quickly over the weekend to give the Bowen beachfront a military look, replacing 
the cattle with Jeeps and soldiers. Actors and extras on the set of Australia 
this week re-enacted scenes from World War II Darwin as women and children fled 
the city to safety.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">Movie information 
volunteer Joan Giachin said the filming of the evacuation scenes started on 
Monday morning. The scenes being filmed are based on historical events in 
December 1941 and January 1942 when authorities evacuated women and children 
from Darwin. The evacuation became necessary as an invasion of Australia by the 
Japanese seemed likely after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, the fall of Singapore 
and the occupation of Malaya. Yesterday, filming centred on Kidman's scenes on 
the old wharf. Hugh Jackman also made an impromptu visit to volunteers and 
crowds in Herbert Street during a quick break in the morning's filming 
yesterday. Witnesses reported Jackman only had time for one quick photo 
opportunity with a lucky fan before having to dash back to set for the next 
scene.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/film/australia-dreaming-on-a-carpet-of-fake-red-dust/2007/06/03/1180809332180.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Australia dreaming on a carpet of fake red dust</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Sydney Morning Herald, 4 June 2007</font><br>
<br>
Big-picture man Baz Luhrmann is a stickler for detail. Garry Maddox goes on 
location. In A darkened warehouse in a Queensland coastal town, the director Baz 
Luhrmann issues an unlikely instruction. &quot;Can we have a little more sweat for 
Jack, please?&quot; Given the baking heat, Jack Thompson, playing a sozzled 
accountant named Kipling Flynn in the epic romance Australia, must be sweating 
heavily already in an improvised studio in Bowen. But details matter on a 
$US100-million ($120-million) film, so more sweat it is. Thompson, in white 
breeches and waistcoat, is playing a scene opposite Nicole Kidman, buttoned up 
in white as the English aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley, who comes to Australia 
after inheriting a vast cattle station.<br>
<br>
Luhrmann calls action &#8230;<br>
<br>
<i>Flynn: If King Carney's good Christian wife ever makes the same discovery 
that you have, Fletcher's hopes of marrying his daughter would be dashed.<br>
<br>
Ashley: I'm going to the authorities. I'll be telling them everything.<br>
<br>
Flynn: Carney is the authority around here.</i></font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">Despite 
extensive paparazzi coverage, it's the first chance to see what is happening on 
the set of Luhrmann's first film since taking Moulin Rouge to the Oscars. It's a 
romance between Lady Sarah and a rough drover (Hugh Jackman) that involves a 
long outback cattle drive and climaxes with the bombing of Darwin by the 
Japanese - with 188 aircraft in the first raid alone - in 1942. But the US 
producer Mac Brown, whose last film was The Departed, says the film also taps 
into the stolen generation story. &quot;A woman from England comes to this far away 
land called Australia and discovers life,&quot; he says. &quot;It's a big epic story that 
spans years, that has moments of history. People are born and people die. 
There's a war.&quot; And the script? &quot;It makes you laugh and makes you cry and makes 
you cry again, and makes you cry again.&quot;<br>
<br>
On the balcony of the Territory Hotel, created for the film, Luhrmann tells the 
visiting federal Communications Minister, Helen Coonan, that Bowen has proved to 
be a good choice for 1930s Darwin despite being windy. &quot;They call it Blowin' 
Bowen,&quot; he says. &quot;But actually it's been only a good thing because when the bad 
weather comes - at least it blows away very quickly.&quot;<br>
<br>
Touring the set, while a second unit films 150 cattle being driven into a yard, 
it's obvious why Australia is costing so much. Designer Catherine Martin, who 
won two Oscars for Moulin Rouge, has created an entire town that is &quot;a creative 
interpretation&quot; of Darwin and Broome at the time. There are the stockyards of 
the Carney Cattle Company, run by a cattle baron played by Bryan Brown. The red 
dust is an illusion - it was mixed for camera tests in Sydney then shipped to 
the set.<br>
<br>
The Territory Hotel looks like it could serve beer. It has a bar with a 
suggestive 1939 calendar, racing odds chalked on a blackboard, stuffed 
crocodiles in a cabinet, faded photos of horses and bulls, and signs saying 
&quot;Kanga bitter&quot;, &quot;Stewed wallaby and vegies - 5 bob&quot; and &quot;No non-whites&quot;. The 
locals would love to keep the pub as a tourist attraction but it is due to be 
bombed once the set changes to wartime Darwin. Already, an army tank is under 
green plastic nearby, military tents are being assembled and blue screens have 
been erected near the wharf so computer-generated warships can be added later.<br>
<br>
Behind the pub is the Chinatown brothel, Faruk's Palace of a Thousand Bees 
(using extras supplied by the local Chinese and Thai restaurants), Wu Fang's 
laundry, corrugated iron humpies and a market garden. The colours are as lavish 
as the detailing is intricate: at the Star Soup Shop, there's a half-eaten bowl 
of noodles, Chinese checkers and a Chinese newspaper on battered tables. The 
Sunshine Emporium offers hats on blocks, slippers, pans, bolts of cloth and 
lamps.<br>
<br>
And the Pearl Picture Gardens is an open-air cinema with plaster kangaroos and 
posters for The Wizard of Oz and Let George Do It out front, packets of Fantales, 
Jaffas and Minties on display in the foyer and rows of deck chairs in front of a 
big screen. A sign says &quot;no spitting&quot;. The cinema has been used for a scene in 
which the wet arrives - drenching everyone - during a movie.<br>
<br>
The film is a vast enterprise covering 6.5 hectares on the waterfront and 
involving this day almost 400 cast, crew and extras. Four weeks into filming, 
there are five months to go. Luhrmann, who is the same perpetually enthusiastic 
figure he was on the set of Moulin Rouge, is filming next in Darwin, Kununurra, 
then back in Sydney. &quot;I never see him eat,&quot; says Mac Brown. &quot;I never see him 
sleep &#8230; he's just moving forward always.&quot;</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/04/3406_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Director's thanks</font></a><font color="#800000"> <br>
Townsville Bulletin, 4 June 2007</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">Bowen's work ethic has 
won over Australia film director Baz Luhrmann. He said it was thanks to the 500 
extras putting in long hours that his latest movie would prevail. Luhrmann 
turned up to Bowen's Queensland Week celebrations yesterday with his wife and 
two young children to thank the residents for their hard work and perseverance 
during the seven-week filming schedule. He spent more than an hour talking with 
locals and posing for photos.&nbsp; &quot;The whole township has been extremely 
committed, it's like their spirit is leading the film to be good,&quot; he said. 
&quot;Everyone is playing a role and because they haven't done it before they're 
doing it with such enthusiasm and intense commitment. It's one thing to be 
laughing your head off at 9am. By nine at night after they've been doing it all 
day, to still be going and giving it everything, you can really see it in the 
footage.&quot;<br>
<br>
He said it wasn't only the people involved in the movie who were helping the 
film to become a success, but also the town itself. &quot;It is very difficult to 
make a film at a labour level here, but we could be waking up in drizzly Sydney 
at the moment,&quot; he said. &quot;(The beautiful weather and surroundings) has been 
really helping the crew and the company come together. (Bowen's) a really family 
friendly place too and a lot of the crew have family and kids and love getting 
out. Hugh and Nicole are really actually enjoying being here and it's good for 
the spirit so therefore good for the film.&quot;<br>
<br>
Luhrmann said filming scenes such as the cattle run through the town's main 
street had been challenging for both cast and crew. &quot;The triumphant return of 
the cattle to town has been fantastic because for months and months Nicole and 
Hugh have been training and riding,&quot; he said. &quot;To see Nicole Kidman and Hugh 
Jackman actually on their own horses, actually driving the cattle themselves 
down through the streets of Bowen, you don't see that every day in the movies, 
that's for sure. So that was pretty great.&quot;<br>
<br>
Filming is running about a week behind schedule but Luhrmann said Bowen 
residents would have their town back to normal in a month. &quot;After this we're 
going on to Darwin and then Kununurra out into Western Australia and then back 
to Sydney at the end of the year so it's a giant circus that's on the road for 
most of this year,&quot; he said.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/02/3388_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Cattle makes way for war </font> </a>
<font color="#800000"><br>
Townsville Bulletin, 2 June 2007</font> <br>
<br>
It looks like Bowen's at war. The military has taken over the set of Baz 
Luhrmann's Australia. What was once a cattle station has been transformed into a 
militarised 1940s Darwin. There are old military vehicles driving through the 
streets, and marching soldiers and tents are appearing everywhere. The cattle 
have been shipped out and tents and army personnel will take their place. 
Location manager Mary Barltrop said the entire transformation was expected to be 
completed over the weekend. &quot;There are military tents being pitched all over the 
set at the moment,&quot; she said. &quot;There's extra fencing being put up and military 
wire fencing that goes around the cattle yard. A lot of sandbags are being 
brought in and there will be bits of signage that will change to the more 
military theme. It will all be done by Monday morning. We have an incredibly 
talented art department who are going to turn the set into wartime Darwin in a 
very short space of time.&quot; Ms Barltrop said the tent city would house a mixture 
of civilians and soldiers throughout the movie. Yesterday about 100 extras who 
will play soldiers could be seen marching through the streets of Bowen in 
preparation for a movie scene where more than 400 extras will be used. The men 
were led by two drill sergeants who put them through their paces in anticipation 
for the marching scene. The set will undergo a final transformation in coming 
weeks after Darwin has been bombed.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/02/3386_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Brush with stars still a thrill</font></a><font color="#800000"> <br>
Townsville Bulletin, 2 June 2007</font><br>
<br>
Talk about name-dropping.&nbsp; It seems everyone in Bowenwood has brushed 
shoulders with the stars since the cast and crew of Baz Luhrmann's Australia 
arrived in town. The Hollywood stars promised they would mix it with the locals, 
and so far they have been true to their word. From the local IGA to the corner 
fish and chip shop, the stars have been popping up when locals least expect it. 
And the Bowenites are not shy about speaking up about what it's like to be 
neighbours with Nic. Fellows Fish Bar owners Lynda and Robert Fellow were among 
the first to meet Nicole and husband Keith Urban when they popped in for fish 
and chips on their first night in town. &quot;They were just like normal people,&quot; Mrs 
Fellow said. &quot;The cashier who served them said she was a lovely girl. They 
pulled up the front and came in alone. They stood near the counter and chatted 
quietly while we made their dinner.&quot;<br>
<br>
It seems Urban has been enjoying the local cuisine while his wife is at work. 
Jeaneys Cafe owner Hazel Fairlamb has become the flavour of the month with Urban 
after he came into the cafe every day this week. &quot;He has been ordering homemade 
pea and ham soup and homemade vegetable quiche,&quot; Ms Fairlamb said. Cafe worker 
Craig Joy said he was also getting used to running into Urban after serving him 
three or four times already. &quot;We have had staff, crew and all the stars eating 
here and they have been really friendly,&quot; Mr Joy said. &quot;If anything, we could 
say we have made a lot of friends.&quot;<br>
<br>
A-list stars have also been dining at the North Queensland Cruising Yacht Club. 
Bryan Brown, Ben Mendelsohn and David Wenham have been sharing drinks with 
locals overlooking Bowen's picturesque harbour. Commodore Terry Pilcher, who 
also owns the town's hardware store, said business was booming everywhere and 
people were often getting a shock when they looked up to see who they were 
serving. &quot;It's nice to see them mingle with the locals,&quot; Commodore Pilcher said.<br>
<br>
But it's not all about dining out. Tamara Robson was shopping at the IGA when 
she bumped into Hugh Jackman. &quot;He was out shopping with his kids and his mum and 
dad,&quot; Ms Robson said. &quot;He was very friendly and really natural &#8211; just like any 
normal person. I got him to sign an autograph and I'm going to frame it 
eventually.&quot; Ms Robson said although she had seen Jackman in movies like X-Men, 
he was a different man in person. &quot;He's so much taller than I would have 
imagined,&quot; she said.<br>
<br>
And Glenn Womal was just as impressed when she met Hugh on the beach at 
Horseshoe Bay. &quot;He had his shirt off and he is hot. He has a perfect body and a 
beautiful smile,&quot; Mrs Womal said. &quot;He had his little girl on his shoulders and 
he put her down to sign my autograph. He signed the collar of my shirt and he 
touched my neck.&quot;<br>
<br>
But volunteer tour guide Cristian Lenske has the thickest autograph book. So far 
he has had a photo taken with Nic and Hugh and has met Bryan Brown, David Wenham 
and child star Brandon Walters. &quot;They are all really nice,&quot; Mr Lenske said. 
&quot;Nicole and Hugh walked straight up to thank the volunteers, they are really 
down to earth.&quot; The owner of the local antique shop has not only met Kidman, 
Jackman, Brown and Mendelsohn but they have all purchased goods from her store. 
&quot;They buy anything and everything,&quot; the shop owner said. &quot;We even supplied some 
antique furniture to the crew who are using it as part of the movie.&quot;<br>
<br>
Summergarden Theatre owner Ben De Luca met Baz Luhrmann when he first visited 
Bowen early last year and has since got to know the director quite well when he 
visits the theatre to view rushes of the day's take. &quot;Baz, as you would expect, 
is a gentleman always,&quot; Mr De Luca said. &quot;He shakes your hand and says, 'Ben, 
how are you today mate?' and when he's leaving he makes sure to come up to you 
and say thank you.&quot;</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/06/01/3341_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Director's cut</font></a><font color="#800000"> <br>
Townsville Bulletin, 1 June 2007</font><br>
<br>
Bowen's Summergarden Theatre may be the most secret theatre in the country since 
becoming the cutting room floor for Baz Luhrmann's Australia. Raw footage from 
the day's take is being privately shown at the 1940s theatre for Luhrmann and 
his head honchos to cast their eyes over for errors and inaccuracies. Referred 
to as `rushes' in Hollywood lingo, the footage is rushed to the labs in Sydney 
to be processed and then rushed back to Bowen for Luhrmann and his assistants to 
view before giving the tick of approval. Theatre owner and Bowen cinema pioneer 
Ben De Luca said they used the facility every few days. &quot;All of his editing 
staff, the director of photography, all the big-wigs in the production crew, 
they all come here to view the rushes,&quot; he said. &quot;There's no sound, just the 
actual picture, and that's really all they want to see, just to make sure 
there's no strange beer cans floating around on the ground or something that 
shouldn't be there.&quot; Mr De Luca said after the screening he suspected they went 
into conference to discuss changes and omissions. Sometimes they rushed out, 
possibly to re-film scenes, like one where he had noticed a jet skier and 
tugboat accidentally in the background. &quot;I have spotted a couple of things but 
they won't be there in the finished product, you can bet on that,&quot; Mr De Luca 
said. </font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">According to 
him, Australia's executives had settled on the theatre during their first visit 
to Bowen early last year, although he didn't know it at the time. &quot;Baz Luhrmann 
and his wife were in a group with the locations manager and a host of other 
people, pretty important technical people,&quot; he said. &quot;They came and wanted to 
have a look at the theatre after having driven past it and they were so 
impressed that we agreed to take them through. I didn't know who they were until 
we got chatting and Baz asked me a question.&quot; Mr De Luca said Luhrmann and his 
crew were impressed with the facilities the Summergarden had to offer. &quot;They 
were amazed to find that we had such a facility here that is capable of doing 
it,&quot; he said. &quot;The steadiness of the picture on the screen, the focus and with 
our curved screen it enables all the film to be in focus, the sides as well as 
the centre.&quot; Clearly, Mr De Luca is overwhelmed with being part of Hollywood 
history. And from the odd sneak peek he's had when loading and unloading the 
film into the projector, he said we've got a blockbuster heading our way. &quot;It's 
one of the greatest feelings you can have, it's the culmination of my career,&quot; 
he said. &quot;It's a marvellous way to go out in my age on a high note of this 
calibre. It's a real buzz I can tell you because I don't think anyone besides 
cast and crew have seen as much of this film as I have and I'm very honoured. 
It's looking super, it really is. Just look forward to it and you'll be amazed.&quot;</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/31/3283_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Guest book madness </font> </a><font color="#800000"><br>
Townsville Bulletin, 31 May 2007 </font> <br>
<br>
All roads lead to Bowen as filming for Baz Luhrmann's movie epic Australia 
continues. Thousands of visitors from around the world have converged on the 
seaside town with the hope of snaring a glimpse at Hollywood heavyweights Nicole 
Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Their names have been entered in almost a dozen 
visitors' books posted around the region. People from as far as the UK, Germany, 
France, Holland, Ireland, Turkey, USA, Korea and parts of Africa have recorded 
their presence. Others from around Australia have signed the books, including 
one larrikin who noted his origin as &quot;Pissed from Oz&quot; and his postcode as &quot;4005 
I think&quot;. Volunteer Elaine Kroon said they have come in numbers. &quot;We've just 
been marking them off like a cricket score book,&quot; she said. &quot;People from all 
over the world, you name it, everywhere.&quot;<br>
<br>
Surprisingly it's the Yanks that make up the majority of the visitors. &quot;There 
are many Americans,&quot; Ms Kroon said. &quot;Americans are very intrigued with filming. 
&quot;Most of their stuff is filmed on closed sets, not done in a town the way this 
is being done here, so this is very unique and Americans are quite taken by it 
all. &quot;'We don't see anything like this in the States,' they say.&quot; Their most 
common question Ms Kroon said was why a movie set in Darwin was being filmed in 
Bowen. &quot;It's a bit difficult for them to understand but they are getting around 
to it,&quot; Ms Kroon laughed.<br>
<br>
According to Ms Kroon there were also a lot of Australians making the trip to 
see how movies were brought to life. &quot;A lot are coming to see just the movie 
set,&quot; she said. &quot;We are getting people from Western Australia, South Australia, 
Victoria, NSW, Tasmania. We are getting people from even just Mackay and 
Townsville that haven't been to Bowen themselves so they are coming to checking 
it out. Most times people bypass Bowen, they don't come in. Because of the movie 
they are taking the detour and coming in and checking it all out and having a 
look which is great for Bowen.&quot;</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/30/3268_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Brief stardom </font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Townsville Bulletin, 30 May 2007</font><font color="#004080"> <br>
</font><br>
Bowen's famous cattle may end up as hamburgers. Currently they're living a life 
of luxury _ they have drovers by their side 24 hours a day, sprinklers to keep 
them cool and they're led by Hollywood royalty Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. 
Location manager Mary Barltrop said they had to be the best looked-after steers 
in the country. &quot;I'm surprised they're not in the make up trailers every day,&quot; 
she said. &quot;But they have been doing a wonderful job of kicking up lots of red 
dust. There's 700 odd cattle there so watching them is like a tsunami of 
cattle.&quot; On their days off they can be seen lazing around the mangroves along 
Quay St either munching on grass or wallowing in the mud. But Ms Barltrop said 
they shouldn't get used to their relaxing lifestyle anytime soon. &quot;After filming 
ends they will be having a couple of weeks holiday out at pasture to let them 
get over their hectic schedule,&quot; she said. &quot;Then we're taking about 200 up to 
Kunanara with us in July and the remaining 500 will be sold.&quot; She said there 
were no details yet on when the cattle would go to auction.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">The large mob have played a major part 
in the epic movie, creating a cattle stampede. Ms Barltrop said there were some 
members of the crew who would not be upset to see them go. &quot;We have an off-set 
cattle yard where some of the cattle are being kept that are right near where 
some of the crew are staying,&quot; she said. &quot;They've been coming into work 
bleary-eyed because the cattle have kept them awake all night with their loud 
mooing.&quot; The long-horned beasts are now working on overtime. They were due to 
finish filming last Friday but Ms Barltrop said she had her fingers crossed 
filming with the cattle would be over tomorrow.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/30/3269_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Raffle winner meets stars</font></a><font color="#800000">
<br>
Townsville Bulletin, 30 May 2007</font><font color="#004080"> <br>
<br>
</font>When Dianne Dalton heard her name had been drawn to meet the stars of 
Australia she didn't get her hopes up. There are two Bowen women with the same 
name and with her luck she didn't think it would be her. But when she received a 
call to confirm her win she was over the moon. &quot;We heard from one of Megan's 
friends from school that they announced my name,&quot; she said. &quot;But I thought 
`let's not get too excited until we hear from the movie people'.&quot; Only days 
later she received the call that she and five friends had the opportunity to 
meet with director Baz Luhrmann, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Mrs Dalton said 
her husband Bruce and 16-year-old daughter Megan would accompany her but she had 
yet to decide the remaining three people. She entered the competition at last 
Saturday's Bowen Seafood Festival where free raffle tickets were being handed 
out for people to win the chance to meet the stars. Mr Dalton said his wife was 
not the luckiest person and she deserved the win. &quot;She said it was the only 
thing she had won since winning a frozen chook at a country dance when she was a 
teenager,&quot; he said. &quot;When she heard she won she was so excited and she was 
ringing everyone but no one was answering their phone.&quot; The lucky six have the 
opportunity to personally meet the stars and director of Australia and pose for 
a photo with them. Mrs Dalton said she couldn't wait for the meeting that was 
yet to be set. &quot;It's very, very exciting and I just can't get over it,&quot; she 
said. &quot;My mother's excited and she's 81. I think they're going to be very nice 
people.&quot;</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---<font color="#004080"><br>
<br>
</font>
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/29/3210_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">War trucks' starring role</font></a><font color="#800000">
<br>
Townsville Bulletin, 29 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
Townsville World War II trucks rumbled into Bowen yesterday, ready for their 
movie debut. The set of Baz Luhrmann's Australia will begin undergoing a 
transformation today into a militarised 1940s Darwin. Four antique military 
trucks &#8211; a military ambulance, a GMC, a Studebaker US6 and an International &#8211; 
arrived yesterday on the back of semi trailers. Military and Historic Vehicle 
Club of Townsville vice-president Col Feather made the trip down with the 
trucks, along with some fellow club members. The men will play the drivers of 
the vehicles when they join the 400-odd extras being used during military scenes 
early next week. Mr Feather will be behind the wheel of the military ambulance, 
which he has spent years restoring, with the help of his uncle Lyle Smith and 
some mates. He said the final paint touches had only been added to the vehicle 
on Monday. But it had come a long way since it was found abandoned. &quot;Twenty 
years ago it was pulled out from its resting place at Mt Molloy,&quot; he said. &quot;I'm 
glad everyone will get to see how good it looks now it's been brought back to 
the original look.&quot; Another one of his vehicles appearing in the movie, the 
Studebaker, has already made its movie debut in The Thin Red Line that was 
filmed in the 1990s.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---<br>
<font color="#004080"><br>
</font>
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/28/3181_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">'Keith Urban' wins race </font></a><font color="#800000">
<br>
Townsville Bulletin, 28 May 2007</font><font color="#004080"><br>
<br>
</font>Keith Urban was all beady eyes and threatening claws at this weekend's 
first ever Bowen Seafood Festival. Keith Urban the mudcrab that is. It seemed 
right that he should take out this year's first Nicole Kidman Cup crab race and 
he did it in style. Although fellow racers Hugh Jackman and John Howard put on a 
good show it was Keith that took the lead and won the race. Sadly, all 12 
competitors will end up in the cooking pot - even winner Keith. On Saturday 
about 5000 people turned out at Hansen Park for the inaugural festival. Fresh 
seafood was the order of the day, with people munching on fresh prawns, fish and 
even the poor mudcrabs. Although passing rain put a damper on the day at times, 
families, visitors and Australia film crew alike turned up at the festival. Six 
lucky event goers will even be given the chance to meet the stars of Baz 
Luhrmann's movie, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and the director himself. 
Queensland Seafood Industry representative and event organiser Terry Must said 
the crowd turnout 'beat all expectations'. &quot;We thought the fishing classic was 
big but the turnout was fantastic,&quot; he said. &quot;It was programmed to run between 
11am and 7pm and at 11.30am all the car parks were full. I think some of the 
food outlets had to run for more tucker at 1pm. We had a shower of rain and we 
thought that would thin out the crowd but people kept coming. All the 
stallholders are rapt and served close to 1000 people each. It will be bigger 
and better next year.&quot;</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1934769.htm" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Film provides tourism drawcard for Kununurra</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
ABC News Online, 28 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
Tourism authorities in Kununurra, in northern Western Australia, are reporting a 
surge of interest in the region ahead of the filming of Baz Luhrmann's new film 
Australia. The Kununurra Visitor Centre says it is already fielding a 
significant number of enquiries about the epic starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh 
Jackman. Scenes for the film are due to be shot around Kununurra from late July, 
with about 300 cast and crew expected to converge on the town. The centre's 
general manager, Peter Grigg, says the movie is likely to continue to be a 
tourism drawcard once it is released. &quot;I know what it's done for New Zealand 
with the Lord of the Rings trilogy,&quot; he said. &quot;I'm not saying the same thing 
will happen here, but I know that every little town that's had one of these 
movies made in it has reaped a whole heap of benefits.&quot; The centre's reported a 
big increase in patronage, with just under 90,000 people visiting the facility 
throughout 2006, up from 64,000 in 2001. Numbers through the centre's doors are 
predicted to exceed 92,000 this year.</font></p>
<p align="left">---</p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,,21799200-5006010,00.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Nic and Hugh throw party</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
The Daily Telegraph, 27 May 2007</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman threw a 
lavish private party for the cast and crew of the $130 million outback epic 
Australia last night. Kidman's husband Keith Urban was expected to make an 
impromptu appearance as the main musical attraction. The celebration, at a local 
pub in north Queensland, capped off an action-packed week for the stars, whose 
gutsy performances on horseback have been praised by director Baz Luhrmann.&nbsp; 
As these exclusive photographs show, Kidman is revelling in her role as an 
English aristocrat who inherits a cattle farm.&nbsp; &quot;She insists on doing all 
the stunts, which is pretty amazing,'' said horse master Craig Emerton, who has 
been training Kidman and Jackman since April.&nbsp; In a scene reminiscent of 
the buffalo stampede in Dances With Wolves, hundreds of cattle thundered down 
the main street last week, led by Kidman on horseback.&nbsp; &quot;Nicole had 750 
cattle bearing down on her and, with her whip cracking, she's just performed 
amazingly,'' Emerton said.&nbsp; &quot;I've told her if she wants to quit acting, we 
can make her into a horse-riding champion.''&nbsp; Last night Kidman charmed 
more than 400 cast and crew, as well as Bowen volunteers, who crowded into the 
Grandview Hotel for the invitation-only celebration. A crew member said: &quot;Nicole 
is having a ball at the moment and she loves filming in Australia. She and Hugh 
just wanted to say thanks to everyone involved in the film''. &quot;It's a chance to 
relax and let their hair down for the first time,'' he said.&nbsp; Crates of 
champagne were ordered in to toast the night, which was to culminate in Urban 
taking to the stage.&nbsp; Among those partying were Bryan Brown, David Wenham 
and Ben Mendelsohn. Kidman has confided to the crew that she is enjoying the 
action scenes and it was a delight to have her husband and son, Connor, 12, on 
set.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">The Queensland coastal town of Bowen, 
where a third of the film will be shot, has been dramatically transformed into 
1938 Darwin. Bitumen roads have been replaced with red dirt, the sea air is 
thick with the stench of cow dung and horse manure and modern buildings have had 
panels added for the wartime era. Each day, locals line the streets, waiting 
patiently in the heat for the treacherous cattle drives. But as Bowen comes to 
terms with its newfound national fame, the town is awash with wild rumours that 
Kidman, her horse-riding efforts notwithstanding, might be pregnant. &quot;Ludicrous, 
absolutely not true,'' a close source said. One clear fact in a swirl of rumour 
is that motels, hostels and even caravan parks are booked out. Locals have 
started billeting visitors in their homes, the retirement village is offering 
beds and the CWA is also cashing in, renting out its hall. Jochheims Bakery is 
doing a roaring trade, with even Keith Urban popping in to try a Hunky Hugh pie 
and a Kidmango White Chocolate Cheesecake. He has also been spotted riding his 
Harley Davidson motorbike around the district. While Kidman's personal bodyguard 
is always close, the film stars are trying to mingle with locals. Kidman popped 
into the local pub on Wednesday night for the State of Origin. Jackman took his 
son for a swim at Horseshoe Bay and David Wenham posed for photos while buying 
groceries at the local supermarket. &quot;We're all star-struck,'' said Scott 
McCormick, who is among hundreds of locals employed as extras.&nbsp; &quot;I did a 
mammoth 16-hour day but I don't mind. There's a lot of waiting around,'' Mr 
McCormick, 27, said. In his role as a drover he said he's swallowed plenty of 
red dust. &quot;When the cows are going past they shovel all this red dust so it 
looks like there are a couple of thousand cows stampeding. I was coughing up 
plenty of dirt by the end.'' <br>
<br>
The world's paparazzi have been camped in the small Queensland town for the past 
two weeks.&nbsp; While they have snared plenty of photos of Kidman and Jackman 
filming on set, what they desperately want is the big-money shot of Kidman with 
her husband. The photo would command a price tag of at least $100,000, said 
photographer Cameron Laird. &quot;If we got Nicole and Keith hand in hand on the 
beach or riding down the main street of Bowen the price would be enormous,'' he 
said. A photo of Nicole with son Connor, 12, would also demand ferocious 
bidding. But with Connor set to return to the US - and his father Tom Cruise - 
tomorrow, time is running out. </font></p>
<p align="left">---</p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#004080">
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,21799204-952,00.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Nic rides tall</font></a></font><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#800000"><br>
Courier Mail, 27 May 2007</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">In two short weeks Nicole Kidman has 
gone from an immaculately dressed English aristocrat to weathered cattle drover, 
in a role she is clearly relishing. As Lady Sarah in Baz Luhrmann's epic 
Australia &#8211; which is being filmed in Bowen in north Queensland &#8211; Kidman has 
impressed many with her skills as a horsewoman. In one recent scene, she 
thundered on horseback down Bowen's main street ahead of a herd of 750 cattle, 
as whips cracked and dust flew in the air. An on-set source told The Sunday Mail 
Kidman was &quot;loving&quot; getting into her outback role and shows no fear when herding 
cattle. Co-star Hugh Jackman is equally commanding as a rugged stockman and 
every bit the part with his dirt-covered face and sweat-stained clothes. The 
daily cattleyard scenes are a far cry from when an impeccably dressed Kidman, as 
Lady Sarah, arrived at the town's jetty &#8211; which had been transformed into 1930s 
Darwin &#8211; holding a parasol for the first day of filming. The 500 cast and crew 
get a break from filming today, but they may well need it to&nbsp;recover from a 
&quot;thank you&quot; concert put on by Jackman and Kidman at the Grand View Hotel last 
night. &quot;Nicole is having a ball at the moment and she loves filming in 
Australia. She and Hugh just wanted to say thank you to everyone involved in the 
film,&quot; a crew member said. &quot;It's a chance to relax and let their hair down for 
the first time.&quot; Crates of champagne were ordered in to toast the night, which 
was to culminate in Urban taking to the stage. Among those partying were actors 
Bryan Brown, David Wenham and Ben Mendelsohn. Kidman has confided to the crew 
that she is enjoying the action scenes, and said it was a delight to have her 
husband and son, Connor, 12, on set as well.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">As Bowen comes to terms with its 
newfound national fame, the town is awash with rumours that Kidman, her 
horseriding notwithstanding, may be pregnant &quot;Ludicrous, absolutely not true,&quot; 
said a close source. One indisputable fact is that every motel, hostel and even 
caravan park in the area is booked out. Locals have started billeting visitors 
in their homes, the retirement village is offering beds and the CWA is also 
cashing in, renting out its hall. While Kidman's personal bodyguard is always at 
close hand, the stars are trying to mingle with locals. Kidman popped into the 
pub on Wednesday night for the State of Origin. Jackman took his son for a swim 
at Horseshoe Bay and Wenham posed for photos at the supermarket.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/film/new-face-of-australia/2007/05/26/1179601728174.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">New face of Australia</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Sydney Morning Herald, 27 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
At the age of seven, Brandon Walters beat leukaemia. At age 11 he is the face of 
Australia - a young boy plucked from obscurity to star alongside Nicole Kidman 
and Hugh Jackman in one of this country's biggest film productions. Brandon, 11, 
was chosen by director Baz Luhrmann for one of the pivotal roles in Australia 
after a nationwide search for an indigenous boy to perform alongside the film's 
Hollywood superstars. &quot;He's a very capable young man with a natural cinematic 
chemistry,&quot; said Luhrmann, who hand-picked Walters for the role. Brandon had 
never heard of Kidman or Jackman nor left Western Australia before being 
earmarked for the blockbuster film. His mother, Janie Wright, says her son 
auditioned for the role of a young Aboriginal horseman after being spotted with 
his father at the local pool by a casting director. &quot;We got a letter from the 
director [Luhrmann] saying he was very, very interested in him,&quot; Ms Wright told 
The West Australian. &quot;He didn't know who Hugh Jackman was and he didn't know 
Nicole Kidman,&quot; she said. The boy, who was living with his family in an 
Aboriginal community near Broome, is untrained as an actor but is now immersed 
in filming in the north Queensland town of Bowen. &quot;The demands of filming extend 
over a six-month duration which is a big challenge for an 11-year-old boy with 
no previous acting experience,&quot; said Luhrmann, in a statement provided by his 
publicist. &quot;In the end it was the incredible support that surrounds him in the 
form of his family, his school and the larger Broome community that was the 
final deciding factor.&quot; Luhrmann spent time with Brandon and his family at the 
community near Broome, with locals saying he listened to traditional camp-fire 
stories and Brandon play the harmonica. Brandon then attended film workshops at 
Sydney's Fox Studios with other indigenous boys, before being chosen for the 
role. He is now in Bowen, learning horse riding and singing, and being schooled 
on set. Brandon has been spotted happily mixing with Jackman, Kidman and her 
son, Connor, and has been accompanied to the set by his own family from Western 
Australia. He will travel with the big-budget production to Darwin and Western 
Australia in late June and July.</font></p>
<p align="left">---</p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21794443-952,00.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Hugh, Nicole waiting for love</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
News.com.au, 26 May 2007</font> <br>
<br>
It has been dubbed Gone with the Wind meets Out of Africa. And while there has 
been plenty of action, so far there has been no sign of the raunchy love scenes 
promised by screen siren Nicole Kidman.&nbsp; The Aussie Oscar winner laughingly 
told The Courier-Mail how keenly she was looking forward to &quot;more than a kiss&quot; 
with co-star Hugh Jackman in the $130 million Baz Luhrmann outback epic 
Australia. But just two weeks into filming in Bowen and her English aristocrat 
character Lady Sarah is clearly yet to be seduced by the &quot;rough-hewn&quot; charm of 
the outback stockman. Both Hollywood heart-throbs have, however, been wooing the 
ever-increasing crowds flocking to &quot;Bowenwood&quot; with some consummate displays of 
horsemanship. Some of the more dramatic scenes shot in the main street this week 
involved Kidman and Jackman getting into a heated argument with self-proclaimed 
&quot;bad bastard&quot; and cattle baron Bryan Brown. Both parties exchange words before 
the two Sydneysiders wheel their mounts and gallop off through a mob of cattle 
into a cloud of dust.<br>
<br>
Jackman looks the part with his two-week-old beard, sweat-stained shirt and 
cowboy hat. But the Hollywood hunk admits it has been a steep learning curve 
trying to master the art of riding like a ringer, mustering cattle and tossing 
steers. &quot;I have been taking tips from some of the best in the trade,&quot; the X-Men 
star said. Veteran Cape York stockman Neville Hutton, who built the 
old-fashioned wooden cattle yards in the Bowen film set, said he had offered 
Jackman some advice about how to carry himself off as a cattleman. &quot;He looked 
like a yuppie when I first saw him,&quot; said the Normanby station ringer, 58. &quot;He 
needed to toughen up a bit.&quot; </font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">Veteran actor Brown said he was 
relishing his &quot;dark&quot; role as a powerful cattle baron. &quot;I like playing a bad 
bastard,&quot; he said. The supporting cast of Australia reads like a who's who of 
veteran Australian actors. There's Brown, Jack Thompson, David Wenham and Bill 
Hunter, John Jarratt and Arthur Dignam, Bruce Spence and Barry Otto. Top 
indigenous actors feature, too, with David Gulpilil and son Jamie, as well as 
David Ngoombujarra in the period film set in the Northern Territory during World 
War II. A long time ambassador for Australian film, Brown believes this project 
may be the next big thing for the local industry. &quot;There are no guarantees with 
movies,&quot; Brown said on radio. &quot;But this might just nail it on the head and 
thrill a lot of people.&quot;</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/26/3160_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">New addition to set </font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Townsville Bulletin, 26 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
Another addition to the Australia set is being constructed on Bowen's foreshore.&nbsp; 
A church and schoolyard is being erected on Quay St, a fair distance from the 
rest of the set. Bowen local Graeme Beverly has an earthmoving business and is 
helping build the addition. &quot;What happens is they have nuns come ashore from the 
jetty in a row boat,&quot; Mr Beverly said. &quot;The reason they chose this location is 
because you get unobstructed 180 degree camera views of the jetty all the way 
around to the church and school,&quot; he said. Mr Beverly said he didn't know 
whether the A-listers would make an appearance on the set &#8211; but he did know 
that, two weeks into filming, business in Bowen was booming. &quot;Nothing is being 
done in halves,&quot; he said.</font></p>
<p align="left">---</p>
<p class="storyheadline"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/25/3105_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Hugh's dusty cattle drive</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Townsville Bulletin, 25 May 2007 </font></font></p>
<p><font face="Book Antiqua"><strong style="font-weight: 400">The moment Bowen 
had been waiting for finally arrived yesterday. </strong>A herd of cattle &#8211; 
though not the hundreds onlookers were expecting &#8211; made its way down a section 
of Bowen's main street led by Hollywood heartthrob Hugh Jackman. Police and 
security sectioned off most of the street from the public to protect the beasts 
from being spooked. Led by Jackman, the cattle marched down the end of the 
street, well away from the hundreds of prying eyes, who had been waiting all 
week for the big event. After weeks of rehearsals the cattle finally got their 
30 seconds of fame, performing exceptionally in front of the camera &#8211; with only 
a few takes before the cut was called. Some people had been waiting for the herd 
to appear from 6am, and at 4pm their wait was over. When the animals finally 
stampeded their way across the set, red dirt surrounded the actors on horseback, 
capturing an authentic and picturesque scene. At the other side of the set, the 
radiant Nicole Kidman, as Lady Sarah Ashley, awaited Hugh's arrival before the 
two exchanged some words with actors Bryan Brown and Ben Mendelson, who were 
atop Carney's balcony. Ben was dressed in an army captain's outfit while Bryan 
was a rugged cowboy complete with vest and a large hat and acted as though he 
could have been the owner of the station. Neither men seemed happy at whatever 
it was Nicole and Hugh were relaying to them. The dramatic scene ended in a 
heated argument before the two galloped off on their purposely spooked horses. 
The cattle scene is expected to be shot as a full run using the entire main 
street today or tomorrow. Rumours were flying that Nicole's husband Keith Urban 
arrived on set in a bid to spend some quality time with his wife before he jets 
off to America for the international leg of his Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy&nbsp; 
Thing tour. Urban's first show in the US is scheduled to take place in Phoenix, 
Arizona on June 8 and he is expected to stay in Bowen for at least the next 
week.</font></p>
<p><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<div id="container4">
	<div class="homecontent">
		<div id="articlecontainer4">
			<div class="topleftcol">
				<font face="Book Antiqua">
				<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/24/3076_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
				<font color="#800000">Hugh's day at the beach</font></a><font color="#800000">
				<br>
				Townsville Bulletin, 24 May 2007</font> <br>
				<br>
				Bowenwood was a hive of activity yesterday, both on and off the 
				set of Baz Lurhmann's Australia. Hugh Jackman took a well 
				deserved break from filming to spend a lazy day at the beach 
				with his daughter. The star spent much of the day at Horseshoe 
				Bay, swimming and popping into a local cafe for a bite to eat. 
				Horseshoe Bay Cafe and Restaurant waitress Glenn Womal said she 
				wouldn't be showering or washing her shirt after her brush with 
				the star. &quot;Hugh signed the collar of my shirt and he touched my 
				neck,&quot; Mrs Womal said. &quot;He had his shirt off and he is hot. He 
				has a perfect body and a beautiful smile. &quot;He had his little 
				girl on his shoulders and he put her down to sign my autograph. 
				&quot;He was supposed to go back to the set in the afternoon, but 
				they called to say they didn't need him so he stayed at the 
				beach. &quot;He just said the beach was lovely.&quot;</font><p>
				<font face="Book Antiqua">But there was still plenty going on in 
				town. Bryan Brown was the star attraction on set. He downed a 
				few beers as cameramen filmed take after take of the bad guy on 
				Carney's balcony. Brown raised his bottle&nbsp;and waved to patient 
				fans, who had been watching the scene unfold from behind the 
				security barricade. Local extras were in the limelight as film 
				crews shot a town scene including women walking dogs, classic 
				cars and stockmen. A helicopter hovered directly over the set 
				while the stars were at lunch, sending plumes of red dirt 
				swirling up Herbert St. The chopper was supposed to be used to 
				film a final cattle run and George St was blocked for the entire 
				day. But locals were left lining the street for nothing as the 
				steers were let off the hook again. A crew member finally told 
				fans about 5pm the cattle would not be running. He blamed the 
				fading light and said it was likely the cows would run today.</font></p>
				<p><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p>
<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/23/3041_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
				<font color="#800000">Kidman's son stole show</font></a><font color="#800000"> <br>
				Townsville Bulletin, 23 May 2007 </font> <br>
<br>
There was no sign of Nicole Kidman yesterday but her son Connor turned a few 
heads. The young Mr Cruise spent a second day horsing around on the set of his 
Mum's movie, after flying back into Bowen with Nic on Monday after she took a 
weekend off. Wearing a stack-hat, and proudly perched on a well-groomed 
stallion, young Connor followed the other horses up Herbert St, smiling and 
waving at locals and photographers to signal the end of filming. &quot;I'm having a 
great time,&quot; Connor said. The child's appearance late in the day was the 
highlight of a tedious day on set. On-lookers were forced to peer through the 
windows of the Grand View hotel in hope of glimpsing the stars. A helicopter 
hovering above the set late in the day took aerial shots of the set. But little 
has changed after the first week of filming, with the scene still depicting 1939 
Darwin. However, a pewter soldier now adorns a rock statue in the centre of 
town, outside the Grand View Hotel, a symbol of the film's progression toward 
re-enacting World War II. <!--EZCODE BOLD START-->
<strong style="font-weight: 400">On set yesterday, the dust was flying as Hugh 
Jackman sent herds of heifers through their paces. The strapping star spent a 
second day in the saddle cracking the whip. But dozens of fans barely got a 
glimpse of the main man, with filming taking place well back from the renowned 
viewing platform at the Grand View Hotel. Massive propeller fans were used to 
blow up tonnes of dust that had been dumped on the street, to create the 
illusion of stampeding cattle. But the swirling dust created a smoke screen, 
through which the stars of the movie were barely visible</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->.</font></p>
				<p><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Movie-sheds-light-on-first-ever-attack/2007/05/23/1179601483969.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Movie sheds light on first ever attack</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
The Sydney Morning Herald, 23 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
It's being billed as Australia's biggest ever movie, but Baz Luhrmann's 
&quot;Australia&quot; may also shed new light on an often forgotten episode in Australian 
history. The outback blockbuster will climax with Japan's bombing of Darwin 65 
years ago - Australia's first attack on home soil. &quot;It draws attention to a lot 
of people about what happened up here during war time and the heritage of World 
War II we have here,&quot; said Brian O'Gallager, from the Northern Territory chief 
minister's department of major projects. At least 243 people were killed and 
hundreds more injured in Darwin during Japanese bombing raids on February 19, 
1942. The first 40-minute raid badly damaged the town, demolishing eight ships 
including the destroyer USS Peary with the loss of 91 seamen, and all but one of 
Darwin's warplanes. <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong style="font-weight: 400">The 
destruction will form the backdrop for the final scenes of the film, when 
Hollywood superstar Nicole Kidman wanders Darwin wharf after driving 2,000 
cattle across the Top End.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> &quot;There is action 
aplenty,&quot; said Bazmark location manager Phillip Roope. &quot;It's an epic, that's all 
I can say.&quot;</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">Australia centres on 
an English aristocrat, played by Kidman, who becomes the proprietor of a cattle 
station before World War II. She enlists the help of a &quot;rough-hewn&quot; drover, 
played by Hugh Jackman, in a fight against cattle barons who plot to take over 
her land. The plot also involves a young Aboriginal child who is rescued from a 
mission. Speaking at a media briefing with two of the movie's producers in 
Darwin this week, O'Gallager said the NT government had contributed $200,000 to 
the project. &quot;It will promote Darwin and the Top End to an international 
audience and I do think it will really boost our tourism industry, both 
immediately and with longer term strategic growth,&quot; he said. Construction costs, 
hiring machinery, accommodation and meals for the crew would also provide a 
welcome injection of funds to the local economy, he said. Roope said the movie 
had the potential to do for the Top End what Lord of the Rings did for New 
Zealand six years ago. &quot;Tourism has increased 20 per cent there every year since 
then,&quot; he said. &quot;If an iconic film works it has the ability to kick start 
something that can generate a lot of interest and a film of this size will 
generate a lot of international interest. &quot;It is set in a place that is seen as 
very exotic to people in America and Europe.&quot;</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">The movie also has the potential to shed light on one of the most overlooked 
incidents in Australian history. This year Darwin commemorated the 65th 
anniversary of the bombing. But while it was a big affair in the Top End, the 
anniversary of the Japanese raids rated only a passing mention elsewhere in 
Australia. Despite this, the producers believe it will soon become part of the 
national consciousness, after moviegoers are treated to a visual account of the 
first time bombs fell on Australia. Roope said the movie - describing it as 
&quot;Gone With The Wind meets Out Of Africa&quot; - was the largest ever attempted by an 
Australian director with an Australian production company. It is expected to hit 
the big screen late next year. &quot;This is the biggest Australian film ever, the 
amount of equipment, the scope of the film, the locations ... it's something 
that Australia has never attempted before,&quot; Roope said. &quot;The north of Australia 
is a new and exciting frontier and one of the last in the world,&quot; Roope said of 
the film, which is expected to cost $US100 million ($A122.2 million).</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">Filming will start at 
Darwin's Stokes Hill Wharf on July 2 to 5, when Kidman is shot arriving in 
Australia from England in a Qantas flying boat. It will resume on July 10 and 
11, after the real life working wharf is made to look as it would have a couple 
of hours after the bombing occurred. Stokes Hill Wharf will remain open for 
business throughout the filming. &quot;At the moment we are just starting a bit of 
the construction process. We're just dressing the edge of the wharf so that from 
water level it looks like things are going on in a wharf as they would have in 
1939,&quot; Roope said.<br>
<br>
The production company is looking for 300 extras to fill the five to 10 minutes 
of screen time expected to be included from the wharf filming in the final 
movie. &quot;The ethnic mix that was Darwin then and Darwin now,&quot; Roope said. &quot;Baz is 
interested in doing things in the real place. The story was conceived up here 
and he has always, ever since his first trip to the wharf, seen it as a really 
important part of the story.&quot; Filming has already started in the north 
Queensland coastal town of Bowen, which will portray 1930s Darwin. Luhrmann - 
whose hits include Moulin Rouge, Romeo And Juliet and Strictly Ballroom - also 
plans to shoot in Western Australia's unique Kimberley region near Kununurra in 
late July. But the film begins and ends in Darwin, with what Roope describes as 
the &quot;mystery of the aqua waters&quot;.</font></p>
<p align="left">---</p>
				<p class="storyheadline"><font face="Book Antiqua">
				<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/22/3009_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
				<font color="#800000">Nic saddles up</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
				Townsville Bulletin, 22 May 2007</font></font></p>
				<p class="storyheadline">
				<font face="Book Antiqua"><strong style="font-weight: 400">Not 
				even a raring horse can stop Nicole Kidman&nbsp;from getting the job 
				done. </strong>The <em>Australia</em> star arrived back on set 
				yesterday after a weekend break proving she can take on just 
				about any role as she rode around the make-shift town with 
				confidence. As she prepared to start filming a cattle drive 
				along the red dusty streets perched on a dark brown mare the 
				beautifully groomed horse became spooked making a sharp jolt in 
				the air. But with confidence Nicole clutched the reins tight and 
				turned the mare around to lead&nbsp; more than 50 head of cattle 
				through the streets. Dressed in a more masculine look, with full 
				knee high riding boots, the mob followed in her path as a group 
				of stockman, including some Aboriginal women and children, 
				jeered-up the rugged stock. It was a 10-hour wait for a shot of 
				the star for some who rose at 6am after rumours spread across 
				the town that the cattle droving scenes would see the cast, 
				including Hugh Jackman, ride straight through the main street. 
				Council workers blocked of streets throughout the town at 9pm 
				Sunday night to prepare for the filming but the stock never took 
				a step on the bitumen and Hugh wasn't seen. Vehicles parked in 
				the street, including a backpacker's van, forced the crew to 
				abandon the plan as they desperately raced to find car owners, 
				leaving many fans disappointed. But by 4pm the Hollywood queen 
				was showing off her riding talent within 30 metres of more than 
				100 fans who raced with the paparazzi to get the shot.</font><p align="left">
				---</p>
				<p class="storyheadline"><font face="Book Antiqua">
				<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/19/2938_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
				<font color="#800000">Fans seeing double</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
				Townsville Bulletin, 19 May 2007</font>
				</font></p>
				<p class="storyheadline">
				<font face="Book Antiqua"><strong style="font-weight: 400">There were lights and cameras 
				but little action during day light hours in Bowen yesterday as 
				rumours spread Nicole and Hugh had skipped town for the day.
				</strong>Filming wasn't kicking off until darkness fell to shoot 
				at the replica Pearl Cinema. But that didn't deter tourists and 
				locals from turning up to the set of <em>Australia</em> before 
				9am. Those seeking action were rewarded when the body doubles of 
				Nicole and Hugh arrived on set and were put in the saddle. 
				On-lookers stared in awe at the sheer beauty of the horses which 
				were athletic and well groomed. The body doubles were fitted 
				into safety gear before being mounted on horses and put through 
				a training run. Jackman's double was seen clearing a 
				three-tier-stockyard rail fence and into a cattle yard of about 
				50 head. Those out star-spotting may have stumbled across Aussie 
				acting legend Bryan Brown who arrived in Bowen on Thursday. 
				Brown took time out in the afternoon to talk to local radio 
				about the cast and crew of Australia. He said it was the finest 
				Australian cast that had been assembled and assured audiences 
				they were in for a real thrill. Brown's been cast as a bad guy 
				in Australia &#8211; a role he said he loved to play. &quot;I like being a 
				bad bastard,&quot; he said. There was little more action around town 
				until the cover of darkness when massive lights supported by 
				three cranes shone on Pearl Cinema. Cast and crew worked well 
				into the night. </font></p>
				<p class="storyheadline">
				<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p class="storyheadline">
				<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/19/2935_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
				<font color="#800000">Most a-peeling job on set</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
				Townsville Bulletin, 19 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
It may not be the most glamorous job in Baz Luhrmann's Australia, but it is 
certainly the most a-peeling. Linda Granat has been employed by Bazmark Films to 
help peel hundreds of fruit and vegetables for the cast and crew of the epic 
Aussie film while it is being shot in Bowen. At $15 an hour, it was an offer the 
21-year-old Swedish backpacker couldn't refuse. &quot;It will definitely leave a 
lasting memory of my trip to Australia,&quot; Ms Granat said. Crew walked up and down 
Bowen's main street yesterday hoping to find peelers for the mystery job. While 
many said yes to helping out tomorrow night, they were all clueless as to the 
reason for the strange request. &quot;I asked them why they needed so many people and 
they said it was to help the cast and extras,&quot; Ms Granat said. &quot;We still don't 
know where we're needed tomorrow night. They said they would call.&quot;</font></p>
				<p class="storyheadline">
				<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p class="storyheadline">
				<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21755013-5001031,00.html" target="blank">
				<font color="#800000">Making magic with Hugh</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
				Daily Telegraph, 19 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
She collected an Oscar for making Moulin Rouge the visual spectacular it was and 
it's nice to see Catherine Martin is weaving her magic again on the set of 
Australia. Very, very nice in fact. As production and costume designer on her 
husband Baz Luhrman's latest flick, it's Martin who deserves the plaudits and 
another Academy Award for putting Hugh Jackman in a pair of moleskins and boots. 
And a tight shirt, too. No wonder his co-star Nicole Kidman is going ga-ga over 
the scripted love scenes. &quot;I hope we do more than just kiss, he's a hunk,&quot; she 
said on set this week.</font></p>
				<p class="storyheadline">
				<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
								<p class="storyheadline">
								<font face="Book Antiqua">
								<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/18/2900_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
								<font color="#800000">Equine movie star </font> </a>
								<font color="#800000"><br>
								Townsville Bulletin, 18 May 
								2007 </font></font></p>
								<p><font face="Book Antiqua">
								<strong style="font-weight: 400">Why the long 
								face? Perhaps it was because of day four &#8211; the 
								longest day of filming so far on the set of Baz 
								Luhrmann's <i>Australia</i>. </strong>Cast and 
								crew endured a mammoth shoot yesterday, from 
								early morning until 8pm. The day was a repeat of 
								the same scenes filmed earlier this week, where 
								Nicole Kidman as English aristocrat Lady Sarah 
								Ashby meets Hugh Jackman as a grizzled yet buff 
								drover for the first time Daytrippers keeping a 
								vigilant watch for a glimpse of the stars 
								overheard the loud fight scene at the beginning 
								of the movie, where Kidman arrives via seaplane 
								in Darwin and walks down the jetty to the 
								Territory Hotel after finding no one to greet 
								her. Jackman then falls through a window after 
								landing a few punches in a pub brawl, landing on 
								luggage and welcomes Kidman to 
								Australia.&nbsp;Yesterday was marked as the first 
								filming of scenes at the Pearl Cinema. While 
								there were no more spontaneous appearances of 
								Hollywood superstars in Bowen's main street, the 
								crowd watching the movie being made has doubled 
								from previous days, all hoping to grab a 
								snapshot of the stars. Spectators were, however, 
								awarded a quick chat and photo opportunity with 
								the film's horse trainer, Peter Gould and his 
								equine friend Spook. The horse proved no spook 
								to the cameras. He was exceptionally well 
								behaved when it came to having his photo taken 
								with adoring fans. Mr Gould said his friend was 
								building up a bit of a filmography. &quot;He's doing 
								really well,&quot; he said. &quot;He's been in a few 
								movies so far, such as the Great Raid, which was 
								filmed in Queensland.&quot; For the past seven weeks 
								Mr Gould has been training the main cast, 
								including Kidman, Jackman and David Wenham, to 
								ride horses while in Sydney.</font><p>
				<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font><p class="storyheadline">
								<font face="Book Antiqua">
								<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/18/2910_bowenwood.html" target="blank">
								<font color="#800000">Stellar line-up at Grand 
								</font> </a><font color="#800000"><br>
								Townsville Bulletin, 18 
								May 2007</font> </font></p>
								<p class="storyheadline">
								<font face="Book Antiqua">
								They 
								don't call it the Grand View Hotel for nothing. 
								With Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman already 
								gracing Bowen with their presence during a 
								surprise visit to Bowen's main street yesterday, 
								more of Baz Luhrmann's all-star cast decided to 
								step out on the town last night. Last night 
								Aussie acting trio Bryan Brown, Ben Mendelson 
								and David Wenham grabbed an after work beer at 
								the Grand View (GV), which has a starring role 
								in the movie itself. The hotel is the end of the 
								line for film set visitors, whose numbers have 
								slowly been building in the past week as 
								tourists drop into the sleepy North Queensland 
								town to grab a glimpse of the stars at work and 
								at play. The GV has even dressed herself up for 
								the show: the Federation style hotel now sports 
								a week old beer garden.</font></p>
				<p class="storyheadline">
								<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/northqld/stories/s1925852.htm" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Baz buzz at Bowen</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
ABC North Queensland, 17 May 2007</font></font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">North Queensland has 
certainly caught the &quot;Baz Buzz&quot;. The quiet seaside town of Bowen has been 
transformed into Bowenwood with director Baz Luhrman and crew shooting the new 
movie &quot;Australia&quot;. For the next 6 weeks, the tropical town is one of the most 
important film sets in the world, playing host to stars Hugh Jackman and Nicole 
Kidman. Much of Bowen's famous beachfront has been taken over for the film, 
which is a epic love story set before and during World War Two. The streets are 
covered in red dust, new buildings have been erected and Bowen is now doubling 
as 1930s Darwin. Hundreds of locals have signed on as extras, and more are 
playing the role of volunteer guides who tell tourists all about the sets and 
shooting schedules. Residents say the movie has put the community on the 
international map and will be a significant boost to the economy for some time 
to come. And while the stars of the film have been working very hard, Nicole 
Kidman and Hugh Jackman have found the time to take a break and mix with fans. 
The ABC's Michael Clarke was there, and took some photos and even interviewed 
the Hollywood actors.</font></p>
				<p class="storyheadline">
								<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p class="storyheadline">
								<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/17/2870_news.html" target="blank">
								<font color="#800000">You're Kidman, is that Hugh? 
								</font> </a><font color="#800000"><br>
								Townsville Bulletin, 17 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
Murphy's Law struck in Bowen yesterday.&nbsp; A professional photographer with a 
massive telephoto lens who had staked out the set of Baz Lurhmann's Australia 
all day, left for 20 minutes to answer a phone call from his boss. In that 20 
minutes, the film's stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman &#8211; in period costume &#8211; 
decided to go for a quick walk to say g'day to those who had taken the time out 
to watch their movie being made. Meanwhile, the film's local volunteers, who had 
been filling in visitors on the daily occurrences of the production, were 
awarded with a chat and a photo with the stars. The Australian actors even 
signed autographs. &quot;The first thing Hugh said to me was 'thank you for being a 
volunteer',&quot; said Lorraine Maltby, one of the lucky few to have her photo taken 
with the actors. &quot;It was lovely to hear him say `g'day mate' to everyone, and 
then ask them whether they wanted their photo taken. &quot;It was just so nice to 
see. Both of them (Hugh and Nicole) were so friendly and happy to be here.&quot; 
Another volunteer, Cristian Lenske, had a large group shot of all the helpers 
taken together with the stars. Mr Lenske, who works in his parent's newsagency, 
said it was amazing to see the pair in real life. &quot;And all of a sudden Nicole 
and Hugh walked straight towards us.&quot;</font></p>
				<p class="storyheadline">
								<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p class="storyheadline">
								<font face="Book Antiqua">
								<a href="http://www.who.com/who/magazine/article/0,19636,7401070528-1622850,00.html" target="blank">
								<font color="#800000">Nicole and Keith Drop in 
								to Bowen's Jochheim's Pies</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
								Who Magazine, 17 May 2007</font><br>
								The shop honours the stars in town to shoot 
								Australia by creating a Hunky Jackman pie, Baz 
								Baguette &amp; Nicole Petit<br>
								<br>
								As the cream of Australia's film industry 
								converge on the small Queensland town of Bowen 
								to film the Baz Luhrmann epic Australia, the 
								locals are over the moon playing host to such 
								stars as Nicole Kidman, her husband Keith Urban, 
								Hugh Jackman and of course the director himself, 
								Baz Luhrmann. WHO spoke to local businesswoman 
								Merle Jochheim, about the buzz that's hit Bowen.
								<br>
								<br>
								<b>I wanted to ask you about the famous pies you 
								have in the shop as well as your famous 
								customers.</b><br>
								We want them all to be able to come and go 
								without all the photographers following, and 
								it's common knowledge now (we weren't letting 
								on) but both Nicole and Keith popped in for a 
								cup of coffee. <br>
								<br>
								<b>When was that?</b><br>
								Yesterday, just pulled up and came in. <br>
								<br>
								<b>Did they buy any of your pies?</b><br>
								No, Nicole's more into healthy food, which we 
								thought. We actually named some pies after Hugh 
								Jackman. A Hunky Jackman pie. We've got chunky 
								crossed out and we've got a Hunky Jackman Pie, 
								which is just hunky, chunky meat. And we've got 
								a Baz Baguette with Baz written in flour on the 
								baguette. And then we've got a Nicole Petit 
								biscuit, which she loved. She thinks that's 
								lovely. She tried one. And we've got the Kid 
								Mango Cheesecake. It's rather like her, it's 
								creamy, she has the most beautiful complexion. 
								Her skin is just beautiful. We're thrilled that 
								they're living in Bowen and we're thrilled that 
								they can come and go and we hope they can do 
								this more often. They've got such long days, 
								they're there from six in the morning to six in 
								the afternoon. Very long days. It's beautiful 
								weather, <font color="#004080">a little bit 
								warm, but it's beautiful and everything's 
								looking so </font>gorgeous. <br>
								<br>
								<b>Do you think Nicole and Keith came into the 
								shop because they had heard about your celebrity 
								pies and biscuits?</b><br>
								They probably heard about us because we kind of 
								met Baz Luhrmann when he was looking for a site 
								for the movie. I didn't know who he was and I 
								just gave him a talk and told him how wonderful 
								the town was and he really had a nice feeling 
								about the town. He didn't tell anybody he was in 
								town and I didn't even recognise him. And then 
								he came back and we've had contact with him and 
								the crew ever since. Since they've been building 
								the sets from the last two months, the crew from 
								the gardeners to the top managers, they've been 
								fantastic and just blended into the town. And so 
								has Baz Luhrmann. He's made sure that with the 
								Bowen people, he has really looked after 
								everyone. We're thoroughly enjoying it. It's 
								just so good for the town and at last everyone 
								knows where Bowen is. We don't have to say we're 
								half way between Townsville and Mackay. <br>
								<br>
								<b>How long did Nicole and Keith stay in shop?</b><br>
								Just like an ordinary couple, just a chat and 
								pick up the coffee, waited for the coffee and 
								drove off again. He had coffee. They both had 
								coffee. She likes a coffee. Honestly they were 
								just... If you couldn't see their faces you 
								wouldn't have known (who they were). They just 
								stood at the counter and chatted while the 
								coffee was being made. She was going to work.
								<br>
								<br>
								<b>What did she say about the Nicole Petit?</b><br>
								She thinks it's lovely, she thinks it's really, 
								really nice. She's quite proud of it, makes us 
								proud of it. Because we wanted something nice 
								that wasn't offensive or stupid and tried to get 
								something to blend into her looks. <br>
								<br>
								<b>I heard you were considering the Steak and 
								Kidman Pie?</b><br>
								Yeah, we were toying with that. That was the 
								sort of thing we were toying with. We wanted it 
								to be something just nice. </font></p>
				<p class="storyheadline">
								<font face="Book Antiqua">---<font color="#004080"><br>
								<br>
								</font>
								<a href="http://www.who.com/who/magazine/article/0,19636,7401070528-1622841,00.html" target="blank">
								<font color="#800000">Hollywood Comes to Bowen 
								for Baz Luhrmann's Australia</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
								Who Magazine, 17 May 2007</font><font color="#004080"><br>
								</font>WHO speaks to Bowen Mayor Mike Brunker 
								about the buzz that's hit the town since the 
								arrival of Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman &amp; Baz 
								Luhrmann<br>
								<br>
								As the cream of Australia's film industry 
								converge on the small Queensland town of Bowen 
								to film the Baz Luhrmann epic Australia, the 
								locals are over the moon playing host to such 
								stars as Nicole Kidman, her husband Keith Urban, 
								Hugh Jackman and of course the director himself, 
								Baz Luhrmann. WHO spoke to the Mayor of Bowen, 
								Mike Brunker and local businesswoman Merle 
								Jochheim about the buzz that's hit Bowen. <br>
								<br>
								<b>It's great you have a town full of people.</b><br>
								Oh shit, yeah, no worries about that. <br>
								<br>
								<b>How are the townspeople coping with the 
								influx?</b><br>
								Well it's been on the go for a while obviously. 
								People have been expecting things to happen when 
								the construction started and the cows all turned 
								up and they've just been waiting for the movie 
								to start. And now she's into it. There's the old 
								Baz [Luhrmann] buzz alright. It's all happening.
								<br>
								<br>
								<b>How did the cattle run go?</b><br>
								Good. Last Saturday we sat around for a couple 
								hours waiting for it to happen. There were 600 
								or 700 people in the street. They ran overtime a 
								bit, it was supposed to start at 3pm and 
								eventually by 5, no-one had moved but then the 
								whips were cracking. It was good. <br>
								<br>
								<b>Are the cast and crew enjoying the local 
								tourism or is it all work, work, work for them?</b><br>
								Obviously since they've just started they have a 
								lot of work, work, work. I think they have a 
								six-day week so they have Sunday's off. It would 
								be a good opportunity to get around the town and 
								have a look at the beaches. <br>
								<br>
								<b>What could they do on their day off?</b><br>
								There are a lot of beaches they can have a look 
								at, obviously have a look around the region. The 
								first couple of weeks, because they are working 
								they might not want to go anywhere. We're having 
								a seafood festival on the 26th May and on June 
								3rd it's Queensland Week and, the Premier (Peter 
								Beattie). For first time they're going to 
								celebrate Queensland Week outside of Brisbane.
								<br>
								<br>
								<b>You've had meetings with Baz [Luhrmann], how 
								did they go? What was he like?</b><br>
								He's a bit of a character. He's been true to his 
								word up to now, everything he's said he's 
								delivered on, which was good. We had to give him 
								some hints, not hints, but some direction on 
								infrastructure in the early days. But he's been 
								good. <br>
								<b><br>
								How long will the cast and crew be in town for?</b><br>
								About six weeks. Once all the media stuff dies 
								down they'll be able to get around the town a 
								bit more freely and once they settle in they'll 
								find that we're around. A lot of media were let 
								in (on-set) yesterday which a couple of the guys 
								reckon they'll tighten up today but they gave 
								them a good look yesterday and then hopefully 
								they'll sort of die off and go away. <br>
								<br>
								<b>Have you met Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman 
								or any of the big stars?</b><br>
								I was standing in line with Keith Urban in the 
								tucker tent yesterday when we went for lunch. 
								All the cast and crew get into together. Keith 
								went back to the trailer with Nicole but 
								everyone else is mingling together with the 
								extras and volunteers. It's a family 
								environment. <br>
								<br>
								<b>Where is the film location exactly?</b><br>
								It's straight down the end of our main street. 
								Herbert Street, on our esplanade. There's the 
								sea &#8212;a little park and then the sea. And there's 
								a big vacant block of land there. We were in the 
								process of running with developers to go in 
								there but they've held off until the movie's 
								been done. They were just very lucky that all 
								the planets lined up and that it was still 
								actually there. You wouldn't think there would 
								be such vacant blocks of land beside a jetty, on 
								the front beach. They were very lucky. <br>
								<br>
								<b>When did Baz Luhrmann first consider Bowen as 
								a location?</b><br>
								Over 12 months ago. Baz came to town six months 
								ago when he first had a good look at it.
								<font color="#004080"><br>
								</font><br>
								<b>Where are the bulk of the cast and crew 
								staying?</b><br>
								All in town, a mixture of motels and houses. The 
								stars are in town and that's probably one thing 
								we stipulated in the early days &#8212; that the 
								community is giving up a lot of stuff in the 
								main street and are being inconvenienced so we 
								would like to see the stars stay in town. Houses 
								have been vacated for them. Some of them 
								(residents) were asked if they wanted to go on 
								holidays and they could have their holiday paid 
								for them and the stars have a nice home. <br>
								<br>
								<b>Have you seen Nicole and Keith together? </b>
								<br>
								Oh, on the set together. <br>
								<br>
								<b>Are they still looking like the honeymoon 
								couple?</b><br>
								Very much so. <br>
								<br>
								<b>It's great that Keith has time to be with 
								her...</b><br>
								I think with their jets and everything it's only 
								a couple of hours flight and when he's had his 
								Sydney concert, I think he'll be back again.
								</font></p>
				<p class="storyheadline">
								<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/16/2847_news.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Rolling, action, rumour</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Townsville Bulletin, 16 May 2007</font></font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">Interest 
remained strong as day two of filming for Baz Luhrmann's epic Australia got 
under way in Bowen yesterday. Hundreds of locals milled about outside the Grand 
View Hotel hoping to rub shoulders with Nicole and Hugh yesterday afternoon, 
after a well-sourced whisper spread that the stars would make an appearance at 
the end of filming. Disappointment was clear when the duo had failed to show by 
7pm - well after the rumoured time of 5.30pm. But Hollywood was hard at work 
until well after dark, re-shooting takes of both Nicole arriving in 1938 Darwin, 
and Hugh's character fighting in a rowdy pub brawl. An official movie schedule, 
released yesterday, outlines a rough plan of the next six weeks of filming in 
Bowen.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">Today will centre on 
perfecting the scene where Lady Sarah Ashby arrives in Australia and meets Hugh. 
It will be the third 12-hour day of filming the same scene, with shooting 
scheduled from 6am to 6pm. Australia volunteer tour guide Ivan Roberts said a 
helicopter may have been used to aid effects in the first three days of filming, 
but there was no activity in the sky yesterday. But tomorrow, the action will 
move from the Territory Hotel to the Pearl Cinema. The stars will have a late 
night, with shooting taking place from noon until midnight. Speculation is 
mounting that Keith Urban will return to Bowen after performing in Sydney for an 
impromptu performance at the Grand View Hotel on Thursday night. Friday will see 
an all-night filming session, from 4pm to 6am on Saturday, before the stars take 
a break for the weekend. Mr Roberts said a crane would be used to dump water 
over Nicole during filming at the Pearl Cinema on Friday, to re-create a 
tropical downpour. Next week, actor Bryan Brown will don a fat-suit for his 
role, as filming moves to Carneys Corner at the intersection of Dalrymple and 
Herbert streets, where Brown's character is attempting to claim Nicole's cattle 
and property.</font></p>
				<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.dailymercury.com.au/localnews/storydisplay.cfm?storyid=3734068&thesection=localnews&thesubsection=&thesecondsubsection=" target="blank">
				<font color="#800000">Nicole, Hugh and a cast of thousands</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
				Daily Mercury, 16 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
				The lights are up, the cameras are rolling and there is 
definitely no lack of action in the once sleepy town of Bowen. The rumour mill 
has gone into overdrive since filming began this week on Baz Luhrmann&#8217;s new 
project, Australia, with paparazzi lurking around every corner and hundreds of 
keen spectators lining the streets to catch a glimpse of the action. The 
Grandview Hotel has become the unofficial viewing platform for the film &#8211; not to 
mention the town hub for film gossip and star sightings. One onlooker said 
female lead Nicole Kidman and husband Keith Urban had reportedly been spotted at 
local bakery Joachim's early yesterday morning, while her male counterpart Hugh 
Jackman supposedly took some time out at a local gym. Other spectators were more 
focused on the film's impressive sets with one woman saying &quot;it's amazing what 
they&#8217;ve done to this place, just amazing&quot;. Some even speculated at the chance of 
Nicole Kidman's husband returning to the town for a surprise concert at some 
point in the near future. But not everyone was thrilled with the Hollywood 
invasion, with many in the crowd voicing their annoyance at the paparazzi who 
have hit the town in force. &quot;One guy actually snuck on set yesterday and took 
some photos before he got kicked off, so now they've increased the security 
threefold,&quot; said another photographer, who did not wish to be named. One 
youngster on a school trip was also less than impressed with the film set, 
telling a friend he was upset that he couldn&#8217;t actually make out any of the 
stars. But for the majority of onlookers, Hollywood fever was rife, despite the 
distance between cast and crew and eager fans yesterday. &quot;They can't stay all 
the way over there all the time,&quot; one optomistic onlooker said. Bowen resident 
Tracey Morton, who got a sneak peek at the stars last Sunday, said the town was 
truly coming alive now that the stars had arrived in the region. &quot;It's pretty 
exciting &#8211; the whole thing didn't really bother or interest me until I saw 
Nicole and Keith the other day &#8211; now it&#8217;s like it&#8217;s really hit,&quot; she said. &quot;My 
husband is a plumber and he's actually at the set right now fixing the hot water 
in Baz Luhrmann's motorhome &#8211; I can&#8217;t wait until he gets home to tell me about 
it.&quot; And with just under two months of filming remaining in the coastal town, 
there are sure to be plenty more stories yet to come.</font></p>
				<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21738823-5006002,00.html?from=public_rss" target="blank">
				<font color="#800000">Sweaty Jackman in action</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
				Daily Telegraph (Sydney Confidential), 16 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
Fist fights - if only make-believe - broke out on the film set of outback epic 
Australia yesterday. Hollywood hunk Hugh Jackman could clearly be seen sporting 
several bloody cuts on his face after a bar-room brawl in the opening scenes of 
Baz Luhrmann's $130 million film. Jackman's character meets his love interest, 
played by Nicole Kidman, as he crashes through a window. There was no sign on 
set of Kidman, who earlier stopped at the local bakery with husband Keith Urban 
before he flew out for the second leg of his national country music tour began 
in Sydney last night.</font></p>
				<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/story/0,23663,21731305-7485,00.html" target="blank">
				<font color="#800000">Bowen abuzz over Baz's vision</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
News.com.au, 15 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
Locals are calling it the &quot;Baz buzz&quot;. The film industry is calling it the 
biggest punt in Australia's cinematic history. Baz Luhrmann's latest film, 
Australia, has moved production - and brought intense levels of excitement - to 
Bowen, in north Queensland, after shooting in Sydney. Luhrmann has taken with 
him two of Hollywood's biggest stars, Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman (and her 
husband, Keith Urban), and the biggest film production ever seen outside the 
walls of Australia's three major film studios. Bowen's moment in front of the 
camera began yesterday with a traditional &quot;welcome to country&quot; ceremony for 
Kidman, Jackman and the rest of the cast and crew by Birri Gubba Juru tribal 
elder Jim Gaston before shooting began. Bowen Mayor Michael Brunker has watched 
Luhrmann and the director's Academy Award-winning designer wife, Catherine 
Martin, transform his coastal town into 1940s Darwin.&nbsp; And he's seen his 
townsfolk burst with enthusiasm. &quot;I think people will calm down after a week or 
so,&quot; he said yesterday. &quot;But everyone's excited now that Nicole and Hugh are 
here. It's been like having a baby really; 12 months ago we were just talking 
about it and the conception of the idea. The set started going up, but until the 
stars arrived the big stars had been the 400 to 500 short-horn cows that have 
been practising up and down the main street.&quot; Luhrmann has brought a David 
Lean-style scale and major Hollywood budget, estimated to be $US100 million 
($120 million). The romantic epic stars Kidman as Lady Sarah Ashley, an English 
aristocratic who follows her husband to his Australian cattle station, crossing 
the country with a drover, played by Jackman.&nbsp; Luhrmann told The Australian 
his vision could presage a future where the nation's biggest stars regularly 
returned to work here with Hollywood studio money. &quot;We may fail but in the end 
what this production symbolises is a different kind of future for the Australian 
film industry,&quot; he said. That future has already seduced Bowen.</font></p>
				<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/15/2786_talknorth.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Everyone's in a lather</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Excerpt from Townsville Bulletin, 15 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
Rain down on Nic<br>
Movie talk from Bowen has it that Nicole will be rained on this Friday night. 
Apparently she will be in the open air picture theatre built on the set and rain 
will pour down from the boom of a crane dangling above the movie theatre. And as 
for the handsome old pub The Territory Hotel? It burns down at the end of the 
movie.</font></p>
				<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.homesworldwide.co.uk/global/australia/news/articles/australia_the_movie_now_in_progress?news_id=0041679" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Australia: The movie now in progress</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Excerpt from Homes Worldwide, 15 May 2007</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">Australia is set to be 
the largest production in Australian film history, with a record budget of A$100 
million and crew of 300. Filming in Darwin will begin from 2 July 2007 for 
around two weeks; Stokes Hill Wharf is the main location there. Bowen, in north 
Queensland is being made over to look like 1930s' Darwin; the bulk of the 
filming is taking place in WA and Queensland. The cattle station scenes will be 
filmed near Kununurra, and Beatrice Hill near Adelaide River will be a location 
for floodplains and buffalo scenes.</font></p>
				<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#004080">
<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200705/s1923112.htm" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Bowen in 
Hollywood limelight for Luhrmann flick</font></a></font><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#800000"><br>
ABC News Online, 15 May2 007</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">Bowen locals in north 
Queensland are enjoying the spotlight as the filming of Baz Luhrmann's movie 
Australia continues to draw the crowds. Yesterday's first day of filming brought 
in tourists from around the world wanting to catch a glimpse of Hollywood stars 
Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Volunteer guide John Warby says it is great to 
be so close to the action. &quot;Baz Luhrmann and his crew have just been fantastic 
in the way that they've approached the public,&quot; he said. &quot;They don't want to 
exclude the public at all, they want to include everyone as far as they can, 
we're standing on the set there. There's not many places where you can do that, 
when a major movie like this is being made, is there?&quot;</font></p>
				<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#004080">
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21735399-5003402,00.html" target="blank">
				<font color="#800000">'Nicole Kidman Cup' cancelled</font></a></font><font face="Book Antiqua"><font color="#800000"><br>
Courier Mail, 15 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
An A-list race meeting dubbed the Nicole Kidman Cup has been cancelled due to a 
fashionably late entrance by stars involved in a new Baz Luhrmann epic. The 
Bowen Turf Club had planned a one-off race meeting this month to coincide with 
filming in the coastal town of Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh 
Jackman. Kidman was to have presented the winning trophy and Jackman to have 
judged the Fashions on the Field after Luhrmann promised the stars would attend 
the Bowen meet. But the stars did not arrive in time for the May Day event and, 
because of rules preventing two clubs from holding races on the same day, the 
next meet cannot be brought forward from its scheduled July date.&nbsp; Bowen 
club vice-president Cyril Vains today said it was a shame.&nbsp; &quot;I think there 
are some very, very disappointed people but there's nothing much we could do,&quot; 
Mr Avens said.&nbsp; &quot;It would have been marvellous.&quot;&nbsp; He said other 
&quot;spoilsport&quot; clubs would not change their events.&nbsp; Bowen Shire Mayor Mike 
Brunker said locals now hoped to lure the famous pair to a meet-and-greet at a 
planned seafood spectacular on the town's foreshore. &quot;We'd be hoping someone can 
come,&quot; he said. &quot;Everyone's excited, it's a bit of a buzz around the place - the 
Baz buzz we call it.&quot; The small coastal town has been excited about the chance 
of meeting the Hollywood actors as Jackman, and Kidman - accompanied by husband 
and country music singer Keith Urban - donned period costumes and began filming.
</font></p>
				<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21730453-5001021,00.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Nic's outback movie magic</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Daily Telegraph, 15 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
Watched by husband Keith Urban, a costumed Nicole Kidman joined a rugged-looking 
Hugh Jackman yesterday for shooting of the $100-million outback epic, Australia.
The north Queensland town of Bowen was transformed into 1938 Darwin for the 
scenes, which feature Kidman, who plays an English aristocrat, arriving in 
Australia for the first time.
Star-struck locals watched as director Baz Luhrmann, Jackman, Kidman, Urban and 
400 cast and crew took part in a Aboriginal &quot;welcome to country&quot; ceremony.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">Jackman, who was dressed in period costume with a three-day growth and cowboy 
boots, won fans by posing for photos with the baby of a local couple.
The X-Men star lived up to his reputation as a good guy of Hollywood, shaking 
hands and admitting he was yet to relax into the laid-back north Queensland 
lifestyle.
Asked if he had time for a beer, Jackman reluctantly admitted he was too busy.
&quot;That would be nice, that would be great, but they are working me hard,&quot; he 
said. 
Jackman's character is a hard-working, hard-drinking, brawling ringer.
The actor, producer and Boy from Oz stage star won fans as he posed for photos 
cradling the baby of a local Aboriginal couple. <br>
<br>
Luhrmann told more than 400 cast and crew gathered for the mid-afternoon 
ceremony he felt a special &quot;magic&quot; in the air.
&quot;We have a big creative challenge ahead,&quot; said the director of Moulin Rouge, 
flanked by his stars.
&quot;But we can all see and feel how this is a really pristine spot, and cinema 
needs magic, and this place feels very magical to us,&quot; he said.<br>
<br>
Transformed into 1938 Darwin, the seaside end of Bowen is dominated by hundreds 
of cattle, a huge set of rough-hewn wooden stockyards, a hotel, pearling luggers, 
brothel, Chinese opium den and market garden, all built from scratch over the 
past six weeks.
Sunshine Coast retiree Rowan Stanley, 63, who has been cast as one of three 
government officials, gushed about meeting Kidman.
&quot;She is beautiful, lovely, and even after she walked past a dozen or so times in 
different takes she was still gorgeous,&quot; he said.
Bowen Mayor Mike Brunker said he auditioned for the role of fire truck driver 
but was &quot;too fat with not enough hair&quot;. &quot;I got the cut, I'm too busy any way,&quot; 
he said. &quot;But now standing on the set I have hairs standing up on the back of my 
head. &quot;To see how realistic it looks is amazing.&quot;</font></p>
				<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/northqld/stories/s1922460.htm?backyard" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Filming 
starts in Bowenwood</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
ABC North Queensland, 14 May 2007</font></font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">The first day of filming for Baz Luhrmann's latest project Australia began today 
and already locals have been star spotting. Nicole Kidman has arrived in town 
with husband Keith Urban and was snapped checking out the new set in the local 
paper. 630 ABC's Peter Mitchell was in Bowen on the weekend snooping around the 
set himself, and he managed to get some photos from behind the fence.&nbsp; He 
checked in with Michael Clarke on the Breakfast Show this morning, but hadn't 
spotted any of the big stars. He said lots of people were walking around the 
town and trying to get a sneak peak of the set. &quot;The cattle have been doing 
rehearsals of the run down the main street and onto the wharf today,&quot; he said. 
But he said the cattle were not enjoying themselves as much as the onlookers.&nbsp; 
&quot;They've been expressing their opinion rather forcefully on the street. Some of 
the local business people are not all that happy about it,&quot; he said. The 
streetlights and signs have all been changed to a period style for the filming, 
and a lot of red dirt was brought in to make the street more authentic. 630 
ABC's Paula Tapiolas had a chat to Bowen Mayor Mike Brunker this morning about 
the buzz around town. He said he missed Nicole's arrival because he was at the 
footy game, but would have lunch with her on the set tomorrow. Mr Brunker said 
the big stars were staying in houses rented off local residents. &quot;We had to fit 
400 people in, that's cast and crew together,&quot; he said. He said backpackers and 
tourists had been flooding into the town, and even joining in on the action. &quot;I 
met some Korean backpackers who are going to be extras, playing Japanese 
people,&quot; he said.</font></p>
				<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/14/2765_news.html" target="blank">
				<font color="#800000">Welcome to Bowenwood</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
				Townsville Bulletin, 14 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
It was the moment all of Bowen had been waiting for.
The excitement was palpable when Hollywood superstar Nicole Kidman arrived in 
Bowen late yesterday with country music star husband Keith Urban in tow.
Secrecy and speculation surrounded the arrival of the A-list stars ahead of 
filming for Baz Luhrmann's epic film Australia, which starts in Bowen today.
But there was no mistaking golden girl Nicole as she was whisked away from Bowen 
Airport and taken for her first tour of the set, which had been specially 
created to resemble pre-war Darwin.
Looking elegant and relaxed in a subtle cream knee-length dress, cardigan and 
flat sandals, Nicole smooched and cuddled with husband Keith as they wandered 
along the balcony of the `Territory Hotel'.
The couple were driven along the newly laid red-dirt road before they got out of 
the car near the cattle yard and entered the Territory Hotel about 5pm.
After looking over the interior, Nicole and Keith appeared on the side balcony, 
where they casually chatted and surveyed the town.
Moments later, the distinct rumble of cattle could be heard as hundreds of cows 
were ushered back into their pen at the centre of the set for a special cattle 
run for Nicole's benefit.
Clearly delighted with the sight, Nicole casually waved to fans from her vantage 
point on the front balcony. She and Keith smiled and touched as they watched the 
cattle
come in.
It was a fitting introduction for Nicole &#8211; to both the set and to Bowen. The 
Territory Hotel is also where Nicole's character Lady Sarah will meet co-star 
Hugh Jackman for the first time in the film.
According to volunteer movie tour-guide Gloria Halloran, Lady Sarah will walk up 
Bowen's wharf wearing a beautiful gown with her hat to one side.
But when Lady Sarah strides in to Darwin there is no strapping Hugh waiting &#8211; 
just a lot of noise from the Territory Hotel, where a pub brawl is going on.</font></p>
				<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21724253-3102,00.html" target="blank">
				<font color="#800000">Kidman starts filming</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Courier Mail, 14 May 2007 </font> <br>
<br>
Nicole Kidman began work on the Baz Luhrmann-directed Australia today after 
jetting into Bowen yesterday.
Kidman dressed in period costume for her first scenes in the $100 million-dollar 
blockbuster.
Yesterday, Kidman flew into the north Queensdland town and was whisked off by a 
security team in a scene fitting of an action-packed Hollywood blockbuster.
Burly security guards bustled the movie mega-star and her husband Keith Urban 
into four-wheel drives with blacked out windows to avoid a small welcome party 
waiting at the airstrip of the north Queensland town after her jet touched down 
about 3.30pm.&nbsp;
The couple arrived in the town for the start of filming today of the Baz 
Luhrmann outback epic, Australia, after spending the night in Brisbane where the 
Caboolture-raised country music singer Urban played his first home concert in 
two years.
They were driven directly to a stately Queenslander on the outskirts of Bowen 
which will become home over the next few months of filming.
Nearly 100 volunteers have been recruited from the ranks of star-struck locals 
to help co-ordinate the flood of sightseers flocking to the new film set.</font></p>
				<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/12/2735_news.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Beach filled with vehicles</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Townsville Bulletin, 12 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
Bowen's main beach could be mistaken for a military base.
More than 45 ex-army vehicles are rolling into town to be a part of the 
multimillion-dollar Baz Luhrmann epic Australia.
The truck that Hugh Jackman will drive in the film has been transformed from an 
old wreck into a 1930s supply truck.
Sydney-based action vehicle supervisor Geoff Aylor is in Bowen with his team 
putting final touches to the cars and trucks that will feature in Australia.
He said Jackman's car had been basically rebuilt.
&quot;The truck is virtually a '42 model that has been made to look like a '38 
model,&quot; Mr Aylor said.
&quot;We have two trucks that are exactly the same in case something goes wrong with 
one. But not only that, they can also use one car to film a scene while the other is 
being used for filming in another location.&quot;</font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">Mr Aylor said cars would be streaming in from all over the place to be in the 
movie.
&quot;Some are coming from the Blue Mountains, Dubbo and we've also got a lot coming 
from Mackay and Townsville as well.&quot;
Mr Aylor said while some cars were undergoing final touches, others were doing 
test drives along the town's main street.
&quot;The Northern Territory Police truck was in a chook shed full of rats before 
being transformed into what it is now,&quot; he said.
Mr Aylor said he had been providing his vehicles for films for about 12 years.
&quot;We've had cars in Superman Returns, Stealth, South Pacific, Thin Red Line and 
we were recently up in Port Douglas for Fool's Gold,&quot; he said.
&quot;It's very satisfying seeing them go from old rust buckets into what they are 
now,&quot; he said.
Once all the vehicles were ready to go, Mr Aylor said there would be no slowing 
down.
&quot;It will be hectic keeping up with Baz. He's fantastic to watch because he knows 
exactly what he wants &#8211; he's all over it,&quot; Mr Aylor said.</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/12/2733_hpphoto.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Baz's crew roll in</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Townsville Bulletin, 12 May 2007</font></font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
Filming of Baz Luhrmann's epic Australia will start on Monday and Bowen is 
filling up with cast and crew.
Hundreds of crew members as well as body doubles touched down in Proserpine 
yesterday before driving to the film's set in Bowen.
One woman had a striking resemblance to Hollywood superstar Nicole Kidman and is 
believed to be her body double.
The crew arrived on a private charter plane from Sydney and will be based in 
Bowen for the next six weeks.
Australia unit publicity officer Edweana Wenkart said the remaining crew that 
had arrived were excited to finally be on location.
&quot;We've basically moved the entire production office from Sydney to Bowen and 
we'll be making sure everything is in order to start filming next week,&quot; Ms 
Wenkart said.
&quot;People are just starting to find their feet and feel at home because we will be 
here until the end of June.&quot;</font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">Film director Baz Luhrmann said as final days of filming wrapped up in Sydney, 
there was palpable excitement in Bowen.&nbsp;
&quot;The one thing we already feel, and in fact have felt from the day of our first 
visit, is that the citizens of Bowen and the outlying areas are making this film 
together with us,&quot; Luhrmann said.
&quot;So it's something we're all looking forward to (filming in Bowen) &#8211; and not 
just because we want to escape the Sydney winter.&quot;
Those already in Bowen have spent about six weeks perfecting the set as well as 
rehearsing in time for filming to begin.
The town's foreshore has been transformed into 1930s pre-war Darwin with 
existing buildings undergoing major face-lifts and red dirt spilt on bitumen 
roads.
In the lead-up to filming, a doubles dress rehearsal, without the A-list cast, 
will be held today.
Nicole Kidman and her co-star Hugh Jackman are expected to arrive in Bowen by 
tomorrow, before filming begins on Monday.</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/11/2684_hpnews.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Moo-vie stars</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Townsville Bulletin, 11 May 2007</font></font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
Bowen's usual smell of ocean spray was replaced with the out of place aroma of 
cattle manure yesterday morning.
Excited onlookers rose early to watch Baz Luhrmann's real 'moovie' stars in 
dress rehearsal down the town's main street as the sun rose on his new movie, 
Australia.
The director, who arrived on a Jetstar flight at Proserpine Airport about 7.45 
last night, is expected to start filming on Monday.
About 700 cattle trotted down the main street of Bowen yesterday, led by body 
doubles for the movie's stars, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, on horseback.
George and Herbert streets were blocked off with electric fences to guide the 
cattle through their paces, flanked on either side by Aboriginal stockmen. 
Extras, dressed in their cowboy best, watched the procession in readiness for 
filming next week.
Bowen local Robert Johnson took his son Jacob along to watch the 
once-in-a-lifetime experience of a cattle run down the main drag.
&quot;Jacob was very excited, I don't think he's seen cattle before unless it's at 
the show,&quot; he said.
&quot;Actually, to tell you the truth, I think it's the same for me. It's not a sight you often see in the middle of town.&quot;</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=23&ContentID=28374" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Kidman set for action in $100m epic</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
The West.com.au, 11 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
Baz Luhrmann's hugely awaited outback epic Australia shifts into top gear at the 
weekend as cast and crew of the $100 million production descend on the 
north-eastern Queensland town of Bowen.
For the past month stars Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and Brandon Walters, the 
11-year-old Broome cancer survivor who was thrust into the limelight when he won 
the coveted role of an Aboriginal musterer, have been rehearsing in Sydney.
Much of that time was spent mastering their horse-riding skills in preparation 
for the production.
The serious business of realising Luhrmann's long-held dream of a lush Gone With 
the Wind-inspired romance about an English aristocrat (Kidman) who inherits a 
cattle station just before the outbreak of World War II begins on Monday.
Bowen, 200km south of Townsville with a population of 8500, has been transformed 
by the production, the most expensive movie production in Australian history 
(rivalled only by George Miller's Happy Feet).
Luhrmann's crew and an army of locals have been working round the clock to 
recreate 1940s Darwin, building a picture theatre, police station, hotel, 
brothel, shantytown and stockyards for the 750 cattle which will have a starring 
role.
The Luhrmann juggernaut is expected to roll into Kununurra for the Kimberly leg 
of the movie towards the end of July.</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21708809-28957,00.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Epic explodes into action</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Herald Sun, 11 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
Talk about a boom in the film industry. Filming for big-budget flick Australia 
went off with a bang this week when a bomb was dropped on a beautiful old home 
in Vaucluse, Sydney.
Well, perhaps not a real bomb, but the impression of one at least. 
To recreate the historic bombing of Darwin during World War II, award-winning 
director Baz Luhrmann used hundreds of dummies to take the full force of the 
action.
The outback flick was expected to leave Sydney yesterday with Nicole Kidman, 
Hugh Jackman and the rest of the cast and crew heading to Bowen, Queensland.
The township is showing some excitement about their visitors. 
What they have dubbed the &quot;Baz buzz&quot; is manifesting itself in all sorts of ways 
-- the pie shop has named its products after Jackman.
A massive herd of cattle arrived in the town last week while large parts of 
Bowen are nearly unrecognisable under set scaffolding. 
Kununurra in the Kimberley region and Darwin will also play host to more scenes.
Still no word on how the actors' backsides are holding up after weeks of equine 
training.</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21701038-5006002,00.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Baz blows up Australia set</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Daily Telegraph (Sydney Confidential), 10 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
It may be a boom time for the Australian film industry, but Baz Luhrmann's big 
budget epic was expected to give cast and crew more bang for their buck last 
night.
In a carefully-staged scene, the award-winning director was set to drop a bomb 
on the Strickland House set - recreating a dramatic attack on the fictional pile 
Nicole Kidman's aristocratic character calls home. 
According to Confidential spies, the sequence was meant to be a blast from the 
past, mimicking the historical bombing of Darwin during World War II. 
And thankfully for the hard-working extras, who have laboured into the wee hours 
during the past week of night shoots, Luhrmann prepped hundreds of dummies to 
take the full force of the action - which looked like a Christo art installation 
yesterday.&nbsp;
The outback flick is expected to leave Sydney with a bang, with Kidman and her 
leading man, Hugh Jackman, to roll out of town with the rest of the crew bound 
for Bowen, in Queensland tomorrow.
Moving swiftly through the scenes at Vaucluse, Luhrmann and his crew will settle 
into the mango capital for the next few months, before droving on to Kunnanurra 
and Darwin for more scenes later in the year.
The scene change will be music to the ears of some actors, who are reportedly 
footsore after a glamorous dance sequence took its toll on many cast members.&nbsp;
Kidman, who will play Lady Sarah Ashley, was filmed in a candid version of 
Dancing With The Stars, snapped waltzing between takes with Jackman and co-star 
Bryan Brown. </font> </p>
<p align="left">
---</p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21705638-5006002,00.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Baz's Australia comes to life</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Daily Telegraph, 10 May 2007</font></font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">It was a mere six weeks ago that work began on the massive set, with the 
challenge of turning a corner of Bowen, Queensland into 1940s era Darwin.
With filming due to begin on Monday, the set is currently a flurry of activity - 
with dozens of workmen hurrying to and fro carrying anything from shop signage 
to drink containers for the 750 head of cattle making an appearance in the film.
On Saturday director Baz Luhrmann will arrive for a dress rehearsal and see the 
completed set for the first time.
The film's location manager, Carl Wood, gave local paper the Townsville 
Bulletin, a personally guided tour of the set of Luhrmann's new epic movie 
Australia - starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman.
Wood also shared details of how the production crew has battled for 40 days and 
nights to create an entire town, including a picture theatre, police station, 
hotel, brothel, shantytown and stockyards.
This morning the large herd will thunder through the streets to rehearse for 
their starring role.
The set has become its own tourist attraction, with tourists and locals making 
slow drive-bys to catch what glimpse they can behind the wire fences.
Soon the fencelines will be moved further back from the set to allow filming to 
begin.</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">Although Bowen traditionally boasts beautiful sunny weather, Mr Wood said work 
crews had been set back by a few days of wet weather.
Now everyone is buckling down to finish the final touches before the movies 
stars arrive on set for the first day of filming.
Everywhere you look there's tradesmen painting stonework on buildings, men 
hauling signage on to modern-day pubs and bales of hay being strewn across the 
cattle yards.
Mr Wood said every meticulous detail of the set was carefully planned and all 
modern finishings and embellishments hidden or pulled down.
Things you would never have thought of need to be covered to truly resemble a 
1940s Darwin.
Even the street lights have been replaced with more traditional fittings.
Authentic looking stone buildings are actually made from plaster that have been 
cleverly painted and moulded to look like real stone.
The bitumen road and even driveways of nearby residents will be covered in red 
dirt, reminiscent of the Northern Territory.
Mr Wood said the dirt had been carefully mixed to find the right colour.
It was then sent to Sydney to undergo testing under cameras and lighting before 
the final shade was chosen.
The only burst of green among the dry town comes from some beautiful old trees 
that look to be the perfect setting for a romantic interlude.
Mr Wood said many of Bowen's modern buildings had panelling added to create a 
wartime era look.
And on the vacant blocks from the dirt arose an entire town, with many of the 
buildings being built from scratch.
The newly erected buildings were yesterday being painted with dirt and water to 
create a run-down effect.
Mr Wood said this was the biggest set he had worked with.
&quot;It's such a wide, large area with the sea and the wharf and the blocks,&quot; he 
said.
&quot;I've never worked on such a wide open location. It takes up six streets, it's absolutely huge.&quot;
</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/09/2606_hpphoto.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Abuzz with movie gossip</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Townsville Bulletin, 9 May 2007</font></font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
With movie star Nicole Kidman due to arrive any day, Bowen locals have become 
Hollywood experts.
About 60 Bowen residents are manning a movie information centre to keep curious 
locals and sightseers up to date on the happenings on the set of Baz Luhrmann's 
latest film Australia.
Although the movies stars Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman are yet to arrive, it 
hasn't stopped the droves of people from visiting the Bowen set to watch the 
quiet town transform into early 1900s Australia.
Volunteer Gloria Halloran said since the information centre was set up yesterday 
they had been inundated with visitors.
&quot;Everyone has been flat out,&quot; she said.
&quot;There have been lots of people from overseas asking questions. There has also been lots of locals coming down walking their doggies. It's all very exciting.&quot;<br>
<br>
Fellow volunteer Debbie Hosie has already become starry eyed after a run in with 
Russell Crowe when he visited the set during Anzac Day.
&quot;I was with the dart club at the Grand View Hotel when he walked past, she said. I said 
'I think I know you from somewhere'. I think he was on his way to his 
yacht that he came here on.&quot;
Ms Hosie said the volunteer team would soon be getting uniforms.
&quot;There's been lots of people stopping and taking photos,&quot; she said.
&quot;This movie is really going to put Bowen on the map.&quot;
The volunteers will work in shifts at manning three booths set up throughout the 
town during the six-week filming schedule.</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.camdenadvertiser.com.au/2007/05/1_stars_drop_in_to_film_1.php" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Stars drop in to film</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Camden Advertiser, 9 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
Hollywood came to Camden this week.
World-renowned Australian actors Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman were among a 
cast of top-shelf actors who visited Camelot to take part in a film shoot for 
Baz Luhrmann's movie Australia.
Camelot's owner Brendan Powers allowed the Advertiser to visit his property 
while scenes were being filmed at the farm's stables.
Mr Powers, who has owned Camelot since 1999, said using it as a location for a 
film that would be seen by millions would put Camden on the map.
It will be a long time before Mr Powers forgets his brush with the stars.
He said two of his children, daughter Tayla, 11, and son Connor, 10, stumbled 
upon the movie stars at various stages.
''It's not every day that you have Hugh Jackman in the loungeroom and Nicole 
Kidman practising her lines in your bedroom,'' Mr Powers said.
''Tayla walked in on Nicole rehearsing her lines and Connor walked in, saw Hugh 
Jackman and said, 'hey, you're Wolverine [character from X-Men movie] aren't 
you?'''
Mr Powers, who had a ''quick chat'' with Nicole Kidman's husband Keith Urban, 
who ''dropped in'' on Monday, said he was thrilled when Luhrmann decided to use 
his 80-acre property as the backdrop for the start of the movie.
''We've got the number one director and the number one star in the world here at 
the moment,'' Mr Powers said.
''I don't know how much better it could get it's great. 'It's a great way of promoting tourism in the area. 'I've been saying for a while that we've got a Bowral right here and we should 
utilise it, so I hope that with the movie being filmed here, it'll be beneficial 
for Camden and put it on the world map.''</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21681181-7642,00.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">In the grip of Baz buzz</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Courier Mail, 7 May 2007</font></font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">It started out as little more than a murmur, but the atmosphere locals call the 
&quot;Baz buzz&quot; is at fever-pitch in Bowen.
For the past 12 months, the north Queensland town has been preparing to host the 
filming of the $130 million outback epic, Australia, which is set to start there 
next week.
While the cast, including Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, are still shooting 
scenes in Sydney, part of the town has undergone an extensive makeover in recent 
weeks.
The makeover has all but erased any trace of Queensland and replaced it with 
scenes reminiscent of Darwin in the wartime early-1940s, the period in which 
Australia is set.
For residents of the place they're calling &quot;Bowenwood&quot;, the chance to watch a 
blockbuster unfolding in their backyard is not to be missed.
By now, everyone there has heard the story about how world-famous director Baz 
Luhrmann went virtually unrecognised as he arrived unannounced for a low-key 
look at the surroundings.
In doing so, he encountered Merle Jochheim, proprietor of Jochheim's Pies and 
self-described town history teacher.
The 72-year-old is the great-great-granddaughter of the explorer who founded 
Bowen in 1859, and specialises in highlighting its attractions to anyone who is 
interested &#8211; which Luhrmann was.
&quot;If I'd known who he was, I wouldn't have been able to talk to him. I would have 
absolutely clammed up,&quot; she said.
&quot;I do find it nice to stand outside the shop and encourage visitors to stay in 
Bowen &#8211; I tell them to go up and see all the beaches because you get a 
360-degree view of the town. I got a lovely message from a friend the other day, saying, 'Of all the 
herrings you've sent up the hill, you've finally hooked a marlin'.&quot;
It's been a catch worth celebrating.<br>
<br>
Although some locals claim the VIPs will stay on nearby Hayman Island, Bowen 
mayor Mike Brunker says that is not the case, but will not be drawn further on 
their plans.
&quot;I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you,&quot; laughs Cr Brunker.
&quot;Our big thing, when we were talking to Baz, was interaction with the local 
community. I said, 'The last thing we want is a helicopter coming from Hayman Island with 
Nicole on it and we see the dust from the helicopter coming out in the morning 
and the dust from the helicopter going back in the afternoon'. And he assured us they would come here and be a part of the community.&quot;
It seems Luhrmann has been as good as his word.
&quot;There isn't an area that they haven't drawn on, from food supplies, to 
accommodation, to sourcing the furniture,&quot; Tourism Bowen manager Therese Saad 
said.
&quot;As they're doing that, they're wheeling and dealing with the community.&quot;
Alan Bryson, a local who runs Monarch's Harbourside Homestead, rents most of his 
rooms to young backpackers drawn to the region for its fruitpicking 
opportunities.
The film's casting agents hope to draw on their ranks to fill the 1000-odd 
places for extras from a range of countries, in keeping with the cosmopolitan 
nature of Darwin in the 1940s.
Like most locals, Mr Bryson said filming the movie in Bowen could only be good 
for the town.
&quot;The amount of people who would normally not stop in Bowen who have been pulling 
up is amazing,&quot; he said.
&quot;I think the contribution the film is making to this town is something the 
people of Bowen should be welcoming.&quot;</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/sundaymail/story/0,,21672953-3102,00.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Surreal days in Bowen</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
The Sunday Mail, 5 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
Bowen is living a strange double life.
The north Queensland town is simultaneously a vast film set, preparing to work 
around the clock to help create Baz Luhrmann's new epic film, Australia.
But the town is also pretending to be a 1940s Northern Territory town and 
wartime Darwin.
As the first of the cast and crew moved in this week locals adapted &#8211; one local 
cafe started selling &quot;hunky&quot; meat pies in honour of one of the stars, Hugh 
Jackman.
And a woman who looked uncannily like Nicole Kidman drove a herd of cattle 
through the streets. It wasn't Kidman &#8211; it may have been her stand-in &#8211; but the 
cattle drive gave residents a taste of what was to come.
Hundreds of extras will be used in the film. Most will be drawn from Bowen and 
surrounding towns.</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/05/2490_newsphoto.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Locals herd in behind Baz's mob </font> </a>
<font color="#800000"><br>
Townsville Bulletin, 5 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
As clouds of red dust rose in the distance and the hot afternoon sun dipped on 
the horizon, a street rehearsal for the much anticipated outback epic Australia 
got under way in Bowen yesterday.&nbsp; Locals and visitors who had waited 
several hours lined the footpaths as 700 short-horn cattle, specially chosen for 
the 'moovie', were driven up the main 
street and on to the film set.
While many crew members had been in Bowen for several weeks already, the film's 
A-list cast which includes Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Bryan Brown, Jack 
Thompson and David Wenham are yet to arrive. They are expected next week.
Yesterday, one of Kidman's four stand-ins was among those leading the massive 
pack. Kidman and Jackman have been undergoing intense riding training in Sydney 
leading up to the movie.
Tourism Bowen manager Therese Saad said the opportunity to watch a blockbuster 
unfolding before their eyes was too good to miss.</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/sundaytelegraph/story/0,,21673752-5006009,00.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Kidman's Australia delight</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
The Daily Telegraph, 5 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
It started out as little more than a murmur, but the atmosphere locals have 
dubbed the &quot;Baz buzz&quot; grew to fever-pitch in Bowen this week. For the past 12 
months, the North Queensland town has been preparing to host the filming of the 
$130 million outback epic Australia, set to start on May 15. While the cast, 
including Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, are still shooting scenes in Sydney, a 
massive group of support actors &#8211; a herd of 700 shorthorn cattle &#8211; had a 
four-hour street rehearsal in Bowen yesterday afternoon. As The Saturday Daily 
Telegraph's
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/sundaytelegraph/gallery/0,,5022820-5010141,00.html" target="blank">
<font color="#000000">exclusive photographs</font></a> reveal, part of the township has undergone an 
extensive makeover in recent weeks, erasing all trace of Queensland and 
replacing it with scenes reminiscent of Darwin in the early-1940s, the period in 
which Australia is set.<br>
<br>
As the town's makeover neared completion yesterday, Kidman revealed her first 
week of filming in Sydney has been nerve-racking but joyous.
&quot;The loveliest thing is being able to work with such a prestigious group of 
actors,&quot; Kidman said.
&quot;These are people I have known most of my life and to be doing an ensemble piece 
with them is a great privilege. The other delight has been working with most of the crew, who I have been 
working with since I was 14 years old, but I am nervous still.&quot;
Production will continue in Sydney before relocating to Bowen.
For long-time residents of the place they're calling &quot;Bowenwood&quot;, the 
opportunity to watch a blockbuster unfolding in their backyard is not to be 
missed.
Everyone in town has heard the story about how world-famous director Baz 
Luhrmann went virtually unrecognised as he arrived unannounced for a low-key 
look at the local surroundings.
In doing so, he encountered Merle Jochheim, proprietor of Jochheim's Pies and 
self-described keeper of the town's history.
The 72-year-old is the great-great-grand-daughter of the explorer who founded 
Bowen in 1859, and she specialises in highlighting its attractions to anyone who 
is interested &#8211; which Luhrmann was.
&quot;If I'd known who he was, I wouldn't have been able to talk to him. I would have 
clammed up,&quot; she said this week.
&quot;I find it nice to stand outside the shop and encourage visitors to stay in 
Bowen. I got a message from a friend the other day, saying, 'you've finally 
hooked a marlin'.&quot;
It's been a catch worth celebrating.
Outside Merle's bakery, a handwritten sign, changed daily, announces &quot;the number 
of sleeps&quot; until the cast arrives in town.
Mrs Jochheim is anticipating at least some of the actors will drop by and has 
put a special menu on in their honour.
&quot;I'm hoping Hugh Jackman will turn up. I saw him on an American morning show and 
he said a meat pie was his favourite, so we've got a Hunky &#8211; not chunky &#8211; 
Jackman pie and a Baz Baguette. We've kind of got nothing for Nicole because I 
can't imagine her having a pie.&quot;</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">Although locals claim to have heard the VIPs &#8211; including Kidman &#8211; will be 
staying on nearby Hayman Island during shooting, Bowen Mayor Mike Brunker claims 
that's not the case, but refuses to be drawn.
&quot;Our big thing, when we were talking to Baz, was interaction with the community. I said, 'The last thing we want is a helicopter coming from Hayman Island with 
Nicole on it and we see the dust from the helicopter coming out in the morning 
and the dust from the helicopter going back in the afternoon', and he assured us 
they would be a part of the community.&quot;
Luhrmann has been as good as his word.
&quot;There isn't an area that they haven't drawn on, from food supplies to 
accommodation, to sourcing the furniture,&quot; Tourism Bowen manager Therese Saad 
said.
&quot;(The financial impact for Bowen) will be in the millions.&quot;<br>
<br>
Alan Bryson, who runs Monarch's Harbourside Homestead rents most of his rooms 
out to young backpackers.
The film's casting agents are hoping to draw on their ranks to fill the 1000-odd 
places for extras.
Bryson is also reportedly being paid for use of the exterior of his boarding 
house, which will feature in some of the scenes.
&quot;We were going to paint it, but when we got word that it was going to be in the 
shot, we thought we'd better not paint it some nice, bright, modern colour 
because it's not got to fit in with that era,&quot; he said.
Kidman can't wait to start filming. She said she was excited to resurrect her 
working relationship with the Moulin Rogue team, Luhrmann and his wife Catherine 
Martin: &quot;I just hope we can make our country proud.&quot;</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua" color="#004080"><a href="http://www.news.com.au/sundaytelegraph/story/0,,21671209-5006002,00.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Nicole 
Kidman pub with no beer</font></a></font><font face="Book Antiqua"><font color="#800000"><br>
The Daily Telegraph, 4 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
Bowen is now the official home of the pub with no beer. The Territory Hotel 
stands proudly on the site of the set for Baz Luhrmann's movie Australia but 
workers constructing the set would be hard pressed to find a cleansing ale 
inside. It's a prop that would only serve to tease the workers, and others, as 
they go about their business in the hot North Queensland sun.&nbsp; Bowen Shire 
Mayor Mike Brunker said he had his own plans for christening The Territory 
Hotel. &quot;I'd like to have a licence for that,'' Cr Brunker said. &quot;I would like to 
have a closing beer in there ... it would be a good place to finish.''</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">The pub is a stand-out 
feature of the movie set, a recreation of early 1900s Darwin. There is a custom 
built cattle-yard in front of the pub and small huts and shacks making up a 
village behind it as construction crew keep preparing for the shoot. &quot;There's a 
lot of red dirt to be put around the front intersection,'' Cr Brunker said. 
&quot;They've closed off the jetty . . . it's all coming together quite nicely.'' As 
Bowen prepares for a flood of Hollywood cast and crew, the town is now under 
siege by tourists.&nbsp; Cr Brunker said the oceanfront set was attracting a lot 
of visitors. &quot;A lot of people are coming in to take photos ... coming down from 
Townsville and all over the place,'' he said. &quot;People are coming in on their 
holidays.'' A fence has been erected to keep the tourists out of the Northern 
Territory, or Baz Luhrmann's version of it. <br>
<br>
Filming is set to begin on May 10 or 11 as the town eagerly waits on the arrival 
of Hollywood royalty Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Rehearsals are now under 
way in Sydney for the Baz Luhrmann big budget movie Australia.&nbsp; But just 
like the two legged stars of the epic romance, the four legged cast members will 
also need to rehearse before filming begins in Bowen next month. In all, it is 
expected about 1500 head of shorthorns will be used in the movie. Part of the 
main herd came down from Mount Pleasant station, near Collinsville, to the Euri 
Creek stockyards this week.&nbsp; Now to learn their &quot;moves&quot; the cattle will 
firstly be taken to the Bowen Turf Club grounds for rehearsals.&nbsp; A replica 
circuit of the one they will have to follow in town and on the movie sets at the 
Front Beach is to be pegged out there to get the shorthorns &quot;familiarised&quot;.</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">In the film, Nicole Kidman plays an English aristocrat, Lady Sarah Ashley, who 
finds herself in an unlikely partnership with a cattle drover Hugh Jackman. The 
duo fights to save her cattle station from falling into the hands of local beef 
barons. After arriving in Darwin with the herd, cattle and stars have to survive 
the upheaval of the Japanese bombing the port. &quot;This is the crucial part of the 
film,&quot; the movies location manager Carl Wood said. &quot;Early in the filming before 
the end of May the cattle will be driven, basically, from the junction of 
Herbert and George streets into Dalrymple Street, across to &quot;Kavanagh Street&quot; in 
Darwin and down to the wharf,&quot; he said. Because of the angle of the shooting, no 
Darwin scenery will be required to be set up in Bowen streets until the old 
harbour masters building. Filming from the veranda, looking towards the wharf, 
the cattle will appear from underneath. &quot;There will be rehearsals for that in 
the week or two before the shoot,&quot; Mr Wood said. He said there would be a 
circuit which would be advertised where the cattle would go to get into position 
for filming. &quot;Its probably up Gregory Street, along George and down Herbert, so 
we have got the smallest route possible. &quot;The replica at the turf club will help 
the cattle get it in their brains,&quot; Mr Wood said. &quot;Hopefully, there will be some 
retention,&quot; he said. Meanwhile, the cattle at Euri Creek will be coming into 
town at first light on Sunday. Coming off Dry Creek Road they are expected to be 
driven along Telegraph Road through the Delta and over Russells Crossing to the 
showgrounds, initially. They will then be a common site grazing around Bowen as 
they wait for their call for lights, camera and action. </font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<u>Hunt for movie extras still not over </u> </font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">You may have seen the 
big white marquee set up at the former Bowen NQ Stockfeeds site in George 
Street. You also may have heard of some people being called in for a costume 
fitting. But just because your telephone has not rung, do not think your movie 
career as an extra has ended up on the cutting room floor. Bazmark Film extras 
casting director Gabrielle Healy said staff would be calling people selected to 
fill various extras roles in Baz Luhrmanns Australia right up until the first 
week of June. Costume fittings this week began in earnest and will continue 
throughout this month and into the next. For people who missed the extras 
registration days, you may still have a chance. Ms Healy said the hunt was still 
on for men and women aged 16 and over, Asian and indigenous persons. Anyone 
fitting those descriptions can sign up at Bowen NQ Stockfeeds former premises at 
57/3 George Street, today between 3pm and 5pm. Just ask for Nikki. </font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#004080">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/03/2422_hpphoto.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Nic's Northern exposure</font></a></font><font face="Book Antiqua"><font color="#800000"> <br>
Townsville Bulletin, 3 May 2007 </font> <br>
<br>
When Nicole Kidman starts filming her new movie in Bowen in a couple of weeks 
time it will mark a full circle in her career. Eighteen years ago, bright-eyed 
Nicole came to North Queensland to star in the deep sea thriller Dead Calm. She 
was an unknown then, a fiery, wild-haired young starlet whose big-screen credits 
were limited to small Aussie productions BMX Bandits and Windriders. She signed 
up for Dead Calm because she wanted to work with the more accomplished Sam Neill 
and with an expectation it was just another step in her determined plan to one 
day be famous. But not even she expected the worldwide applause for her chilling 
portrayal of a young wife fighting off Billy Zane's madman on a yacht in the 
middle of the ocean. Dead Calm would be Nicole's breakthrough into the big time. 
Now, in her 40th year, she's coming back to the North a very different actress, 
set to play a very different role.<br>
<br>
In Baz Luhrmann's Bowen-based epic, Australia, she's an aristocratic 
Englishwoman who finds herself in the Outback and on a droving trip to Darwin 
which she reaches just as it is bombed by the Japanese during World War II. 
Bowen has been selected because of its resemblance to 1940s Darwin and Nicole 
says shes looking forward to casting her eye over what has been described as one 
of the most beautiful spots along the Australian east coast. &quot;I expect we'll be 
shooting in Bowen for almost two months,&quot; she said from Sydney where the cast is 
in rehearsal.&nbsp; &quot;We'll almost be locals by the time we leave.&quot; Although it 
is rumoured she will stay on Hamilton Island and a chopper will take her to and 
from the set each day, she's not sure where shell be staying. &quot;It's up to the 
production to work out where to put us all' and keep us out of mischief.&quot;</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">But that doesn't mean 
she won't be out and about around town during the filming. She confidently 
expects to have time to meet the locals and get out into the community a bit, 
despite the pressures of work. Although she doesn't think she'll have much time 
for sightseeing, she hopes to fit in a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. &quot;I would 
like to find the time to do that,&quot; she said. &quot;I love the ocean and I've done a 
lot of scuba diving so it would be great to have the chance.&quot; She laughed at 
reports in the UK that she had learned to round up cattle and castrate bulls for 
her role as the aristocrat who inherits the cattle station Faraway Downs and 
hires Hugh Jackman to move the herd across the country.&nbsp; &quot;I don't know 
where that story came from. I've never castrated a bull.&quot; However she and Hugh 
have been brushing up on their horse riding skills at Sydneys Fox Studios. &quot;I'm 
learning riding, dressage, mustering cattle and cutting. It's been such a great 
learning experience for me, I love riding horses.&quot;</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">Nicole says she is excited about working with Baz and Hugh again, and she is not 
alone. The movie industry has big expectations for Australia for various 
reasons, not the least of them the obvious film-making chemistry between Nicole 
and Baz. He, like no other director, has captured the best of Nicole. He 
showcased her comic timing, sense of drama and striking beauty in the frenetic 
musical Moulin Rouge and he framed her sense of style in their 
multimillion-dollar foray into TV advertising, a commercial for Chanel No 5. &quot;I 
love them both and look forward to working with them both again,&quot; Nicole said. 
&quot;I had a small practice run working with Hugh when we played Mumble's mother and 
father in George Miller's animated film Happy Feet. And, of course, I had the 
most wonderful experience working with Baz on my last Australian movie, Moulin 
Rouge. I think he's a creative genius. So too is his wonderful wife Catherine 
Martin who is the production designer. They are two of the most special people 
in the world.&quot;</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">She is tightlipped 
about the specifics of her role in Australia. Baz is notorious for keeping a lid 
on all of his productions until opening night and expects his actors to do the 
same. However it has been reported that Jack Thompson will play Kipling Flynn, a 
drunken accountant and flamboyant bon vivant, a role which almost seems penned 
especially for him. Bryan Browns suitably weathered features will perfectly suit 
the role of cattle baron King Carney, the single greatest landholder in the 
countrys north, and David Wenham will play Neil Fletcher, a station manager who 
plots to possess Faraway Downs. Although Kidman was actually born in Hawaii, her 
parents are Australian and she regards Australia as her home, even though she 
doesnt get home as often as she likes these days. Her film commitments as well 
as juggling her role of mother to Isabella and Connor, children she adopted with 
ex-husband Tom Cruise, make trips home complicated. </font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">However she is excited 
to be spending so much time in her homeland this year, particularly as it 
coincides with her husband Keith Urban's Australian concert tour. Urban is 
expected to spend time with Nicole during her stay in Bowen, the Whitsunday 
lifestyle the perfect tonic after his much-publicised stint in rehab for alcohol 
abuse.&nbsp; &quot;I really hope to be at some of Keith's concerts,&quot; she said. &quot;I 
can't wait. We're so grateful that were both able to be in Australia doing what 
we do and giving back to our country. I've wanted to make this film since I was 
a little girl. I mean that in the sense of wanting to make a film about my 
country for my country.'' Although she says that, ideally, she'd like to do just 
one production a year because it takes so much out of her, her schedule seems 
rather busier than her ideal. In just a relatively short time shes won an Oscar, 
three Golden Globes, become the highest paid actress in Hollywood and recently 
was invested as a Companion of the Order of Australia.</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">Kidman has completed work on director Oliver Hirschbiegels science fiction movie 
The Invasion, the visiting and Noah Baumbach's comedy-drama Margot at the 
Wedding. That's in between her much-praised work on Happy Feet. She has done the 
film adaptation of the first part of the His Dark Materials trilogy in which she 
plays the villainous Mrs. Coulter. She is also set to star in director Wong Kar-wais 
next film, The Lady from Shanghai, with Headhunters and Need slotted in for next 
year. &quot;But I'm focusing on this film right now. It's a big, big production.&quot; She 
likes to switch genres so she doesn't get bogged down in just one type of role. 
&quot;I love all genres. I like to try alternative genres and to keep things 
unpredictable.&quot; But wherever she goes in the world, wherever shes filming, and 
whatever role she's playing, she always brings with her a little touch of home. 
&quot;I always bring the little homey things like candles and chocolate,&quot; she said.</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21658462-5006013,00.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">First snap: Kidman in new Baz flick</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
The Daily Telegraph, 2 May 2007</font><br>
<br>
This is the first picture of Nicole Kidman looking grand as cattle queen Lady 
Sarah Ashley in Baz Luhrmann's sweeping new $120 million epic Australia. The 
Oscar-winning beauty, 39, plays an upper-crust English aristocrat who heads Down 
Under just before World War II to confront her skirt-chasing husband - only to 
find him dead. This leaves her in control of a massive Northern Territory cattle 
station the size of Belgium. Kidman joins a massive cast of top Aussie talent 
with Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson, John Jarratt, David 
Gulpilil and Bill Hunter all hand-picked by Luhrmann. Filming began in Sydney 
this week at the 150-year-old Strickland House in Vaucluse, which is doubling as 
Darwin's Government House. Kidman and a bearded Jackman were earlier spotted 
brushing up on their riding skills in Centenntial Park. Riding is an essential 
part of the film - the pair fall in love as Jackman, playing a rough stockman, 
helps her drive 1500 cattle across the property.<br>
<br>
Shooting takes place over five months with the production moving to the tiny 
North Queensland mango town of Bowen later this month. The coastal community is 
now bustling with construction workers as more than eight town blocks are taken 
back in time. Stockyards, shacks, old-fashioned cottages, shops and even a hotel 
have been erected at the oceanfront site. A 93-year-old sugar cane locomotive 
called Homebush has even been enlisted to play a significant role in the flick. 
The loco started chugging around near Mackay in 1915 and was kept in mint 
condition by sugar company CSR. Homebush will stay in Bowen until the end of 
next month - CSR even had to arrange for train tracks to be laid in the town's 
main street to complete the illusion. But getting Bowen ready hasn't been all 
smooth sailing. New Idea magazine made a classic blunder when it ran a photo 
purportedly of Bowen's main street with inset snaps of Kidman and Jackman. 
Unfortunately the picture is of the main street of Roma - an inland Queensland 
town at least 1000km to the southwest. It also features a series of distinctive 
bottle trees, which can't even be found in Bowen. Bowen Shire Mayor Mike Brunker 
was not amused. &quot;Of all the beautiful photos of Bowen they had to go and use one 
of Roma,'' he stormed. &quot;(The photo) has even got bottle trees in it.&quot;</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200705/1911909.htm?northqld" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">'Baz 
buzz' puts movie spotlight on Bowen</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
Abc.net.au, 2 May 2007</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">A north Queensland 
tourism body says the filming of Baz Lurhmann's movie Australia in Bowen will 
pour millions of dollars into the region. Bowen Tourism manager Therese Saad 
says the movie, staring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, has put Bowen on the 
map. Ms Saad says the locals cannot wait for filming to start. &quot;The excitement 
now is building because it's getting closer and closer to that time and already 
we have many, many, many people visiting the town just to have a look at the 
sight alone so, yes, we've got the Baz buzz going I suppose you could say,&quot; she 
said.<br>
<br>
Bowen Mayor Mike Brunker says there are hundreds of people a day taking photos 
of the set and he expects the steady flow of tourists to turn into a flood 
within a fortnight. &quot;We're expecting a bigger circus because obviously the stars 
are going to be the major attraction ... we've had Russell Crowe down looking at 
the set and we've had numerous numbers of tourists coming through, but I think 
once Nicole Kidman and the stars get here, well, that's when we'll see major 
chaos I think,&quot; he said.</font></p>
				<p align="left">
<font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/article/2007/05/01/2345_news.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Riding the history train on-set </font> </a>
<font color="#800000"><br>
The Townsville Bulletin, 1 May 2007</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">A locomotive that once 
pulled passengers and cane around Ingham's Herbert district is to get a starring 
role in Baz Luhrmann's Australia to be filmed in Bowen this month. Homebush, a 
93-year-old loco built in Leeds in 1914, started its working life in the Mackay 
area in 1915 with the Colonial Sugar Refining Company. The rustic-looking loco 
has been well maintained over the years and is still in the possession of CSR at 
the company's Victoria Mill outside Ingham. Victoria Mill spokesman Paul 
Giordani said Homebush would be transported to Bowen soon and would remain on 
site until the end of June. He said CSR had arranged for train tracks to be laid 
in Bowen's main street this month. &quot;We think it's great Homebush is going to be 
in a movie,&quot; he said.<br>
<br>
CSR Herbert rolling stock engineer Rob Johnson said that in 1921 when Homebush's 
tour of duty in the Mackay district drew to an end the loco was sent north. He 
said it was used to transport passengers between Lucinda and Ingham and to haul 
cane to the Victoria mill. He said that from 1932 through to 1976 Homebush 
transported tramway maintenance gangs around the Victoria Mill district. It was 
also used to haul cane. Mr Giordani said Homebush was a star attraction at the 
annual Australian-Italian Festival in Ingham in May where it was used as a 
novelty train ride. &quot;Due to filming commitments Homebush will not be able to 
make its annual appearance at the Australian festival in May,&quot; he said. Mr 
Giordani said CSR would make a diesel locomotive available to festival 
organisers. &quot;Next year Homebush will be back and people who take a train ride 
will know they are being towed by the locomotive that featured in the Baz 
Luhrmann movie,&quot; he said. Mr Johnson said CSR would also be sending two old 
'stalk truck' wagons to Bowen. He said the wagons were used in the early part of 
last century to carry entire lengths of cane.</font></p>
			</div>
		</div>
	</div>
</div>
<p align="left">---</p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.news.com.au/sundaytelegraph/story/0,,21638026-5001026,00.html?from=public_rss" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Nicole and Hugh film Australia</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
The Sunday Telegraph, 29 April 2007</font><br>
<br>
The first scenes on Baz Luhrmann's outback epic Australia will be shot in 
Sydney, with production on the big-budget Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman film to 
begin tomorrow. The A-list Australian actors will spend this week working nights 
at the 150-year-old Strickland House, in Vaucluse, shooting from 6pm until dawn 
until Friday. A heavy security presence will keep guard on the site, to keep the 
paparazzi at bay and local residents wanting to walk along the foreshore will be 
escorted by guards.</font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">Luhrmann was on set 
last week, doing preliminary test shooting and staff were heard referring to him 
as &quot;the comet''. He's always got a trail of people following behind him as he 
walks around the set telling them what to do,'' a source told The Sunday 
Telegraph. &quot;He points his finger and they go running in each direction.'' Kidman 
made a visit to the Strickland House set late last week to inspect her &quot;huge'' 
trailer to make sure it was suitable. She also spent Thursday afternoon 
rehearsing scenes with Bryan Brown. Kidman and Jackman will film their first 
scenes for the much anticipated film on a specially built parquetry floor on the 
grounds of Strickland House, which is doubling as Darwin's Government House. The 
$100 million plus 20th Century Fox action-adventure is set in Australia's 
northern outback before World War II and is due for release next year. Kidman 
plays Lady Sarah Ashley, an English aristocrat who travels halfway around the 
world to confront her cheating husband, only to find him dead.&nbsp; She's left 
in control of a massive Northern Territory cattle station the size of Belgium. 
Jackman plays Kidman's love interest, a drover who helps her drive 1500 cattle 
across the property, all under the threat of Darwin being invaded by the 
Japanese. <br>
<br>
Australia's cast reads like a who's who of local acting talent, with Bryan 
Brown, Jack Thompson, Bill Hunter and David Wenham in the line-up. Wenham has 
told people privately he was blown away by the subtleties in the script. At 
first he thought the title was a &quot;bit geeky'' but, after reading the script, he 
couldn't think of a more suitable name. Also in the feature are Ben Mendelsohn, 
John Jarratt, Barry Otto, Bruce Spence, Essie Davis, Sandy Gore, Ursula Yovich 
and Crusoe Kurrdal. For many of the production staff, it will be the first film 
they have worked on since Superman Returns was shot in NSW more than a year ago. 
The film will undoubtedly inject millions of dollars into the economy but will 
also provide a welcome morale boost to the local film industry. Shooting will 
take place over five months in four locations - Sydney, Kununurra, Darwin and 
Bowen.</font></p>
<p align="left"><i><font face="Book Antiqua">---</font></i></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Book Antiqua">
<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/film/nics-niece-sees-stars-on-set-of-blockbuster/2007/04/28/1177460037333.html" target="blank">
<font color="#800000">Nic's niece sees stars on set of blockbuster</font></a><font color="#800000"><br>
The Sydney Morning Herald, 29 April 2007</font><br>
<br>
These are glimpses from the set of one of the nation's 
most eagerly anticipated films - Baz Lurhmann's epic movie Australia. Leading 
man Hugh Jackman looks resplendent in a tuxedo, while fellow Australian actors 
Barry Otto, in a pith helmet, and Ben Mendelsohn, in army uniform, rehearse 
their lines on a balcony at historic Strickland House in Vaucluse. Leading lady 
Nicole Kidman's niece, Lucia Hawley, holding the hand of Aunty Nic's publicist 
Wendy Day, watches the cast prepare for filming, which begins tomorrow. After 
two years of pre-production, the five-month shoot kicks off at Strickland House, 
where rehearsals were held last week.<br>
<br>
Jackman, whose actor wife Deborra-lee Furness visited the set, was given this 
weekend off to attend a bucks party for Today show fitness guru Michael Ryan on 
the Gold Coast, while Kidman continued to spend time with her sister Antonia's 
family. The two-week Sydney shoot will cover scenes of the bombing of Darwin by 
Japanese forces, with the waterfront Vaucluse property serving as Darwin's 
Government House. The $184million production then moves to Bowen in Queensland 
and Kununurra in the remote Kimberley Region of Western Australia.The Queensland 
and West Australian governments have each contributed $500,000 to Lurhmann's 
budget for Australia. Kununurra is the site of the fictional Faraway Downs 
homestead inherited by Kidman's character, Lady Sarah Ashley.The English 
aristocrat unexpectedly finds herself fighting to save a cattle station the size 
of Belgium when English cattle barons plot to take her land. She reluctantly 
joins forces with Jackman's rough-hewn cattle driver to push 1500 cattle across 
northern Australia's breathtaking but brutal landscape.<br>
<br>
The cast of the romantic action-adventure includes screen legends Ray Barrett, 
Bryan Brown, Jack Thompson and Bill Hunter, who will act alongside David Wenham, 
John Jarratt and Bruce Spence. The significant indigenous cast includes 
award-winner David Gulpilil, his son and Ten Canoes star Jamie and Ursula Yovich, 
who earned acclaim in another Australian movie, Jindabyne. Kidman's husband, 
country music star Keith Urban, will return to Australia next month to continue 
his Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Thing world tour. The superstar couple are 
expected to be based in Sydney for the next nine months. Kidman took Lucia to 
see US pop diva Beyonce perform at the Entertainment Centre on Thursday night. 
The nine-year-old has been in the spotlight since revelations that her father 
Angus spent time at a Sydney psychiatric clinic for anxiety and depression this 
month. The 38-year-old businessman's rehabilitation stint came less than a 
fortnight after the birth of his fourth child, Sybella.</font></p>
<p align="center"><font face="Book Antiqua" color="#804040"><b>
<a href="australiamovie.htm">Click here</a> to return to my <i>Australia</i> 
page on my main website.</b></font></p>
</body>
</html>
