0:00:03 > 0:00:05Coast has returned.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10After our first look at Australia's epic coastline...
0:00:12 > 0:00:14..it was clear we'd barely begun to cover
0:00:14 > 0:00:18this vast and surprising continent.
0:00:18 > 0:00:23It's great to be back to explore eight new fascinating coastlines.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28From the Pilbara to the Torres Strait,
0:00:28 > 0:00:32from Norfolk Island to South Australia,
0:00:32 > 0:00:34we're setting out to capture
0:00:34 > 0:00:37the dazzling diversity of a young nation,
0:00:37 > 0:00:39built on an ancient land...
0:00:40 > 0:00:44..discovering the secrets, the scenery
0:00:44 > 0:00:45and the stories of its people.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52Joining me on this grand adventure - Professor Tim Flannery,
0:00:52 > 0:00:55a passionate palaeontologist and zoologist
0:00:55 > 0:00:59who also writes extensively about Australia's explorers,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03distinguished marine biologist Professor Emma Johnston.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06A New South Wales Scientist of the Year,
0:01:06 > 0:01:10Emma is an expert on the stunning biodiversity in Australian waters.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14Dr Xanthe Mallett is an anthropologist, scientist
0:01:14 > 0:01:19and keen diver, with a fascination for social and cultural quirks.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Brendan Moore is a landscape architect who is intrigued
0:01:24 > 0:01:27by the way people interact with their coastal environment.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29And Dr Alice Garner is an historian
0:01:29 > 0:01:33who brings a special knowledge of coastal communities.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38And as for me, well, I get the job of a lifetime,
0:01:38 > 0:01:40because I get to be your guide.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49It's an irresistibly epic journey
0:01:49 > 0:01:51and I can't wait to get started.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Welcome back to Coast - Coast Australia.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26Our first journey covers Victoria's dramatic Bass Strait coast...
0:02:30 > 0:02:33..taking in the sprawling Gippsland Lakes,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36the southernmost tip of the Australian mainland
0:02:36 > 0:02:39and the jagged edge of the Mornington Peninsula.,
0:02:39 > 0:02:44Tim delves into his own past in a tale of dinosaur discovery.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47The first dinosaur fossil ever found in Australia.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Alice investigates a great maritime mystery.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54This bay was the site of tragedy once again.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Brendan checks out a sport that's not plain sailing...
0:02:58 > 0:03:00I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing!
0:03:00 > 0:03:04..while I'm on a journey into the unknown.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07More people have walked on the surface of the moon
0:03:07 > 0:03:09than have ever set foot on Skull Rock.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13But first, we're heading offshore,
0:03:13 > 0:03:1750km east of Victoria's Gippsland coast.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27For many years, the waters of Bass Strait hid a prehistoric secret -
0:03:27 > 0:03:29a buried treasure.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39In 1960, American geologist Lewis G Weeks singled out this area
0:03:39 > 0:03:42as a likely place to find black gold.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51The first big discovery was made in 1965,
0:03:51 > 0:03:55when an exploration company found natural gas
0:03:55 > 0:04:00and just a year later, they discovered the real prize - oil.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08I've been given a very rare opportunity
0:04:08 > 0:04:11to fly the 43km out to see some of the platforms
0:04:11 > 0:04:14and to meet some of the people who live and work on them.
0:04:22 > 0:04:29Until 1966, Australia had been totally reliant on overseas oil.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33Now it had its own supply, right here in Bass Strait.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39The very existence of these platforms out here
0:04:39 > 0:04:42is testament to ground-breaking engineering.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46Invisible beneath us is a complex web of 400 wells.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51And a platform like that one doesn't just drill straight down.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53On the contrary, it can reach out in all directions,
0:04:53 > 0:04:57drawing up on reserves of oil and gas as far away as 6km.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14Steve O'Brien is senior operations supervisor on Tuna Platform.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18Bass Strait's been his workplace for over 40 years.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20It's not a bad office, eh?
0:05:20 > 0:05:24Steve, what type of challenges does the Bass Strait pose
0:05:24 > 0:05:26for oil and gas exploration?
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Well, probably the biggest challenge, Neil, is the weather.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31It's, you know, it can be huge.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34It can go from what we've got out here right now -
0:05:34 > 0:05:38in six hours we could be looking at 45-50 knot winds
0:05:38 > 0:05:40and three-and-a-half, four-metre seas.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44And how's the structure designed to cope with that?
0:05:44 > 0:05:46OK, in two ways.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49One - using piles - deep, long piles -
0:05:49 > 0:05:54we actually pin the structure into the seabed and then secondly,
0:05:54 > 0:05:58the structure itself, the 6,500 tonnes of steel it's made up of
0:05:58 > 0:06:02is actually designed to withstand what we call the hundred-year wave.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05- Which is what? - Which is, statistically,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08the biggest wave we are going to see over a 100-year period,
0:06:08 > 0:06:10and, here, it's a 33-metre wave
0:06:10 > 0:06:12coming in from the south-east.
0:06:12 > 0:06:1533 metres - so, how high are we above the sea, at the moment?
0:06:15 > 0:06:19- Oh, plenty. We're about 50 metres above, so that's OK.- Right.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22If the worst was to happen here, and this thing was, you know,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25washed away, what would it cost to put it back?
0:06:25 > 0:06:27Oh, Neil.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Little change out of 4.5 billion.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32- So!- Right. OK.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36- We don't want to have to rebuild this platform!- OK. I hear you.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41The figures are enough to leave you reeling.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45But there's another surprise waiting below in the plant room.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51- Right.- So, what is this? Where are we?- Have a look at this.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52Just...have a feel.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56- Oh, it's hot.- Yeah. - Too hot to touch, almost.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58That's the oil coming up from the reservoir.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00That's the temperature it comes up at.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04Just under 200 degrees as it comes to the surface.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07- That's already cooled a bit. - Wow!- Bloody amazing, eh?
0:07:07 > 0:07:10So the oil is hot because of its proximity
0:07:10 > 0:07:12- to the centre of the Earth?- Yes!
0:07:12 > 0:07:14As the heat rises,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17as we go further towards the centre of the Earth,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20and, you know, as I say, we're only down a few thousand feet,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22but it's quite hot there already.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24- That is crazy.- It's massive, eh?
0:07:26 > 0:07:30It takes just four hours to draw the oil from its reservoir,
0:07:30 > 0:07:32nearly two kilometres under the seabed.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37It's amazing to think that the black gold flowing through this pipe
0:07:37 > 0:07:40originated millions of years ago,
0:07:40 > 0:07:44as microscopic plants and animals in prehistoric seas,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46absorbing the sun's energy.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50As the micro-organisms died, they sank to the ocean floor
0:07:50 > 0:07:52and were covered by layers of sediment.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54As millions of years passed,
0:07:54 > 0:07:58incredible pressure and heat transformed them.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01At between 60 and 120 degrees Celsius,
0:08:01 > 0:08:03they became crude oil.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Higher temperatures turned them to gas.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10At any one time,
0:08:10 > 0:08:14Tuna Platform is home to up to 60 employees,
0:08:14 > 0:08:16from engineers to cooks,
0:08:16 > 0:08:20all doing their bit to make sure the precious oil and gas keep flowing,
0:08:20 > 0:08:2224 hours a day.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28The oil workers aren't the only inhabitants of these platforms.
0:08:28 > 0:08:33These places are incredibly popular with the local seal population.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37So popular, in fact, that builders have to put in special gates
0:08:37 > 0:08:41to stop the seals climbing all the way up to where the workers are.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55Since 1969, Bass Strait has produced
0:08:55 > 0:08:58over eight trillion cubic metres of natural gas
0:08:58 > 0:09:00and four billion barrels of oil.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05A 600km network of pipelines transports the raw materials
0:09:05 > 0:09:08from the seabed to an onshore plant,
0:09:08 > 0:09:11where it's processed and sent off to power the country,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15providing 40% of Australia's East Coast gas needs
0:09:15 > 0:09:18and two-thirds of the country's oil.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22It's a funny feeling, being out here on this platform.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26I'm thinking all the time about... This one and others like it
0:09:26 > 0:09:29have been here in the Bass Strait for the best part of 50 years,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31pumping back gas and oil
0:09:31 > 0:09:36upon which thousands upon thousands of people's lives have depended.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38And, yet, although it's a gargantuan structure,
0:09:38 > 0:09:39and there are others like it,
0:09:39 > 0:09:42when you look at them in this seascape,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45they seem so insignificant, so slight and so frail.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47And you're reminded that, for all we depend on this,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50and for how much human endeavour it represents,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53in the scheme of things, no matter what we do,
0:09:53 > 0:09:54we're still insignificant.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12The next step in our journey takes us back onto terra firma.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15South-east of Melbourne, near Cape Paterson
0:10:15 > 0:10:18and the very Scottish-sounding town of Inverloch,
0:10:18 > 0:10:20lies a distinctive outcrop
0:10:20 > 0:10:22called Eagles Nest.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32From some angles, it resembles the top half of Australia,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34rising from the rock platform.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37More than a century ago,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Eagles Nest was the site of a landmark discovery,
0:10:40 > 0:10:43a discovery that changed both palaeontology
0:10:43 > 0:10:46and Professor Tim Flannery forever.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54They say that small events can cast long shadows.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57And one such event happened right here on this very rock platform,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00in May 1903.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04The geologist William Ferguson was mapping the Victorian coastline,
0:11:04 > 0:11:05looking for coal.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08But what he found instead was this.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12He doesn't know what it is, at first,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15but it's soon identified as the first dinosaur fossil
0:11:15 > 0:11:17ever found in Australia.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Experts at the British Museum identified it
0:11:21 > 0:11:23as the toe bone of a carnivorous dinosaur.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27It was later dubbed the "Cape Paterson Claw".
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Ferguson's discovery was long dismissed as a fluke,
0:11:31 > 0:11:35partly because of the theory of continental drift.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38110 million years ago,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Australia lay 3,000 km further south,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44huddled up against Antarctica.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47It was believed that cold-blooded reptiles
0:11:47 > 0:11:50couldn't survive in such harsh conditions.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54Imagine this land 110 million years ago.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57Back then, it lay deep within the Antarctic Circle.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00And, in the winter, it must have been freezing.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04But, during the summer, there was plenty of lush vegetation.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06And judging from the Cape Paterson claw,
0:12:06 > 0:12:09there were plenty of dinosaurs as well.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12The animal the claw came from was like an allosaurus.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16It was a carnivorous dinosaur, significantly larger than me.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23After William Ferguson,
0:12:23 > 0:12:27it was 75 years before another dinosaur discovery was made.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34In 1978, a young university student and his colleagues had a hunch.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38They came back here in the footsteps of William Ferguson,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41and began searching this rock platform.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Pretty soon, they'd made not one new discovery,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46but 30.
0:12:46 > 0:12:4830 new dinosaur bones.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50And that student was me.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57But I can't take all the credit.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00It was my old friend and mentor, geologist Rob Glenie,
0:13:00 > 0:13:04who lit the fuse when he showed me William Ferguson's map.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06- That's the map?- Yeah. - That's the spot, see.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09When I saw that, it would have knocked me over with a feather.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13I didn't know, you know, that it had been marked so precisely.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16There was, like, almost an X marks the spot for the treasure,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20was where William Ferguson said, what is it?
0:13:20 > 0:13:23"The tooth of a fish
0:13:23 > 0:13:27"and some fragments and scraps of bones of reptiles..."
0:13:27 > 0:13:30- Yeah.- "..found." It was like X marks the spot.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32When you showed me that and brought me here,
0:13:32 > 0:13:34it really set me off on a different trajectory, you know?
0:13:34 > 0:13:36- A different course.- That's good.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40And we discovered the... rediscovered the site after 75 years.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Yeah, It was very, very kind of you.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46I took the fossils I'd found to palaeontologist Tom Rich,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49senior curator at the Museum of Victoria.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53Tom, do you remember when I brought you those dinosaur bones first,
0:13:53 > 0:13:57- 36 years ago?- Oh, yes. I remember it. You had a variety of them.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00You had carnivorous dinosaurs and you had herbivorous ones.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02And we gradually worked out what they were.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05But the most important thing about those seven...
0:14:05 > 0:14:08those 30 specimens you found, was it showed us how to find them.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Because people had been walking over these rocks for 100 years,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14geologists, and had never noticed them.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Ferguson was a one-off.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Since our first discoveries proved the existence
0:14:20 > 0:14:22of southern polar dinosaurs,
0:14:22 > 0:14:26thousands of fossils belonging to at least six different dinosaur species
0:14:26 > 0:14:29have been found along this narrow stretch of coast.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34This band of volunteers, called the Dinosaur Dreaming Group,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37still makes discoveries on these platforms.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39Including what looks to me like a vertebra.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43Well, that's amazing because, you know, here we are today, Tom,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46finding a bone, not 50 metres from where
0:14:46 > 0:14:48- William Ferguson found his claw.- Mm.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50And the site's just still yielding fossils.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56There's a saying in palaeontology,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00that the hardest fossil to find is always the first one.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Without William Ferguson's discovery,
0:15:03 > 0:15:06the world of Australia's polar dinosaurs
0:15:06 > 0:15:08might still be a mystery.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12But, each year, more treasures are uncovered.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16And I can't help feeling that the next great discovery
0:15:16 > 0:15:18is just around the corner.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Port Phillip is one of the great bays of the world,
0:15:29 > 0:15:34and, for over 150 years, it has also been Australia's busiest port.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38From above, the entrance to Port Phillip seems inviting,
0:15:38 > 0:15:40but the "The Rip", as it's known,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43is one of Australia's most treacherous waterways.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Riddled with underwater reefs,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48The Rip has claimed over 180 vessels,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50and hundreds of lives.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53As historian Dr Alice Garner discovers,
0:15:53 > 0:15:55one loss was so great it stunned a nation.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03This is Point Nepean.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07For many years, this whole area was a highly restricted military zone.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11And perhaps the world's most picturesque firing range.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13But, half a century ago,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16one civilian was issued a special pass, giving him
0:16:16 > 0:16:19free access to Point Nepean.
0:16:19 > 0:16:24That civilian was Harold Holt, who would later become Prime Minister.
0:16:25 > 0:16:30This peninsular and its rugged beaches were Holt's private playground.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33Even after becoming Prime Minister during January 1966,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36replacing the retiring Sir Robert Menzies,
0:16:36 > 0:16:40Holt took every opportunity to escape the tumult of Canberra.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44Here, he entered the silent world of the ocean.
0:16:44 > 0:16:45Snorkelling, spear fishing
0:16:45 > 0:16:50and exploring the numerous wrecks strewn just off the coast.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53But that intense passion would cost the Prime Minister his life.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57One man who will never forget what happened
0:16:57 > 0:17:03here on Cheviot Beach on December 17 1967 is Alan Stewart.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05Nice to meet you.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Alan, how is it that you came to be on the beach
0:17:08 > 0:17:10the day that Mr Holt disappeared?
0:17:10 > 0:17:15I happened to be staying with neighbours of the Holts,
0:17:15 > 0:17:17Gillespie family.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21And, after breakfast, Mr Holt came over
0:17:21 > 0:17:25and said he was going to Cheviot to have a swim.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28Asked if we would like to accompany him.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31So I ventured into the water to just above my knees
0:17:31 > 0:17:34and I felt this incredible undertow.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37And I thought, no, this isn't terribly smart,
0:17:37 > 0:17:41it's a bit dangerous, so I retreated back to the beach.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46And then the surf suddenly built up to a real crescendo.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51And it just was a sort of cauldron of white foam.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55And that was the last I saw of him.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56And it was a very sad day.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02Alan raised the alarm, sparking what was then the biggest search
0:18:02 > 0:18:05for an individual in Australian history.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10In the following days, divers battled the boiling surf.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14Here, a young Alan helps authorities, re-enacting the events
0:18:14 > 0:18:17that led to the Prime Minister's disappearance.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20But their efforts were in vain.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22No trace of Harold Holt was ever found.
0:18:32 > 0:18:37And what is it like for you to come back to Cheviot Beach after all this time?
0:18:37 > 0:18:39I suppose a bit spooky,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43but I don't sort of look at the beach and remember the tragic day.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49I come here and just admire this magnificent coastline
0:18:49 > 0:18:51and this particular beach, here.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05A glance through history tells us that leaders who die in office are
0:19:05 > 0:19:10usually the victims of an assassin's bullet or illness or old age.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13And I think it says something about Australia
0:19:13 > 0:19:17that we lost our Prime Minister, not because of rebellion or conspiracy,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19but because of his love for the ocean.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39From Cheviot Beach, we're heading east around the bottom
0:19:39 > 0:19:42of the Mornington peninsular, to Phillip Island.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48It's 10,000 hectares of flat, mostly empty countryside.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Over the years, many people moved here to live a life of serenity,
0:19:54 > 0:19:57surrounded by the local wildlife.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01But, for a few, their Shangri-La turned out to be a mirage.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07This spectacular and dramatic bit of coastline
0:20:07 > 0:20:11is within easy reach of Melbourne. Perfect for a weekend getaway.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13It's surely valuable real estate,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15so you would expect a holiday resort,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18some houses, even just some shacks.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20The fact is, there's nothing to see.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22But there used to be a town here.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27It was called Summerlands. Houses were spread along this roadside.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30But there's nothing there now but abandoned roads
0:20:30 > 0:20:32and signposts to nowhere.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37So what happened here? How come an entire town has vanished?
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Elizabeth Lundahl Hegedus called Summerlands home
0:20:42 > 0:20:45for more than a quarter of a century.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46- How are you?- Hello.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50Now, correct me if I'm wrong, you used to live here.
0:20:50 > 0:20:55Yes, just over there. Just behind those bushes over there.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57Can you show me what your house used to look like?
0:20:57 > 0:21:01Yes, I do have a photo in my pocket here.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03So, we're just in the back garden?
0:21:03 > 0:21:06We're just behind the house, actually.
0:21:06 > 0:21:08When Elizabeth first came here in the 1960s,
0:21:08 > 0:21:13Phillip Island real estate was booming. Land was cheap.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Views were spectacular.
0:21:15 > 0:21:21More than 180 houses sprouted, with a population of around 2,000 people.
0:21:21 > 0:21:23There was just one problem.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26This part of the island was already inhabited.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Little penguins, or fairy penguins,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32are the smallest of the penguin species.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34For thousands of years,
0:21:34 > 0:21:36these guys have called Phillip Island home.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39And when the residents of Summerlands Estate moved in,
0:21:39 > 0:21:41the penguins didn't move out.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47Tell me how you felt about the penguins, the notorious penguins?
0:21:47 > 0:21:51- It was lovely. I loved having them around.- Why?- I miss them terribly.
0:21:51 > 0:21:52Why did you love them?
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Oh, just nice.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57They're, you know, pets that you don't have to worry about!
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Just, it was just nice having them there.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04The penguins made nests under verandas and gardens,
0:22:04 > 0:22:05even under cars.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08They became squawking squatters.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11What is the noise that the penguins make?
0:22:11 > 0:22:12They have two different calls,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15but the most common noise that they make is...
0:22:15 > 0:22:19IRRITATING SQUAWKING
0:22:20 > 0:22:22That could get on a person's nerves!
0:22:22 > 0:22:24- Especially when it goes on all night!- Yeah.
0:22:27 > 0:22:28Despite the racket,
0:22:28 > 0:22:32for many years, people and penguins seemed to coexist.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43So, why was everyone forced to leave?
0:22:43 > 0:22:47Well, it was the result of a patient crusade by just one man.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50Hi, Peter.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Dr Peter Dann is one of the world's
0:22:52 > 0:22:54foremost authorities on the little penguin.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Back in 1980, he came to Phillip Island
0:22:57 > 0:23:00to study the local penguin population.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02How much trouble were the penguins in?
0:23:02 > 0:23:04The penguins were in a great deal of trouble.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07I estimated that there would be none
0:23:07 > 0:23:13by 1997. So, the population was just in freefall.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15And most of the causes for that
0:23:15 > 0:23:19were things associated with the housing estate.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24Penguins were being killed by people's dogs, particularly at night.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26Penguins were being run over by cars on the roads.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Was there a moment where you thought,
0:23:28 > 0:23:32"There's nothing else for it, the penguins have to be left alone
0:23:32 > 0:23:34"and the people will have to go."
0:23:34 > 0:23:38Yes, and it came to a head, if you like,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42when we had an extreme event of vandalism where someone
0:23:42 > 0:23:45drove around trying to run over as many penguins as they could,
0:23:45 > 0:23:47and they killed 54 penguins.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50So we put them in a pile, the bodies of the penguins,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53and the media came and that was a great moment
0:23:53 > 0:23:56for engaging the public concern about penguins
0:23:56 > 0:24:00and what we really wanted to happen in this particular place.
0:24:03 > 0:24:08In 1985, at Peter's urging, the Victorian state government made
0:24:08 > 0:24:13an extraordinary decision to buy back all the houses at Summerlands.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Over the next 25 years, the town gradually disappeared.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Every last building was either transported to the mainland
0:24:23 > 0:24:24or demolished.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28I have to say, it's an extreme solution that you came to.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32That's right. I've heard of people having to move where they live
0:24:32 > 0:24:35for dams or military purposes.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39But, in this case, I think it's the only example in the world
0:24:39 > 0:24:43where a whole town's been moved for the sake of wildlife conservation.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45And it's worked.
0:24:45 > 0:24:46Since Summerlands vanished,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50the number of breeding birds has trebled.
0:24:50 > 0:24:51- It's blue.- It is.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53I was expecting all black.
0:24:53 > 0:24:54PENGUIN SQUAWKS
0:24:54 > 0:24:56- He doesn't approve.- No.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59This is a male, and it's just moulted,
0:24:59 > 0:25:05so it's got this beautiful blue plumage and white front.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09- He's almost translucent. - He is, yes.- Gorgeous.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14Elizabeth's home was one of the last to go, in 2010.
0:25:14 > 0:25:19How do you feel now, when you stand here in this wild landscape?
0:25:19 > 0:25:24- Do you get a pang of regret?- Yes. I don't like coming here, actually.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28It's a little bit upsetting because I love this part of the island.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30And it's more or less off-limits now.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33So, yes, I am sad because I had to leave.
0:25:35 > 0:25:39But the penguins were here first, thousands and thousands of years
0:25:39 > 0:25:42before we ever came, so it's fair, I think.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51People may no longer live in Summerlands,
0:25:51 > 0:25:54but they still flock here every evening at sunset
0:25:54 > 0:25:57to watch what has become known as the Penguin Parade.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01After a hard day's fishing out at sea, they return onto the beach
0:26:01 > 0:26:04and waddle up through the dunes to their burrows on the peninsular.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13They're so nervous about leaving the safety of the dark water
0:26:13 > 0:26:16and making this run across the bright sand, so you can see,
0:26:16 > 0:26:18they stay together in a group and it looks as if
0:26:18 > 0:26:21they're all checking out the area to see if there's any predators,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24birds of prey, anything that might come and pick one of them off.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30But they're so smartly dressed. They look for all the world like,
0:26:30 > 0:26:32it's like a wee gaggle of exhausted businessmen
0:26:32 > 0:26:36coming off the last train into the station after a stressful day.
0:26:38 > 0:26:43Obviously, you have to sympathise with people who were forced to move,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46who didn't want to go, but who ended up having to.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49But watching this, watching these little guys make their way
0:26:49 > 0:26:52up the beach, I'm struck by one thing more than anything else.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56And it's that this will have played out for thousands upon thousands
0:26:56 > 0:27:00of years before there were ever any human beings here,
0:27:00 > 0:27:04and hopefully, with us finally out of the way, this will
0:27:04 > 0:27:08continue to play out for hundreds and thousands of years to come.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32Three hours south-east of Melbourne, Wilsons Promontory
0:27:32 > 0:27:35is the southernmost tip of the Australian mainland.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39It's not for nothing that this part of Victoria is called
0:27:39 > 0:27:40the Rocky Coast.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43The shore is peppered with dramatic boulders,
0:27:43 > 0:27:47their surfaces worn smooth by aeons of exposure.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Just offshore from here,
0:27:51 > 0:27:57huge mounds of 380 million-year-old granite rise up out of the sea.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59The most tantalising of all of them is that one.
0:27:59 > 0:28:04Officially called Cleft Island, its local name, Skull Rock,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06only adds to its allure.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08It's just 5km off the coastline
0:28:08 > 0:28:12and sometimes it seems close enough to touch,
0:28:12 > 0:28:15but in fact it's virtually inaccessible.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26Many thousands of years ago, when the sea level was much lower,
0:28:26 > 0:28:28these islands formed a land bridge
0:28:28 > 0:28:33stretching from Victoria all the way to north-eastern Tasmania.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37But, for at least 18,000 years, Skull Rock
0:28:37 > 0:28:41and its fellow islands have sat in splendid isolation.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47- Hi, guys.- Hello, Neil.- Looking forward to it!- How you doing?
0:28:47 > 0:28:51I'm joining two scientists from Melbourne Museum, Patrick Honan
0:28:51 > 0:28:56and Dr Mark Norman, on the first scientific expedition to Skull Rock.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19Taking up nearly one whole side of the island,
0:29:19 > 0:29:22a massive cavern stares blankly like an empty eye socket.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30Although Skull Rock is impressive from land,
0:29:30 > 0:29:33the way it looms on the horizon, it's only when you're out here
0:29:33 > 0:29:35that you get a real sense of its scale.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38Look into that gaping maw, you feel as if you could fit in there
0:29:38 > 0:29:40St Paul's Cathedral or the Sydney Opera House.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03Little bit tricky, this thing.
0:30:11 > 0:30:12That'll work.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24More people have walked on the surface of the moon
0:30:24 > 0:30:28than have ever set foot on Skull Rock, as far as we know.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for Coast Australia.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42For a non-scientist like me, can you explain why
0:30:42 > 0:30:46it's so special to arrive on a place like Skull Rock?
0:30:46 > 0:30:47This place has got it all.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51Islands are little microcosms of evolution and isolation,
0:30:51 > 0:30:53so they're really special places, anyway.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57Caves are amazing places for animals in the nooks and crannies.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Put the two together, isolate it from the mainland
0:30:59 > 0:31:02for 18,000 years and it's just, you know, it's heaven.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05It's kind of Lost Valley of the Dinosaurs stuff.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08The big question - is there life on this rock?
0:31:08 > 0:31:10And, if so, what kind?
0:31:10 > 0:31:12There's one down there.
0:31:12 > 0:31:14- Oh, you got one?- Yeah.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17Before long, we're closing in on one of the locals.
0:31:21 > 0:31:22I've got him by the tail.
0:31:23 > 0:31:24Got the back legs. Got him.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Wow! Well done.
0:31:27 > 0:31:30A bona-fide Skull Rock skink.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32Look at that, that's the first time
0:31:32 > 0:31:36human eyes have gazed upon this creature
0:31:36 > 0:31:40for maybe tens of thousands of years. Think of that.
0:31:40 > 0:31:44Before there was any civilisation or any empires or kingdoms.
0:31:44 > 0:31:45There he is.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47He looks quite proud, actually.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52He might even be one of a whole new species.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55The way they court each other, the way they display to each other,
0:31:55 > 0:31:58the colour patterns they use, has that drifted away
0:31:58 > 0:32:01from what the rest of Australia's populations have been doing.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07I'm wondering what other treasures might be waiting
0:32:07 > 0:32:10down below in that cave.
0:32:10 > 0:32:11There's only one way to find out.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28I hope this looks as intimidating to you as it looks to me.
0:32:28 > 0:32:30I hope you're getting the full effect.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32That's a sheer drop over that lip,
0:32:32 > 0:32:35straight down into the unforgiving waters of Bass Strait.
0:32:47 > 0:32:48Into the bushes...
0:32:53 > 0:32:55Oh, yes, I see the nature of the problem.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57It's a vertical drop.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08The cave hasn't always been a feature of Skull Rock.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11It formed millions of years ago when the sea level was much higher.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17Waves hammered against weak parts of the granite face
0:33:17 > 0:33:20until they eventually gave way.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24Over millennia, the ocean gouged out this spectacular cavern.
0:33:38 > 0:33:40This might be...
0:33:40 > 0:33:42No, this is...
0:33:42 > 0:33:45the most special place I've ever seen.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49This is a glimpse of how the world used to look.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53The cave's 130 metres wide
0:33:53 > 0:33:56and 60 metres deep.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58The roof, soaring 50 metres overhead,
0:33:58 > 0:34:00is like a stone wave,
0:34:00 > 0:34:02poised to break over us.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12At the rear we make an unexpected discovery.
0:34:12 > 0:34:13It looks like salt.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16So how does that form here?
0:34:16 > 0:34:19What's happened is the sea spray from huge seas,
0:34:19 > 0:34:21over hundreds of thousands of years,
0:34:21 > 0:34:23has dried in here, fallen to the ground
0:34:23 > 0:34:26and it's never been washed away by the rain.
0:34:26 > 0:34:30The salt has been here so long and is packed so hard
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Patrick can't even take a core sample for study.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36For now, whatever lies beneath must remain a mystery.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41But just a few metres away, lying out in the open,
0:34:41 > 0:34:43a truly remarkable find.
0:34:43 > 0:34:44It's iron.
0:34:50 > 0:34:51That...
0:34:53 > 0:34:55..I think has been shot out of a gun.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58You think that's an eroded cannonball, do you?
0:34:59 > 0:35:03I'm not sure where else pure iron would come onto this rock
0:35:03 > 0:35:05if people can't climb here.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07Wow!
0:35:07 > 0:35:09- So it's some passing... - There's something in it.- Yeah.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12- Something green.- That's copper alloy.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15That could be the outer casing.
0:35:15 > 0:35:20Some passing warship has been using the cave as a target.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22Some very insensitive human being
0:35:22 > 0:35:24has decided to shoot into the eye of Skull Rock.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26Is there any record of when?
0:35:26 > 0:35:28You know, what century the ships are doing this?
0:35:28 > 0:35:31It could be as early as mid-1800s.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38Our brief visit's thrown up more questions than answers.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42But in a place so isolated, so remote and unexplored,
0:35:42 > 0:35:45we can only ever hope to scratch the surface.
0:35:47 > 0:35:49I'm sure my companions don't agree
0:35:49 > 0:35:52but there's a wee part of me that hopes Skull Rock
0:35:52 > 0:35:54never surrenders all of its secrets.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15Humans have always felt compelled to risk the elements
0:36:15 > 0:36:16and run with the wind.
0:36:19 > 0:36:24At Waratah Bay, about 190 kilometres south-east of Melbourne,
0:36:24 > 0:36:26Brendan Moar has found some seadogs
0:36:26 > 0:36:30who definitely have the wind in their sails.
0:36:30 > 0:36:31And they're not even on the water.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35The idea of harnessing wind on land
0:36:35 > 0:36:37has been around for hundreds of years.
0:36:37 > 0:36:39Modern land yachting has largely been about
0:36:39 > 0:36:44achieving straight line speeds on dry lake beds or coastal sands.
0:36:44 > 0:36:49But in 1999 the game totally changed with the invention of the blokart.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52This new design greatly improved manoeuvrability,
0:36:52 > 0:36:55allowing tacking, veering and zigzagging at great speed.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00At first glance there doesn't seem to be much to a blokart.
0:37:00 > 0:37:03Three wheels, a lightweight steel frame
0:37:03 > 0:37:06and a standard windsurfing sail.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09Put them together, though, and the result is
0:37:09 > 0:37:11state-of-the-art land sailing.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17Oh!
0:37:17 > 0:37:21Developed in New Zealand, the blokart's compact size and speed
0:37:21 > 0:37:24has hooked long-time sailors like Russell Whitehouse.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27So how did you get into this?
0:37:27 > 0:37:29Well, I've been sailing all my life.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31I had 40 years of off-the-beach boats
0:37:31 > 0:37:35and dinghies and catamarans, had a trailer sailer,
0:37:35 > 0:37:37got rid of that and saw this at a show one day
0:37:37 > 0:37:39and I got in it and I was hooked.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46The blokart's speed record is a sizzling 98 kilometres an hour.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49But even zipping along at half that speed,
0:37:49 > 0:37:50gets the adrenaline pumping.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54Always keep moving...
0:37:54 > 0:37:57Before I strap in, though, club president Tim Vance
0:37:57 > 0:38:01runs me through what HE calls a few simple instructions.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05When you're going up, hold on tight.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07Going upwind, pull the sail along.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10If you're going too fast, and the wheel starts lifting,
0:38:10 > 0:38:12let go of the rope.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16- OK?- Right. - You've got the jist of it?
0:38:16 > 0:38:18- Erm...- He'll be right.
0:38:18 > 0:38:19Well, we'll find out, I guess.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.
0:38:27 > 0:38:28These guys seem confident.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30I wish I could share that.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32Right-ho, gentlemen and Brendan.
0:38:32 > 0:38:34Is everybody ready?
0:38:35 > 0:38:38Three...two...one...
0:38:38 > 0:38:39Go!
0:38:39 > 0:38:42SEDATE MUSIC PLAYS
0:38:48 > 0:38:50Now, going in a straight line is OK,
0:38:50 > 0:38:52but as soon as I try to tack...
0:38:55 > 0:38:57Oh!
0:39:00 > 0:39:02Kerching! Kerching!
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Luckily the only thing bruised is my ego.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14I don't think the speed record's in any danger.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18But when the wind catches that sail,
0:39:18 > 0:39:20I can see why they're so excited.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25CROWD APPLAUDS
0:39:29 > 0:39:31300 kilometres east of Melbourne,
0:39:31 > 0:39:36beyond the deserted and seemingly endless sands of Ninety Mile Beach,
0:39:36 > 0:39:38by the Gippsland Lakes,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41Australia's largest system of inland waterways.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44This series of lakes, marshes and lagoons
0:39:44 > 0:39:46covers over 600 square kilometres.
0:39:52 > 0:39:57These waters have long been a haven for Melbournites seeking an escape.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01But they're not the only ones drawn to this coastal paradise.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04Marine biologist Professor Emma Johnston
0:40:04 > 0:40:08is on the trail of a unique and previously unidentified species.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12Finding a new species of large marine mammal
0:40:12 > 0:40:15is an extremely rare achievement.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17That's what happened here in this well-populated area
0:40:17 > 0:40:19just a couple of years ago.
0:40:19 > 0:40:23I'm here to meet the scientist who made this discovery of a lifetime.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29In 2006, marine biologist Dr Kate Charlton-Robb
0:40:29 > 0:40:33spotted something unusual in these waters.
0:40:33 > 0:40:36And, like any good scientific sleuth,
0:40:36 > 0:40:38stated investigating.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52It took five years of painstaking study
0:40:52 > 0:40:56but in 2011 Kate's suspicions were finally confirmed.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02So, Kate, what did you discover?
0:41:02 > 0:41:06Well, we had the amazing discovery of a brand-new dolphin species.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08- Is that incredibly rare? - It is quite rare.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11It's only happened three times since the late 1800s
0:41:11 > 0:41:14that a new dolphin species has been formally described.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20The new species' official title is Tursiops australis.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23It's common name is the Burrunan dolphin.
0:41:23 > 0:41:26Burrunan being a local Gippsland aboriginal word
0:41:26 > 0:41:29meaning large fish of the porpoise kind.
0:41:29 > 0:41:35And its existence took Kate, and the world of marine biology, by surprise.
0:41:35 > 0:41:39Basically, we'd noticed by looking at the dolphin
0:41:39 > 0:41:40that they are a bit of a mishmash
0:41:40 > 0:41:43between the two other bottlenose dolphin species -
0:41:43 > 0:41:47the Common bottlenose dolphin and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50Essentially what we were trying to do was just figure out
0:41:50 > 0:41:53which of the two these guys were.
0:41:53 > 0:41:57But the dolphin's DNA didn't match either bottlenose species.
0:41:57 > 0:42:01So Kate investigated further and found other crucial differences
0:42:01 > 0:42:03inside the mammal's skull.
0:42:03 > 0:42:07So this is the new species. What are the differences?
0:42:07 > 0:42:09So, you can sort of see, as a general thing,
0:42:09 > 0:42:13that the Common bottlenose dolphin is significantly larger
0:42:13 > 0:42:16than australis, the new species here.
0:42:16 > 0:42:20There are also really distinctive features that are quite different,
0:42:20 > 0:42:22in terms of qualitative things.
0:42:22 > 0:42:27We have this quite pinched rostrum here, whereas this is quite flat.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31That's a very big difference there. It's quite pinched up the top.
0:42:31 > 0:42:36So you did a lot of very fine measurements on a lot of skulls?
0:42:36 > 0:42:39Yeah, we did quite a number of different measures -
0:42:39 > 0:42:42so tooth counts, the length of the orbits -
0:42:42 > 0:42:44a whole bunch of different measures.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51I'm desperate to see Kate's dolphin
0:42:51 > 0:42:56but finding them in 600 square kilometres of lakes is not easy.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59And there's another reason they're difficult to spot -
0:42:59 > 0:43:02the Burrunan dolphin population is tiny.
0:43:02 > 0:43:05Just 50 live here in the Gippsland Lakes.
0:43:05 > 0:43:08100 live in nearby Port Phillip Bay
0:43:08 > 0:43:12and a small number call the waters off Tasmania home.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14But today our persistence pays off.
0:43:14 > 0:43:16Yeah. I can see them.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20I get my first glimpse of a whole new species.
0:43:24 > 0:43:27So here we go, we found them, they are all around.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30There are some coming over here. There's a calf over there.
0:43:30 > 0:43:31It's just wonderful.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35Four are tightly grouped over here, another few here, some on the bow.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38- There we go.- Oh! Look at those!
0:43:38 > 0:43:40Coming across to the bow.
0:43:40 > 0:43:42So beautiful.
0:43:43 > 0:43:49The perilously small numbers mean the new species is already under threat.
0:43:49 > 0:43:53But Kate hopes her ongoing research will help bring her dolphin
0:43:53 > 0:43:55back from the brink.
0:43:59 > 0:44:04From a newly discovered species to something altogether more retro.
0:44:04 > 0:44:07The final chapter in our East Victorian journey
0:44:07 > 0:44:09begins at a place called Tyabb,
0:44:09 > 0:44:11on the Mornington Peninsula,
0:44:11 > 0:44:14with a woman who knows this coastline better than anyone,
0:44:14 > 0:44:16at least from the air.
0:44:19 > 0:44:24Not everyone on this spectacular stretch of coastline is interested in boats.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27For some, the passion is all about another kind of craft.
0:44:37 > 0:44:40Look at this. You might think it's a museum, but it's not.
0:44:40 > 0:44:42These things are very much alive.
0:44:43 > 0:44:47It's like a collection of wonderful toys, they are so glamorous.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50In fact, these are predators.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52These are fighter aircraft or,
0:44:52 > 0:44:55as they are called in the aviation world - warbirds.
0:45:03 > 0:45:05Not only is their plumage spectacular,
0:45:05 > 0:45:08each one of these magnificent birds is airworthy,
0:45:08 > 0:45:11ready to take to the sky at a moment's notice
0:45:11 > 0:45:14and they all belong to one remarkable woman,
0:45:14 > 0:45:17aviatrix and avid collector, Judy Pay.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23Hi, Judy. How are you doing?
0:45:23 > 0:45:25Welcome to Tyabb.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28- Thank you. Do you fly these? - Yes, yes.
0:45:28 > 0:45:30This is one of my favourites.
0:45:30 > 0:45:35It's a 1940s old English biplane
0:45:35 > 0:45:37with no brakes, no steering.
0:45:37 > 0:45:39It's just really wind in the wires. Stick and rudder.
0:45:39 > 0:45:42- Stick and rudder stuff.- Yeah. - What is it called?
0:45:42 > 0:45:44This is a Tiger Moth, a de Havilland Tiger Moth.
0:45:44 > 0:45:48The Tiger Moth was Judy's first classic craft.
0:45:48 > 0:45:50Now she owns seven warbirds.
0:45:52 > 0:45:56Now, Judy might not like to admit it, but there are others here
0:45:56 > 0:45:59who say this could be the pride of the fleet.
0:45:59 > 0:46:03This is a single-engine, single-seater P-40 Curtiss Warhawk,
0:46:03 > 0:46:07or Kittyhawk, if you come from my part of the world.
0:46:07 > 0:46:11She looks better than new but it took a lot of love and care
0:46:11 > 0:46:15by Judy and the rest of the team to bring this baby back to life.
0:46:16 > 0:46:19The Kittyhawk crashed on an island in Vanuatu
0:46:19 > 0:46:24during World War II where it lay forgotten for nearly 50 years.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26Until Judy got wind of it, that is.
0:46:28 > 0:46:32What condition was this Kittyhawk in when you first encountered her?
0:46:32 > 0:46:37I first encountered her on the island in Vanuatu.
0:46:37 > 0:46:38It crashed pretty much on a hillside
0:46:38 > 0:46:42but fortunately a French farmer, it was on his land,
0:46:42 > 0:46:45he put it onto some drums and sprayed it with diesel,
0:46:45 > 0:46:49which actually preserved it, quite amazingly.
0:46:49 > 0:46:53What little was there was in reasonably good condition.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56Judy salvaged the wreck and for the next 20 years
0:46:56 > 0:47:01she and her team worked to restore this warbird to its former glory.
0:47:01 > 0:47:04This is a one of a kind.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07This is the only genuine flying F model Kittyhawk
0:47:07 > 0:47:09in the world at the moment.
0:47:09 > 0:47:12It's very, very rare and very beautiful.
0:47:21 > 0:47:23You know how these stories go, it wouldn't be complete
0:47:23 > 0:47:26without me going up in one of these wonderful toys.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30This is it, it's a North American T-6 Texan, also known as a Harvard.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33During World War II these were like flying classrooms,
0:47:33 > 0:47:36hundreds of thousands of Allied pilots learned to fly
0:47:36 > 0:47:38in aircraft just like this one.
0:47:48 > 0:47:53What a way to see this magnificent Victorian coastline one last time.
0:48:00 > 0:48:03I'm betting those pilots training during the war
0:48:03 > 0:48:05never had a view like this.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09It is a bit special when you go over the water, isn't it?
0:48:09 > 0:48:12It is beautiful here, it's a lovely place to fly.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20This coastline has been through many changes
0:48:20 > 0:48:22and has revealed many treasures.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26Just as the aircraft that Judy maintains
0:48:26 > 0:48:30are the product of slow, painstaking, constant work,
0:48:30 > 0:48:33so the wind and the waves and the weather here
0:48:33 > 0:48:38are always working gradually to renew and to reshape this landscape.
0:48:38 > 0:48:41And, of course, the people who cling to its edge.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52Next time, we're off to South Australia's limestone coast.
0:48:52 > 0:48:55Emma dives deep into ancient caves...
0:48:55 > 0:48:59So we just swum through a 5-million-year-old Gothic cathedral.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02Tim has a close encounter...
0:49:02 > 0:49:05For the Europeans of 200 years ago, this coastline here
0:49:05 > 0:49:08was about as unknown as the dark side of the moon.
0:49:08 > 0:49:11Alice gets a taste of the gold rush.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13This is California all over again.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17While I take to the air to search and destroy.
0:49:17 > 0:49:19Can we go and attack a submarine now?
0:49:19 > 0:49:20PILOT CHUCKLES