0:00:03 > 0:00:05I'm on a journey around Australia.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11A country the size of a continent.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20This is a vast land with extraordinary wildlife.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30A rich, booming country, on the edge of Asia.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38It's not just cricket and kangaroos.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43- Thanks, ladies.- That's all right.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47If you think you know Australia, think again!
0:00:50 > 0:00:53'On this leg of my journey, I'm travelling from the Gold Coast
0:00:53 > 0:00:57'in the east, down to Sydney, and finally to Melbourne,
0:00:57 > 0:01:00'just in time for Australia's national birthday party.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06'Behind the sun and the surf of its beautiful coastal cities,
0:01:06 > 0:01:11'I'll find a side to Australia that visitors rarely get to see.'
0:01:11 > 0:01:15- Is it respect or fear? - If people fear us, they've got to fear us for a reason.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19'In Sydney, I meet a billionaire property king.'
0:01:19 > 0:01:20That is a view!
0:01:20 > 0:01:24'I get up close to Australia's iconic wildlife...
0:01:26 > 0:01:29'..and to devastating bushfires.'
0:01:30 > 0:01:34Look at this! A line of flames here!
0:01:58 > 0:02:02I'm beginning another leg of my journey around Australia,
0:02:02 > 0:02:06this time travelling down the east coast towards the cities of Sydney and Melbourne.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10I'm starting here, at a place called Surfers Paradise.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17'This area is the Gold Coast.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19'It's like an Australian Las Vegas
0:02:19 > 0:02:22'and attracts more than 10 million tourists a year
0:02:22 > 0:02:25'with stunning beaches, brash nightclubs and casinos.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35'The weather conditions here are perfect for one of Australia's national obsessions.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44'Surfing arrived here from California.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47'For years, Aussie surfers were rebels and dropouts,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49'but now the sport's gone mainstream.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52'Across the country, surf bums have been joined on the waves
0:02:52 > 0:02:55'by everyone from accountants to vicars.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01'Two million Australians are now regular surfers
0:03:01 > 0:03:04'and it's become a huge, multi-billion pound industry,
0:03:04 > 0:03:07'thanks to surf tourism and surf shops.'
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Anyone spotted that there's a "Danger - No Swimming" sign here?
0:03:11 > 0:03:15- Yeah, you're going right here. - Here we go.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25'Even with a bit of help, it's not as easy as it looks.'
0:03:35 > 0:03:38Ah, the indignity of it.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41I just fell really hard on my bum.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46I've just had my surfing lesson, just come back to the car,
0:03:46 > 0:03:50and our ticket had expired, parking ticket,
0:03:50 > 0:03:54and we were thinking, "Oh, dear, we might be in a spot of bother",
0:03:54 > 0:03:57and, genuinely, I know this sounds completely unbelievable,
0:03:57 > 0:04:01but look who turns up here to help you if your ticket runs out.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05- Thanks, ladies.- That's all right.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09We top up expired meters just to help out as best as we can
0:04:09 > 0:04:13and we've been around for 48 years, so welcome to Surfers Paradise.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15That's quite a spiel,
0:04:15 > 0:04:20and you buy people whose tickets have expired a new parking ticket.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22- Yeah!- That's very kind.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26And it says, "You've just been saved from a parking fine
0:04:26 > 0:04:28"by the famous Surfers Paradise Meter Maids."
0:04:28 > 0:04:32- Thank you very much indeed. Stay safe out there!- We will.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35- All right, cheers, ladies. - See ya.- Thank you!
0:04:45 > 0:04:48'As night falls on the Gold Coast, the action moves from the beach
0:04:48 > 0:04:51'to the city's hundreds of bars, clubs and casinos.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01'Tacky to some, paradise for others, the area is party central
0:05:01 > 0:05:05'for tens of thousands of visitors who arrive here every weekend.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14'But, in recent years, the Gold Coast has developed a reputation
0:05:14 > 0:05:16'for having a sleazier, darker side.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20'At one of the city's central police stations I was allowed out on patrol
0:05:20 > 0:05:24'with a local beat sergeant and police union official, Simon Tutt.'
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- This is your patch tonight, is it? - Tonight it is, yeah.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31It's just called the CBD, Central Business District, Broad Beach.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33There's about five nightclubs.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36You've got a nightclub here by the look of it
0:05:36 > 0:05:38- with the usual queue outside. - Called Love, yeah.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41What are the main issues you're dealing with,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44you and your officers are dealing with out here of a night?
0:05:44 > 0:05:46It's drunkenness and, you know,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48people obviously affected by drugs as well.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51They have drugs before they come out...
0:05:51 > 0:05:54and then, of course, they want to fight each other.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56We can see a few hanging around outside.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00The problem with the drug and alcohol-fuelled violence
0:06:00 > 0:06:03is that it's unrelenting and it's every single weekend.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05It's like a zoo.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08'Although Australians have a reputation as big boozers,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11'they actually drink much less than Europeans.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15'But Australians are among the largest users of illegal drugs in the world,
0:06:15 > 0:06:20'fuelling the narcotics trade and creating a huge problem with organised crime.'
0:06:20 > 0:06:24How serious a problem is crime here in the Gold Coast?
0:06:24 > 0:06:28It certainly is the crime capital of Australia.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31It has a high density of organised crime.
0:06:31 > 0:06:37It has a lot of targets who are engaged in organised crime
0:06:37 > 0:06:39and why wouldn't they?
0:06:39 > 0:06:44If you wanted to set up an organised crime operation, there's a ready-made population
0:06:44 > 0:06:47who you may want to have access to in terms of a market
0:06:47 > 0:06:49and that's why it becomes the crime capital.
0:06:49 > 0:06:53It's a fantastic place to come, as long as you're aware
0:06:53 > 0:06:57it has that...seedy underbelly component to it as well.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03'The police believe organised crime here is dominated
0:07:03 > 0:07:06'by so-called outlaw motorcycle clubs or biker gangs.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12'The most famous are the Hells Angels
0:07:12 > 0:07:17'and, here in the Gold Coast, their notorious rivals, the Bandidos.'
0:07:18 > 0:07:22The Gold Coast just has a very high density of outlaw motorcycle gangs.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26The outlaw motorcycle gangs are certainly the most obvious face
0:07:26 > 0:07:28of illegal activity.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31So what's down here?
0:07:31 > 0:07:34This is the Bandidos' clubhouse, up here on the right.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36The Bandidos?
0:07:36 > 0:07:40They're quite a fearsome motorcycle gang, aren't they?
0:07:40 > 0:07:42That looks like a fortress!
0:07:42 > 0:07:45Yeah. You can't just walk in there off the street.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50'In recent years, violence between rival biker gangs
0:07:50 > 0:07:51'has erupted in public.'
0:07:52 > 0:07:56What's the reason for us being here? What happened here?
0:07:56 > 0:08:00There was a shooting in broad daylight in the shopping mall
0:08:00 > 0:08:05in front of thousands of people and an innocent person was shot.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Crime is no longer just between underworld figures,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11it's actually spilled out into the broader community
0:08:11 > 0:08:14and I think criminals, certainly on the Gold Coast,
0:08:14 > 0:08:16have become far, far more brazen.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21I think people for a time after that felt, "Who could be next?"
0:08:21 > 0:08:25Were they safe going about their daily business, or could they be caught in the crossfire?
0:08:27 > 0:08:30'Police say that tit-for-tat violence
0:08:30 > 0:08:33'and decades-old vendettas between biker gangs
0:08:33 > 0:08:37'has led to hundreds of shootings and scores of killings across the country.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40'Outlaw motorcycle clubs are now also accused of involvement
0:08:40 > 0:08:45'in prostitution, drug production, money laundering and gun running.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50'One estimate suggests that serious organised crime in Australia
0:08:50 > 0:08:54'costs the country around £10 billion per year.'
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Something rather strange has happened.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11One of the biker gangs in this area,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15one of the biggest biker gangs, who never talk to outsiders,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18has agreed to meet us
0:09:18 > 0:09:23and we're now on our way to their clubhouse
0:09:23 > 0:09:26which, I suppose, is like their headquarters really.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32'The Australian authorities have launched a massive crackdown
0:09:32 > 0:09:36'on biker gangs, who they blame for much of the organised crime.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44'The bikers' clubhouse was tucked away on an industrial estate on the edge of town.'
0:09:45 > 0:09:47He's a big bloke!
0:09:48 > 0:09:51'The Finks are one of the largest and among the most feared
0:09:51 > 0:09:54'of all outlaw motorcycle clubs in Australia.'
0:09:54 > 0:09:58- Is that, sort of, security blocking the entrance, then?- Yeah.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00He said he'd be out in a minute.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02- Who's coming out, Greg or...?- Yeah.
0:10:02 > 0:10:06- Can we walk over or do you want us to stay here?- Oh, we'll just wait.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11'Greg Keating is the club's sergeant-at-arms, or enforcer.'
0:10:11 > 0:10:15- Is one of you gentlemen Greg? - That would be me.- Hi, Greg.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18- How you doing?- Simon Reeve. Nice to meet you, mate.- Nice to meet you.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21- Thanks for agreeing to see us. - Yeah, no worries.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25- I gather it's not something you do very often.- No.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29- Harry.- Harry!- Pleased to meet you. - Hello, mate. Simon Reeve. Nice to meet you too.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31- How are you?- Very well, thank you.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34- Hello, sir. Simon. - Ferret. How's it going, mate?
0:10:35 > 0:10:38'The Finks had called together some of their local members
0:10:38 > 0:10:40'to put on a show of strength for us.'
0:10:46 > 0:10:49ENGINES ROAR
0:10:57 > 0:11:02The noise, you will not be surprised to know, is unbelievable.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08'Members of outlaw motorcycle clubs say they're enthusiasts
0:11:08 > 0:11:10'brought together by a love of motorbikes
0:11:10 > 0:11:13'and it's unwise to mess with their machines.'
0:11:13 > 0:11:18This sticker on here, is that the best theft deterrent?
0:11:18 > 0:11:21That just means someone in our club owns that bike.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24- It means "don't touch it", doesn't it?- It means "don't touch it", yeah.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29If you owned a nice car, you wouldn't want people coming down the street, scratching it.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32It's easier just to say you're part of our club, leave it alone.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Yeah, but if I put on my car that it belongs to me,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38nobody's going to give a monkey's, are they?
0:11:38 > 0:11:43- They're not going to stop themselves taking it because of that, but this is...- It's about respect.
0:11:43 > 0:11:48We've earned respect and people understand that's ours, leave it alone and you won't have a problem.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51- Is it respect or fear? - I don't think it's fear.
0:11:52 > 0:11:57- Bit of both? - Maybe a little bit of fear, but people instil fear in themselves.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Like, you have no problem with us, you have no need to fear us,
0:12:00 > 0:12:03neither does your camera crew because you've done nothing wrong to us
0:12:03 > 0:12:06and we have no need to fear you because we've done nothing wrong to you.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09So if people fear us, they've got to fear us for a reason.
0:12:10 > 0:12:15'There are thought to be 39 outlaw motorcycle groups in Australia,
0:12:15 > 0:12:19'with around 4,000 patched, or official members.'
0:12:19 > 0:12:22So, gentlemen, tell us about this place.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26This is our gym where we train. Every gym's got to have a stripper pole.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29- It's not a gym without a stripper pole.- That's right.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33- Which one of you gets the honour? - On the stripper pole? Not me!
0:12:34 > 0:12:38'As part of the government crackdown, the Finks were the first biker club in the country
0:12:38 > 0:12:41'to be declared a criminal organisation
0:12:41 > 0:12:45'under the kind of laws rarely used in modern democracies.'
0:12:45 > 0:12:48You've got some pretty heavy-duty security.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52You don't leave your front door open at home and sit out in the backyard.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54Yeah, but I don't put a vehicle
0:12:54 > 0:12:57across the entrance to my street though, do I?
0:12:58 > 0:13:00It's 2013, mate.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04'Control orders have been used against members of the Finks
0:13:04 > 0:13:09'to restrict who they can associate with and their freedom of movement, including against Harry.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12'Bikers say they're being made scapegoats
0:13:12 > 0:13:15'and the laws are an infringement of their human rights.'
0:13:15 > 0:13:17I'm virtually under house arrest.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20You don't look like you're under house arrest, Harry.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24Well, I'm controlled, aren't I, Simon? I can't talk to my next-door neighbour.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27- I'm not allowed to talk to my next-door neighbour.- Why?
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Because he's not a member of my immediate family.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32I can't talk to my next-door neighbour.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34I can't go to a pub, a club or a restaurant.
0:13:34 > 0:13:39It's something you would think that only in China or maybe Burma.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42And you see these things and you think, you know,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46for years, and you've seen all those issues overseas
0:13:46 > 0:13:48and you'd never think that'd happen in Australia.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54'Several bikers have already been arrested for breaking their control orders.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58'Even talking to a TV crew like us could get someone like Harry arrested.'
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Come down to the spa.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07- You've got a Jacuzzi spa in the back here.- Yeah.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09Every gym should.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13I saw one report that said 45, I think,
0:14:13 > 0:14:1645 of your members at least have got criminal convictions.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Is that true?
0:14:18 > 0:14:21You need to look at what the criminal conviction is, OK?
0:14:21 > 0:14:24Most of them will be small things as speeding offences.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27They said we had 1,500 convictions.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29That's why we're a criminal organisation.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33But what sort of convictions were they and how were they dealt with?
0:14:33 > 0:14:36And they were only dealt with by way of fines.
0:14:36 > 0:14:40And the interesting part was, when we had a good look at it and the lawyers had a look at it,
0:14:40 > 0:14:45we found most of the offending was done by members before they joined the club
0:14:45 > 0:14:48and the offending dropped once they joined the club.
0:14:48 > 0:14:53Are you trying to say that the club actually reduces crime?
0:14:53 > 0:14:56Absolutely it did. With these particular people it reduced crime.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58It reduced their offending.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02And it reduced their offending because you have a sense of family here and a brotherhood.
0:15:02 > 0:15:07The police say your members have been involved in murder, beatings, robberies
0:15:07 > 0:15:12and that you're a criminal organisation involved in, quote, "serious criminal activity."
0:15:14 > 0:15:16Look, if that's the case,
0:15:16 > 0:15:20we are sure there are adequate laws in place right now
0:15:20 > 0:15:22that can deal with those people.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26There is no need for any legislation to be introduced that takes away
0:15:26 > 0:15:29the rights of everybody in this country.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32I think these ladies have just got into the tank behind us
0:15:32 > 0:15:36as some sort of distraction or diversion, I suspect.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- No, no, this is how we roll.- I'm going to stay focussed on our...
0:15:39 > 0:15:42It won't divert us because we're used to it.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45But, look, I hear what you're saying about it's a club of members.
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Can you not see how...intimidating
0:15:49 > 0:15:52and terrifying you guys look from the outside
0:15:52 > 0:15:54to your average Australian citizen
0:15:54 > 0:15:57who's going about paying their taxes?
0:15:57 > 0:16:01I mean, Ferret, look at yourself, mate, you're covered in ink. You look a scary bloke.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04People have been getting tattooed for 5,000 years.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08The Australian public I know don't have that perception. They don't have that fear.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12You said, you know, they're scared of you and they're intimidated.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Are they intimidated, because I don't know any that are?
0:16:15 > 0:16:18'Bikers are now challenging the draconian new laws in the courts
0:16:18 > 0:16:22'and they've even got some human rights groups on their side.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25'But the police claim they're criminal gangs
0:16:25 > 0:16:28'and the government here shows little sign of backing down.'
0:16:29 > 0:16:35Well, that was one of the more... extraordinary encounters I have had,
0:16:35 > 0:16:37I have to say.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57'The bikers see themselves as rebel outsiders
0:16:57 > 0:17:00'but most Australians have a very different dream.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07'The aspiration for many is a house with a pool, perhaps in one of
0:17:07 > 0:17:11'the huge suburbs that ring the eastern coastal cities.'
0:17:15 > 0:17:18This is a hugely attractive area to live in
0:17:18 > 0:17:22and as people are moving to the coast and building new houses
0:17:22 > 0:17:25there are, of course, consequences for the wildlife,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29including for one Australian icon.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32- Morning. Jon?- Hi, Simon.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- Hello. Simon. Very nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37The guy we're going to catch today, Mekani,
0:17:37 > 0:17:41he's just down in the bush down here, off this property,
0:17:41 > 0:17:43and we're not sure where he is
0:17:43 > 0:17:46so what we might do is just go and track him down, see how we go.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50- You're going to catch a koala? - Yeah. Yeah. That's the plan.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Is that a tricky endeavour?
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Ah, look, we've got about 50-50 chance.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58A couple of helpers, so we've got a tree climber and the other field guys
0:17:58 > 0:18:01who are going to help us with the capture of Mekani.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05'Vet Jon Hanger rescues and treats injured koalas.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08'In suburbs like these and across the country,
0:18:08 > 0:18:13'an estimated 4,000 koalas are killed each year by dogs and cars alone.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15'Thousands more are injured.'
0:18:15 > 0:18:18- This direction. - You already found him?!
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Well, this antenna gives us a vague direction,
0:18:21 > 0:18:24so, sort of, a ball park direction.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27'Jon has fitted a koala that was bitten by a pet dog
0:18:27 > 0:18:30'with a radio collar and it's time for him to give it a check-up.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33- I've just spotted him.- Have you?
0:18:33 > 0:18:36- Yeah, so if you come with me, I'll...- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41- So he's in this grey gum.- Right.
0:18:41 > 0:18:46- If you follow the right-hand fork and then follow the right-hand fork again...- There he is, look.
0:18:46 > 0:18:47Yeah, that's him.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51How exciting! It's a koala.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54'Koalas are a symbol of this country loved by millions,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56'but the cuddly creatures are in crisis.'
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Jon, it strikes me that we've got this koala in a tree
0:19:00 > 0:19:02on the edge of somebody's garden
0:19:02 > 0:19:05on the very edge of suburbia.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08The problem for koalas is that humans are advancing
0:19:08 > 0:19:12- into what was their land, I think, isn't it?- That's exactly right.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17And we know that koalas don't cope well with being so close to human habitation.
0:19:17 > 0:19:23Unfortunately, a lot of good koala habitat, the habitat they prefer, is also the habitat that we prefer.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27'Experts think there were up to 10 million koalas in Australia
0:19:27 > 0:19:29'when Europeans first arrived here.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32'Now just a tiny fraction of that number remain.'
0:19:32 > 0:19:37The koala to Australia is a bit like the panda to China.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40It's an icon of the country.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43And yet even this isn't deemed, it seems,
0:19:43 > 0:19:47worthy enough of providing exclusive areas.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52I think a lot of the population really don't grasp the trouble that the koala's in.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54They don't think the koala will ever go extinct.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58- Could it?- Yeah, I think it can.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01We see localised extinction happening all over the place now.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Let's say we've still got 100,000 koalas, 200,000 left.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08The rate of decline is such that we're foolish if we don't think
0:20:08 > 0:20:12that we're facing extinction at some time in the next decade or two.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15- Decade or two? As quickly as that? - Yeah, yeah.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20'For Mekani to be given his health check,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22'he first had to be persuaded to come down from his tree.'
0:20:26 > 0:20:32The fact that we can't even arrest the decline of such an iconic animal
0:20:32 > 0:20:34just, I think, is a shame for us.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37It's a disgrace that we can't do that.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42We still think that people being able to live wherever they want to live is more important.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44Stop.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54KOALA SCREECHES
0:20:58 > 0:21:00Good boy.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02What a...
0:21:02 > 0:21:04Well done!
0:21:04 > 0:21:08It's a bit undignified for him but it's over fairly quickly.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12'Mekani looked in good shape.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15'Jon decided it was time to remove his radio collar,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18'which required a small dose of anaesthetic.'
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Just relax. Just relax, little fella.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27KOALA SCREECHES
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Yep.
0:21:36 > 0:21:37Aw!
0:21:37 > 0:21:42This is a big moment in the life of this koala, isn't it?
0:21:42 > 0:21:44You're about to cut the tracking collar
0:21:44 > 0:21:47and that means you won't be able to locate him anymore.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51He'll be free without big brother or dad watching him.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54That's right, he will be. He'll be on his own, so to speak.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58But, you know, the community around here is fairly aware of koalas
0:21:58 > 0:22:02so we can feel reasonably comfortable that if someone saw that he was sick
0:22:02 > 0:22:07or injured, that they'd call us and let us know.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Look at that!
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Perfectly suited for shinning up trees
0:22:13 > 0:22:16if, of course, it's got trees to climb.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20There you go, mate.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25- You ready?- Good luck.
0:22:34 > 0:22:35What a cutie.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39I think we're going to leave this lad here and creep away.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43'Like other industrialised nations,
0:22:43 > 0:22:47'Australia doesn't have a great record for protecting its wildlife.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51'But surely they need to move heaven and earth to save a national icon.'
0:22:56 > 0:22:59This looks like smoke just here.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Anywhere else I'd say it was a mist,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07but I think this is definitely smoke and we're here in bushfire season.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10This is the hottest, driest continent
0:23:10 > 0:23:14and fires are a massive problem here.
0:23:14 > 0:23:20Yesterday, as well, was the hottest average day in Australia ever.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29'I was heading south towards Sydney.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32'My route took me towards the Liverpool Plains
0:23:32 > 0:23:34'in the heart of New South Wales.'
0:23:38 > 0:23:42We've left the coast and we're heading inland
0:23:42 > 0:23:44into farming country.
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Goodness, look.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57Five or six fire vehicles there.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02There are huge bushfires in this area at the moment as well.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Almost everywhere we've been on this part of the journey,
0:24:06 > 0:24:08there's been bushfires.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15'Australia's famous, of course, for having plenty of parched outback,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18'but this is a huge and diverse country with rainforests
0:24:18 > 0:24:20'and snow-capped mountains.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23'And it has enormous cattle ranches and farms
0:24:23 > 0:24:26'that have long been crucial to the economy of the country.
0:24:26 > 0:24:31'The Liverpool Plains region is renowned as Australia's food bowl.'
0:24:31 > 0:24:34I can see somebody waving over there. Tommy?
0:24:34 > 0:24:36OK. Thank you!
0:24:37 > 0:24:40'Tommy and George Clift are in their 80s.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44'Their families have been farming here for seven generations.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Hey there, George.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50- Simon. Lovely to meet you, sir. - You too.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54- What a beautiful patch of planet Earth you've got. - It's unbelievable, isn't it?
0:24:54 > 0:24:58- And you've got a house in here? - Yeah, the house in the jungle.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Look at your place! It's beautiful!
0:25:01 > 0:25:05- How much land have you got here? - We've got about 12,000 acres.
0:25:05 > 0:25:12- 12,000 acres?!- Acres, yeah. - That is...sort of, a small country!
0:25:13 > 0:25:16How good is this land in terms of farming?
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Is it quality land or do you have to work it hard?
0:25:20 > 0:25:24- I beg your pardon.- No. - Likened second to the Nile Valley.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26It's only likened second to the Nile Valley.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Because you can grow two crops a year here.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33- You're saying it's some of the best farmland in the world? - I'm not saying it, it's proven.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37I'll take you there and show you, if you like, the crops there.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42'The Liverpool Plains comprise an area of 5,000 square miles
0:25:42 > 0:25:47'with land that's so productive, farms here churn out more than 500,000 tonnes of cereal crops.'
0:25:47 > 0:25:52- See how it holds the water here? - My goodness, it's sort of damp, isn't it?
0:25:52 > 0:25:55- So, just beneath the surface, it's...- Just beneath the surface.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57..it's got spongy qualities to it?
0:26:02 > 0:26:04Goodness.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09- That's not easy to get out, is it? - There's no soil in the world like it.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11- It's as good as that? - It's as good as that.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13And I'll fight anyone that says it's not.
0:26:14 > 0:26:20These small roots go down probably a metre and a half, two metres
0:26:20 > 0:26:24under the ground, and that's where it gets the moisture coming up
0:26:24 > 0:26:28and brings it up into the... you can feel the moisture in the roots if you feel them.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33So it's not just the soil that's fantastic here for farming,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36it's the fact that you've actually got water under the ground,
0:26:36 > 0:26:40- you've got a huge aquifer underneath you?- A huge aquifer.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44There's just about as much water as there is in Sydney Harbour - fresh water.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46That's a lot of water.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48How important is this area?
0:26:48 > 0:26:51It's more than important.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53It's critical.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Here, we're producing huge amounts of food
0:26:56 > 0:26:59for the rest of the world.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01For Australia and the rest of the world.
0:27:01 > 0:27:06There just aren't words that can describe the value of this country.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11'The land here might be valuable, but the big money in Australia
0:27:11 > 0:27:15'is being made by ripping it up to get at the mineral wealth that's underneath.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19'A massive coal seam has been discovered beneath the Liverpool Plains
0:27:19 > 0:27:25'and the land next to the Clifts' farm is now being test drilled by a Chinese mining company.'
0:27:26 > 0:27:29This is the edge of your land here, is it?
0:27:29 > 0:27:31There's one foot in China and one foot in Australia.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35- That's their test holes. - Just here?- There, yeah.
0:27:35 > 0:27:40- Test holes for what? What are they drilling for?- Coal and gas - whatever they can come up with.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45'In Australia, it's the state, not landowners, who own the rights
0:27:45 > 0:27:47'to explore for minerals under the ground.
0:27:47 > 0:27:53'This highly unusual legislation has helped to fuel Australia's extraordinary resources boom,
0:27:53 > 0:27:58'which has seen vast tracts of land torn up for coal, gold and iron ore.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01'Many farmers on the Liverpool Plains fear their land
0:28:01 > 0:28:04'could go the way of the nearby Hunter Valley,
0:28:04 > 0:28:07'which is now being mined by giant corporations.
0:28:07 > 0:28:11'Many farmers here have sold-up and thousands of acres are now being strip-mined.'
0:28:14 > 0:28:18I'm starting to get a sense of the scale of the mining that's going on here.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23Enormous mine underneath us. More mining over here.
0:28:23 > 0:28:28We've got the power stations up ahead that are helping to power the machinery involved in this.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32There's another mine over there. We've got a mine behind us as well.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37The place is riddled with mines!
0:28:38 > 0:28:41It starts to look a little bit like Swiss cheese!
0:28:43 > 0:28:46'Australia's now one of the biggest exporters of coal in the world,
0:28:46 > 0:28:48'mostly to Asia.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52'Coal exports bring in more than £30 billion a year to the country.
0:28:52 > 0:28:57'The huge sums involved make this a get rich quick boom that's hard to resist.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02'But when a mining company tried to start test drilling back on the Liverpool Plains,
0:29:02 > 0:29:08'they didn't reckon on the reception they got from George and Tommy and some of their neighbours.'
0:29:11 > 0:29:15- That's probably Tim there. - Is that Tim?- Yeah.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18'Tim Duddy's a central figure in the ongoing campaign
0:29:18 > 0:29:21'to stop corporations from mining this land.'
0:29:23 > 0:29:27- Hello.- Hello. Tim Duddy. - Simon Reeve. Lovely to meet you.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30- Welcome to Rossmar. - Thank you very much indeed.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34So, this, I'm putting the twos and twos together to understand,
0:29:34 > 0:29:36this was the site of the blockade?
0:29:36 > 0:29:39- Yeah, and BHP...- Mining giant.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42..yeah, were trying to get access to a pass of land
0:29:42 > 0:29:44just up above where we are.
0:29:44 > 0:29:48We got to the stage that they were coming on at some stage.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51We were speaking to their lawyers, they were speaking to us,
0:29:51 > 0:29:53but it was pretty nasty.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56And I was in Sydney one day and my younger brother rang up
0:29:56 > 0:29:59and said, "Oh, they're driving down the road with a load of fences on."
0:29:59 > 0:30:04- And I said, "Well, you'd better go and park the road in." - It's like an invasion.- An invasion!
0:30:04 > 0:30:08And he said, "Well, I'm not doing that. I'm not going to jail. I'm not doing this."
0:30:08 > 0:30:13Anyway, I rang Tommy and George and about half an hour later they were parked here,
0:30:13 > 0:30:17and they'd gone and got our grader and parked across one end of the road
0:30:17 > 0:30:22and they'd got George's grader and parked across the bottom end of the road and the rest is history.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26683 days later, we took down the blockade,
0:30:26 > 0:30:28having beaten BHP in the Supreme Court.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31- These are extreme measures, aren't they?- They are.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35But we're talking about massive sums of money, aren't we?
0:30:35 > 0:30:38There's huge wealth under the ground here.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42Well, there's a minable resource of about 550 million tonnes of coal.
0:30:42 > 0:30:48So you're talking about... you're talking about 130 billion.
0:30:49 > 0:30:53That's nearly £100 billion, just trying to get my head around it,
0:30:53 > 0:30:56- of coal under the ground around us. - That's exactly right.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59Why won't you just let them in?
0:30:59 > 0:31:02Why won't you let them search for the coal
0:31:02 > 0:31:05that the Australian state seems to need?
0:31:05 > 0:31:08As a country you're making such a huge amount of money
0:31:08 > 0:31:11off your resources boom, why shouldn't it happen here?
0:31:11 > 0:31:14Mining is good in the right place.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17- The Liverpool Plains is not the right place.- Why?
0:31:17 > 0:31:21This is the jewel in the crown of Australian agriculture
0:31:21 > 0:31:25and if you dig a hole in here for a mine, it will be destroyed forever. There is no turning back.
0:31:29 > 0:31:34'Mining companies have promised they won't have a long-term impact on the most productive farmland.
0:31:34 > 0:31:37'They say they won't destroy Australia's food bowl.
0:31:37 > 0:31:42'But the campaign to keep them away from the Plains continues.'
0:31:43 > 0:31:49Has your campaign, has it generally made you more in touch or brought you more into contact...
0:31:49 > 0:31:52- Heavens, yes.- ..with your neighbours and community?
0:31:52 > 0:31:55Well, there's nothing like wartime to unite people,
0:31:55 > 0:32:00- and that's the truth.- That's how you think of it?- Absolutely. - Battle?- Absolutely!
0:32:00 > 0:32:03Australia's had a very interesting relationship
0:32:03 > 0:32:07with mining in recent years, I think.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09I don't know how you would characterise it,
0:32:09 > 0:32:12but it's been almost a love affair really.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15It's more like an addiction.
0:32:16 > 0:32:20- And eventually they have an overdose.- Mmm.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23And that's where we're at.
0:32:23 > 0:32:27At the end of this, you know, you can mine our resources out,
0:32:27 > 0:32:29but what is Australia going to be left with?
0:32:29 > 0:32:31Australia's going to be left with nothing.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35We'll not have a manufacturing industry - we hardly have a manufacturing industry now.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37We will not have an agricultural industry.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41The politicians, and I'm not talking about any particular party,
0:32:41 > 0:32:46the whole damn lot of them ought to sit down one day and wake up because it's going to be too late.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51'On my journey, I've seen how natural resources
0:32:51 > 0:32:54'have made Australia wealthy, and it's avoided the recessions
0:32:54 > 0:32:58'that affected other industrial nations in recent years.
0:32:58 > 0:33:02'But in the long-term, many believe this country's become over-dependent
0:33:02 > 0:33:06'on a resources boom that one day will surely come to an end.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18'The next morning, I drove for five hours.'
0:33:18 > 0:33:21We're back near the coast and I'm heading south
0:33:21 > 0:33:27and my next destination is a place I'm really excited to visit.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31And there it is! Look at that sight!
0:33:34 > 0:33:38'I arrived in Sydney, one of the great world cities.'
0:33:41 > 0:33:45Oh, I can see the tip of the Opera House just over there.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48The city itself is much more imposing than I expected,
0:33:48 > 0:33:53but the bridge is really quite awe-inspiring, actually,
0:33:53 > 0:33:55looming above you.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23One of the things that's most surprised me about Australia during this journey
0:34:23 > 0:34:27is just how closely linked the country is with Asia.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30I think, before coming here, I rather outrageously thought of
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Australia as being a bit of Europe on the other side of the planet.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36When you come here, you realise that economically, politically,
0:34:36 > 0:34:40even militarily, this is a country that's closely connected with
0:34:40 > 0:34:42and partnering with, even competing with,
0:34:42 > 0:34:45the new emerging Asian superpowers.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49But more than that, the identity of Australia is really changing.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51Look at the faces around me now.
0:34:51 > 0:34:56This is a multicultural country where a quarter of the population was born overseas
0:34:56 > 0:35:00and where more than 10% of the population are of Asian origin.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04Australia's changing. In fact, Australia's changed!
0:35:09 > 0:35:13'And the new arrivals don't always want the traditional Aussie dream
0:35:13 > 0:35:16'of a suburban house and a pool.
0:35:16 > 0:35:21'I went to meet the billionaire who's helped to turn Sydney into a city of skyscrapers.'
0:35:21 > 0:35:24Hello. Thank you. Thank you very much.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27- Hello, Simon. Harry. - Simon Reeve. Lovely to meet you.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29My goodness!
0:35:29 > 0:35:33'Harry Triguboff is one of the richest men in Australia.'
0:35:33 > 0:35:37Yes, it's the tallest apartment in Sydney.
0:35:37 > 0:35:39Now that is a view.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43I hear you're known as High Rise Harry.
0:35:43 > 0:35:48Can you explain? It seems obvious given that we're on the 78th floor, I think,
0:35:48 > 0:35:52but can you explain how you've come to acquire the nickname?
0:35:52 > 0:35:57Well, I think I'm the only one in the world that has built so much residential,
0:35:57 > 0:36:01but has never built any cottages. Never built even one cottage.
0:36:01 > 0:36:06I always wanted to be higher and higher and higher because I think it's better.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08Now, my average development
0:36:08 > 0:36:11is probably 600, 700 apartments.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13600 or 700 apartments?
0:36:13 > 0:36:18I read that you were born in China to Russian parents, I think.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21- You came here when you were very young...- 14.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25- You even worked... At one point you drove a taxi. - Well, I had a taxi, yeah.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28- Were you a good taxi driver? - Hopeless.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32Dreaming all the time, dreaming all the time, can't concentrate.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35I mean, I can go from here to there, but not all day.
0:36:36 > 0:36:41What proportion of your properties are selling, I mean, just roughly, to Chinese buyers?
0:36:41 > 0:36:45And are these Chinese buyers from Chinese Australians or Chinese from China?
0:36:45 > 0:36:48Mainland. Mainland. Mainland. Mainland China.
0:36:48 > 0:36:52Of course some Australian Chinese buy too, but it's mainland Chinese.
0:36:52 > 0:36:55I would say probably 70% come from China.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57- 70%?- Yeah.
0:36:57 > 0:37:03Why do the Chinese, particularly, love your apartments so much?
0:37:03 > 0:37:06Because I give them what they are looking for.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09They want to live where there is work.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12He wants to be on transport and he wants to have good schools.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15It's quite simple. The recipe is quite simple.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19What have you built here, as we look out over Sydney?
0:37:19 > 0:37:23- I'll show it to you. Here is Meriton, right?- Right, yes.
0:37:23 > 0:37:29That is where our head office is, and we have 450 serviced apartments there and some shops.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31- 450 apartments in the tower there? - Yeah.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34You see that one with the white and the black top?
0:37:34 > 0:37:38- Oh, yes.- There is another block there, also serviced apartments.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40220 apartments there.
0:37:40 > 0:37:45I read somewhere that 3% of people in Sydney
0:37:45 > 0:37:48live in one of your homes.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51Well, if you work out that between...
0:37:52 > 0:37:56I would say 6%. 5% to 6% at any one time.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59- Did you just do all the maths then just at that speed?- Yes.
0:37:59 > 0:38:03That's why you're one of the richest men in the country.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06- You see that other one...- It would take me a week and a calculator!
0:38:06 > 0:38:10- Ah, you've no confidence. - You've built half of Sydney! - Not half, no, no.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19'Millions of immigrants have come from Asia,
0:38:19 > 0:38:22'particularly from India and China.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24'This is a dramatic shift.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28'Until they were finally ended in the early 1970s,
0:38:28 > 0:38:33'white Australia policies restricted who could come here and the rights of non-whites.'
0:38:33 > 0:38:40'Some studies suggest Australians are now less racist than Europeans and Americans, but tensions remain.
0:38:42 > 0:38:46'Sydney's now home to a sizeable Muslim community.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49'I went off the regular tourist trail
0:38:49 > 0:38:52'to one of the beaches Muslim families traditionally use.'
0:38:55 > 0:38:57- Hello! Amna!- Yes, how are you?
0:38:57 > 0:38:59Salam alaikum. Very well, thank you. How are you?
0:38:59 > 0:39:02- Salam. I'm good, thank you! Your name?- Simon. Simon.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04- Hello, hello!- Hi, Simon.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08Hello, ladies! Hello! Hello! Hello! Hello!
0:39:08 > 0:39:10'I was meeting a group of young Muslim women
0:39:10 > 0:39:14'who've started playing a uniquely Australian sport.'
0:39:14 > 0:39:17You're a team of what? Tell us about your team.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20So Lael and I co-founded the Auburn Tigers Women's AFL team.
0:39:20 > 0:39:21And AFL is what?
0:39:21 > 0:39:23AFL's Aussie rules.
0:39:23 > 0:39:24Aussie rules football.
0:39:24 > 0:39:25Yeah, Aussie rules football.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28For those of us who are unfamiliar with Aussie rules football,
0:39:28 > 0:39:30can you describe it to us?
0:39:30 > 0:39:32There's a lot of tackling, a lot of barging, it's...
0:39:32 > 0:39:35Basically, you just go on the foot and run after the ball.
0:39:35 > 0:39:38You just run back and forth, run back and forth.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41And it's basically you get the ball and kick at goal.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43It's a hundred times harder and tougher than rugby.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45- It's a better game. - It's a better game.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49Why did you think it was the best sport to choose for your team,
0:39:49 > 0:39:51for your friends to play?
0:39:51 > 0:39:53What inspired you to get involved in it
0:39:53 > 0:39:54and set up the team in the first place?
0:39:54 > 0:39:57All my brothers played AFL growing up,
0:39:57 > 0:39:59so that was something that I always followed.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01All your brothers. How many brothers do you have?
0:40:01 > 0:40:03- Nine.- Nine older brothers!
0:40:04 > 0:40:11Wow! OK, and so you're their princess inevitably?
0:40:11 > 0:40:13I'm their princess but I'm better than them on the field so...
0:40:13 > 0:40:16- Are you now?- Yeah.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20'The group's engaging with Australian life in a way
0:40:20 > 0:40:22'immigrants are often accused of failing to do.'
0:40:22 > 0:40:24Ready, girls?
0:40:25 > 0:40:27So it begins.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34'And to my untrained eye they seemed to score
0:40:34 > 0:40:38'plenty of points for enthusiasm, at least, at this training session.'
0:40:38 > 0:40:41This is a whole new world, isn't it? You enjoying it?
0:40:41 > 0:40:43It's a whole new world. I remember things like...
0:40:43 > 0:40:46There's still stuff I don't know like, "Go to the fat side."
0:40:46 > 0:40:47I'm like, "What's the fat side?" you know,
0:40:47 > 0:40:51when I was at coaching class, seminars and stuff.
0:40:51 > 0:40:54There's lingo that I still don't get but that's OK, you know?
0:40:54 > 0:40:57Like the full-back and the full-forward
0:40:57 > 0:40:59I still get muddled, but, you know.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02So it being new, they're not familiar with the language
0:41:02 > 0:41:03so we're all learning together.
0:41:08 > 0:41:09Goodness me!
0:41:09 > 0:41:10Good work!
0:41:12 > 0:41:15'Racial tension has long been a problem here.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17'In 2005, these beaches were the scene
0:41:17 > 0:41:21'of some of the worst race riots in Australia's history.'
0:41:23 > 0:41:27What were the consequences of the riots for you?
0:41:27 > 0:41:29This is the beach that my family would come to,
0:41:29 > 0:41:30and when I say my family,
0:41:30 > 0:41:34I'm not talking about my parents and siblings - whole family.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38So it was a huge occasion for us to go to the beach on the weekend.
0:41:38 > 0:41:41At some point, those visits stopped entirely.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44By the time it hit 2005, that was just a no-go,
0:41:44 > 0:41:47- we stopped coming to Cronulla. - Because of the riots?
0:41:47 > 0:41:50It was never said by my parents but subconsciously, when they saw
0:41:50 > 0:41:55that on TV, it reinforced this migrant thinking,
0:41:55 > 0:41:57that we don't belong in this country,
0:41:57 > 0:41:59we're sort of hubbing here temporarily,
0:41:59 > 0:42:02we're not really wanted, that one day we'll have to migrate back home.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05But what's your view of growing up,
0:42:05 > 0:42:11living now in modern Australia as a person of Lebanese descent
0:42:11 > 0:42:14but also a Muslim who wears the headscarf?
0:42:14 > 0:42:17Do you get abuse? Do you get harassed, hassled or anything?
0:42:17 > 0:42:20It's funny you should say that. I was abused two days ago...
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Not even, I think it was yesterday, actually.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25I went to Lael's house and I was crying.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29I was totally overwhelmed by the fact that some angry Anglo person
0:42:29 > 0:42:32came out of the car and went off their nut at me
0:42:32 > 0:42:34at the service station and I was like, "Wow!"
0:42:34 > 0:42:37What did they say, or do?
0:42:37 > 0:42:39He got out of his car, started yelling, swearing,
0:42:39 > 0:42:43and I was just like, "Whoa!"
0:42:43 > 0:42:45About what? At you or...?
0:42:45 > 0:42:47At me for no reason.
0:42:47 > 0:42:48Did you report them?
0:42:48 > 0:42:50No, I didn't report the guy in the petrol station.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52I think quite often when those experiences happen that women
0:42:52 > 0:42:56don't report them because they feel like there's going to be no outcome.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59Like I know the AFL, at the elite level, are really strict,
0:42:59 > 0:43:03for example, if someone from the crowd will call out a racist comment,
0:43:03 > 0:43:06that that person, like, has to make a public apology.
0:43:06 > 0:43:10They have to go to counselling, like they've got some measures in place.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14But that's in a very specific setting.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17What happens when this stuff is happening out on the streets
0:43:17 > 0:43:18and it's not being dealt with?
0:43:18 > 0:43:21'Australia now wants more skilled immigrants
0:43:21 > 0:43:24'to help economic expansion, and racism's an issue
0:43:24 > 0:43:27'Australians must deal with if the country's going to be
0:43:27 > 0:43:30'a harmonious society that makes the most of its position
0:43:30 > 0:43:33'on the edge of Asia.'
0:43:33 > 0:43:35What's fascinating about that
0:43:35 > 0:43:38was there was no doubt in any of their minds, of course that
0:43:38 > 0:43:42"We're Aussies, we're Australians and we're proud of it!"
0:43:42 > 0:43:44Other people might see them as outsiders
0:43:44 > 0:43:47but they see themselves as being Aussie to the core and,
0:43:47 > 0:43:51my goodness, what amazing young women they are.
0:43:57 > 0:44:01'I set off towards Melbourne, a 500-mile journey that took me
0:44:01 > 0:44:05'across one of Australia's most spectacular mountain ranges.'
0:44:27 > 0:44:29What a magnificent view.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36This is such a beautiful country.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43So these are the Blue Mountains which are part of the great
0:44:43 > 0:44:49dividing range which runs down much of the east of Australia,
0:44:49 > 0:44:55and separates the outback, which is on that side to the west,
0:44:55 > 0:44:59from the coast over my shoulder.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04One of the big misconceptions about Australia is that most people
0:45:04 > 0:45:10here live some sort of rugged, outback life when, in fact,
0:45:10 > 0:45:14most of them live thataway in the big coastal cities.
0:45:17 > 0:45:21They're actually one of the most urbanised people on the planet!
0:45:34 > 0:45:37'Australians are heavy users of energy, powering their homes,
0:45:37 > 0:45:42'mod cons and air-conditioning, and they consume huge amounts
0:45:42 > 0:45:45'of electricity mostly generated by dirty old coal.'
0:45:50 > 0:45:57Australians are among the very worst emitters of carbon in the world
0:45:57 > 0:46:03so they're among the most polluting people on the planet.
0:46:03 > 0:46:07It's very hard really for us still to fully be certain
0:46:07 > 0:46:11of what the consequences of that will be, but I'm heading now
0:46:11 > 0:46:14to an experiment that's being run
0:46:14 > 0:46:17which should give us at least a clue.
0:46:17 > 0:46:18Here we are!
0:46:18 > 0:46:21'I went to visit the woodland site of a unique experiment.'
0:46:21 > 0:46:24Somebody's waving.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27'Professor David Ellsworth is investigating the consequences
0:46:27 > 0:46:29'of increasing levels of carbon dioxide
0:46:29 > 0:46:33'from fossil fuels like coal in the atmosphere.'
0:46:33 > 0:46:38In this research station, there are these whopping towers!
0:46:42 > 0:46:45So, Professor, what exactly are you doing here?
0:46:45 > 0:46:47We're trying to create the atmosphere of the future
0:46:47 > 0:46:51that we expect in about 35 years to be able to understand
0:46:51 > 0:46:55how that affects plants and animals and critters in the ecosystem.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58So you're creating the atmosphere of the future how?
0:46:58 > 0:47:03This area is exposed to a high CO2 atmosphere
0:47:03 > 0:47:09by emitting bits of CO2 out of these perforations in those pipes.
0:47:09 > 0:47:11We don't need to enclose any of the vegetation,
0:47:11 > 0:47:15we can do it in the out-of-doors, and we can do it in these big plots.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21'CO2 or carbon dioxide levels have increased by more than a third
0:47:21 > 0:47:23'since the industrial revolution.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26'Most of that increase has happened since the 1950s
0:47:26 > 0:47:29'and the level's now increasing even faster.'
0:47:29 > 0:47:32Still quite a long way down, but what a sight you get!
0:47:33 > 0:47:37You do get a real sense of the scale of what you're doing here.
0:47:37 > 0:47:41That's right. But you have to do the experiment at a large scale because,
0:47:41 > 0:47:44in fact, climate change is happening at a large scale.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49'Increased levels of carbon dioxide
0:47:49 > 0:47:53'are predicted to dramatically change our global climate,
0:47:53 > 0:47:57'but it'll have different impacts on different plants and animals.'
0:47:57 > 0:48:01Clamp it into the chamber and start measuring.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03What are you checking for?
0:48:03 > 0:48:06I'm checking about what is the rate of photosynthesis in the leaf
0:48:06 > 0:48:11and has it been increased by an increase in carbon dioxide.
0:48:11 > 0:48:15What I see is really quite a high photosynthetic rate.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19Photosynthesis can be stimulated by a rise in CO2.
0:48:19 > 0:48:23Stimulated would suggest to me that you're wondering
0:48:23 > 0:48:25whether photosynthesis actually increases,
0:48:25 > 0:48:27whether there's more growth with increased carbon.
0:48:27 > 0:48:30Well yes, that's what makes some plants winners
0:48:30 > 0:48:32and some plants losers.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35And this is a chance to actually be ahead of the game
0:48:35 > 0:48:43and not be sitting here saying, "Oh, well, we released gigatonnes of CO2,
0:48:43 > 0:48:46"teratonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere,
0:48:46 > 0:48:48"now figure out how we fix it."
0:48:48 > 0:48:53Let's rather understand ahead of time what it's looking like
0:48:53 > 0:48:58and maybe that's going to help us actually do something ahead of time
0:48:58 > 0:49:02that's going to avoid some of the negative consequences
0:49:02 > 0:49:03we don't want out of that.
0:49:03 > 0:49:05'Certain plants might thrive,
0:49:05 > 0:49:08'but scientists expect that the changes in our ecosystem
0:49:08 > 0:49:12'will be catastrophic for much of Australia's biodiversity.'
0:49:12 > 0:49:16Well they look like pods, really, don't they? Alien-looking pods.
0:49:16 > 0:49:18But they are... You have covered these,
0:49:18 > 0:49:20these are strange greenhouses.
0:49:20 > 0:49:24These are covered, and the reason why is to warm an area
0:49:24 > 0:49:27when the air is mixing is actually hard to do
0:49:27 > 0:49:31and by covering, you can use conventional technologies to do it.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35OK, so this one, this is a proper time machine.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38Increased levels of carbon dioxide
0:49:38 > 0:49:43and a plus three degrees on natural temperature here.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45Now that's the prediction for when?
0:49:45 > 0:49:50That's the prediction for about 2060 or 2070, around then.
0:49:50 > 0:49:53Now, everywhere I've been, almost,
0:49:53 > 0:49:58on the journey, there's been bushfires, there's been scares
0:49:58 > 0:50:01where towns have been threatened by fires.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04Bushfires are such a huge issue in Australia.
0:50:04 > 0:50:08Is there any connection between bushfires and our change in climate?
0:50:08 > 0:50:13If plants actually produce more in a CO2-rich atmosphere
0:50:13 > 0:50:18and they also cast off more leaves, then that means more fuel
0:50:18 > 0:50:21essentially that's available for fires.
0:50:21 > 0:50:25And there is a big, big concern about that spectre
0:50:25 > 0:50:31of increased bushfire, increased fuel loads, and we're very worried
0:50:31 > 0:50:35about what to do about that if that's a future that comes to pass.
0:50:36 > 0:50:40'More fuel on the ground poses an enormous bushfire threat
0:50:40 > 0:50:43'to Australia in the future. But scientists also warn
0:50:43 > 0:50:46'that Australia is likely to be one of the first countries
0:50:46 > 0:50:50'that experiences the severest effects of future climate change,
0:50:50 > 0:50:54'including prolonged droughts and extreme weather conditions.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56'But will we heed their warnings?'
0:50:56 > 0:51:00The thought does really strike me that the people we rely on
0:51:00 > 0:51:02to protect us and look after us for the future,
0:51:02 > 0:51:06our politicians, in Australia, as almost everywhere else,
0:51:06 > 0:51:10are elected for short-term periods and they've got no real incentive
0:51:10 > 0:51:15to ask us to do something difficult, like use less energy,
0:51:15 > 0:51:19use less oil or coal, because they want our votes!
0:51:19 > 0:51:22They want to keep promising us the good life!
0:51:22 > 0:51:27They're thinking short-term and we need to be thinking long-term.
0:51:31 > 0:51:34- Thank you very much.- And you. Bye-bye.
0:51:45 > 0:51:46Look at this.
0:51:48 > 0:51:52A bushfire is burning and not far from here.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55Bushfires have been such a feature of this part of the journey.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58They've been everywhere we've been.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01I really think we need to try and get up close and see one.
0:52:03 > 0:52:06'The bushfire that made the front page of the local paper
0:52:06 > 0:52:08'was being fought from an airbase
0:52:08 > 0:52:11'near the small town of Myrtleford in Victoria.
0:52:11 > 0:52:15'Fire-fighters in helicopters were directing fire crews on the ground.'
0:52:21 > 0:52:24'Larger choppers were being used as water bombers.
0:52:28 > 0:52:32'Brett Newman has been fighting bushfires in this part of the world
0:52:32 > 0:52:34'for more than 30 years.'
0:52:34 > 0:52:37We're at the airbase just out of Myrtleford.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40The fire at the moment is running along this mountain top here,
0:52:40 > 0:52:44putting the Hotham Heights and these villages and towns under threat.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47What area is this fire burning over at the moment today?
0:52:47 > 0:52:50This particular fire was 2,500 hectares.
0:52:50 > 0:52:51That's huge!
0:52:51 > 0:52:56But the fire down here is 67,000 hectares
0:52:56 > 0:52:59and that's 260 square miles.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01That's abso... That's...
0:53:01 > 0:53:05That's about half, something like half the size of London!
0:53:05 > 0:53:07- That's vast!- It's a big fire.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16There's a constant cycle of helicopters coming in here
0:53:16 > 0:53:18and landing and refuelling.
0:53:18 > 0:53:23It's a little bit like an airfield at war. At war with the fires.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30'Brett had agreed to try and get me closer to the blaze.
0:53:37 > 0:53:41'There are more wildfires in Australia than anywhere else in the world.
0:53:41 > 0:53:43'They're mostly natural events,
0:53:43 > 0:53:46'but often lives and livelihoods are at risk.'
0:53:51 > 0:53:54The smell of smoke is really thick in the air now and beneath us
0:53:54 > 0:53:57looks like it's all burnt through in this area.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00The trees look not wiped out, curiously,
0:54:00 > 0:54:02but the hillside looks really scorched.
0:54:03 > 0:54:07So just ahead of us over here now it's like a volcano is erupting
0:54:07 > 0:54:09this extraordinary plume of smoke.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14And you can actually see the flames there.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21The town is just beyond us there, look.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29It really is advancing through the hillside in a real line of fire.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41'This fire had already claimed one life
0:54:41 > 0:54:44'and destroyed more than 20 homes.'
0:54:44 > 0:54:46Imagine how terrifying that is.
0:54:47 > 0:54:51I wonder if they were there when the fire started heading into their land.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54This is completely taken. Oh, my God, look at this.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57That's horrendous.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00Now you can see the car and the trees burnt out
0:55:00 > 0:55:02but that certainly looks like somebody's home.
0:55:04 > 0:55:08'All that was left of one house was three chimneys.'
0:55:08 > 0:55:10Bloody hell! Look at it.
0:55:11 > 0:55:13Utterly blackened beneath us.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19'Fires have killed scores of people here in recent years
0:55:19 > 0:55:22'and caused billions of pounds worth of damage.'
0:55:26 > 0:55:29'But if the worst fears about climate change are realised,
0:55:29 > 0:55:31'wildfires here will only get worse.'
0:55:51 > 0:55:54'I drove another 200 miles to Melbourne
0:55:54 > 0:55:58'and I arrived just in time for Australia Day.'
0:55:58 > 0:56:00So we're getting close to the end.
0:56:03 > 0:56:07'Australia Day commemorates the arrival of a British military fleet
0:56:07 > 0:56:10'in Australia in 1788 and the declaration of British rule.'
0:56:12 > 0:56:14'Just over two centuries later,
0:56:14 > 0:56:20'Australia is, by some measures, the wealthiest country on the planet.
0:56:20 > 0:56:25'Melbourne's even been described as the best city in the world to live in.'
0:56:26 > 0:56:29When you think that among the 1,500 people who arrived
0:56:29 > 0:56:32on the First Fleet more than 200 years ago there was just
0:56:32 > 0:56:37one experienced fisherman and not a single decent botanist
0:56:37 > 0:56:40or a good gardener...
0:56:40 > 0:56:43they've done all right, haven't they?
0:56:48 > 0:56:51'But like any country, it's had a chequered history.
0:56:51 > 0:56:55'Its treatment of its Aboriginal people has been horrific
0:56:55 > 0:56:57'and many still suffer today.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01'My journey's shown me
0:57:01 > 0:57:04'that Australians now face many challenges.
0:57:04 > 0:57:07'They need to wean themselves off a dependence
0:57:07 > 0:57:11'on just digging up and selling natural resources.
0:57:11 > 0:57:14'They need to harness the talents of their newly diverse population
0:57:14 > 0:57:18'and secure and exploit their position on the edge of Asia.'
0:57:21 > 0:57:26'For a Brit, Australia is a curious mix of the familiar and exotic.
0:57:26 > 0:57:30'On my travels, I've seen another side of a country we think we know.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35'I have seen a dark side to life here,
0:57:35 > 0:57:39'including the destruction of wildlife and the environment
0:57:39 > 0:57:43'and some communities blighted by addiction and crime.
0:57:43 > 0:57:46'But I've also seen that for most Australians this place
0:57:46 > 0:57:50'really does seem to justify its nickname as the lucky country.'
0:57:52 > 0:57:54Perfect timing.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00I'm bowled over by Australia.
0:58:00 > 0:58:04Remember, this place used to be seen as something of a backwater
0:58:04 > 0:58:07on the other side of the planet and now it's ideally placed at the
0:58:07 > 0:58:11edge of perhaps the most dynamic and exciting region of the world, Asia.
0:58:15 > 0:58:20And the country is well placed to prosper for many years to come.
0:58:52 > 0:58:55Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd