0:00:02 > 0:00:03Ladies and gentleman, Mr John Bishop!
0:00:03 > 0:00:06This programme contains some strong language
0:00:06 > 0:00:10At the age of 25, long before I ever thought of being a comedian,
0:00:10 > 0:00:13I walked away from a good job with a pharmaceutical company
0:00:13 > 0:00:17to set off on one of the greatest adventures of my life.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25I rode a bicycle 2,500km from Sydney to Cairns.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31I was doing it to raise money for charity,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33but I was also at a crossroads in me life.
0:00:35 > 0:00:36I'd only come here
0:00:36 > 0:00:39because I didn't want the commitment to getting married.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42You know, that felt like growing up. This was my last big adventure.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Now I've come back to recreate the old journey.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55So far, I've travelled 800km north of Sydney,
0:00:55 > 0:00:59and on that journey I've walked backwards off a cliff...
0:00:59 > 0:01:01I've milked venom from a deadly snake...
0:01:02 > 0:01:04..and I've seen a koala's privates.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Now that's not a sentence I ever thought I'd say.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11I want to see the things I missed out,
0:01:11 > 0:01:13I want to have a little bit of fun
0:01:13 > 0:01:17and I also want to see how Australia's changed.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28I've arrived in the surf town of Byron Bay.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34It's a magnet for young backpackers who are drawn
0:01:34 > 0:01:38by its reputation for having a hippy vibe and a party scene.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42It's a little bit like Magaluf, but with yoga.
0:01:42 > 0:01:46Well, when I came here in 1992, I never went near a surfboard.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52At home, I was used to wearing a suit and driving a Ford Sierra.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55In Byron, people wore kaftans and went surfing before work.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00I just never really understood what it was all about.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07But this time round, I want to know what the scene
0:02:07 > 0:02:09really does mean to the people here,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12so I've got one of the world's surfing legends to fill me in.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Californian Rusty Miller came to Byron Bay back in the early '70s.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22A US champion, he was one of the first surfers to
0:02:22 > 0:02:26travel around the world searching for the perfect wave.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31Rusty is now 70 years old, but he's still living the dream.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33This is my...
0:02:33 > 0:02:36this is why I came here in 1970, you know, this is my,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39this is my common denominator - the waves are still breaking.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42I just like to think that surfing is a good
0:02:42 > 0:02:45emphasis for individuality in that sense that erm,
0:02:45 > 0:02:49it's your personal relationship with the ocean out there.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Just physically that time in the water.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54And often, of course, it does change your life, you know,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57like people, this is a famous thing in Byron.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00People come here and they learn how to surf and they...
0:03:00 > 0:03:02- They give up everything. - They give up everything.
0:03:04 > 0:03:05To be in Byron Bay
0:03:05 > 0:03:09and not go surfing is just like going to Wigan and not eating a pie.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11This time I'm going to hit the waves.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13- This is like... - That looks pretty good.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16..like a male... Have you heard of Spanx over here?
0:03:16 > 0:03:19These are big knickers that women wear to
0:03:19 > 0:03:22get their figure in, and this is like a male version.
0:03:22 > 0:03:23You could just wear,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26I could wear this under me clothes all the time and just breathe in.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Yeah, yeah, yeah, and keep your stomach tight.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30In my head, I'm going to be like
0:03:30 > 0:03:33that boss-eyed bloke in the beer advert,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36riding a wave flanked by white stallions.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39MUSIC: "Phat Planet" by Leftfield
0:03:39 > 0:03:42Tick followed tock followed tick followed tock.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49Hey, I don't care who you are - here's to your dream.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00After I fell on me face a few times, I thought,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02"Well, Ahab can stick his dream up his arse."
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Argh!
0:04:04 > 0:04:06'If God had meant people like me
0:04:06 > 0:04:09'to go surfing, he wouldn't have made the Mersey so cold.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13'I realised that surfing's just like my sex life.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19'I get upright, eventually, but not for very long.'
0:04:26 > 0:04:29That was great, that moment when I was able to stand up,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32even though it was only for about 15 seconds.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36You get a real sense of what Rusty's been on about.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39You're...you're in.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43You're in the water, you're, you're, you're... it's ace!
0:04:44 > 0:04:48'I'm feeling really pleased with my seven seconds of surfing -
0:04:48 > 0:04:52'until I look up and see a blonde bullet shoot across the waves.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57'Kyuss King is just 12 years old
0:04:57 > 0:05:00'and he's already an international surfing star.'
0:05:01 > 0:05:02Kyuss!
0:05:02 > 0:05:05See that, see that, that's what you do to surfers.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08That's what we surfers do, that's...
0:05:08 > 0:05:10I was just saying there, I thought you were good,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13but you tend to lean back a little bit, you need to...
0:05:13 > 0:05:15Mate, you were fantastic. How long have you been surfing?
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Er, since I was two, I kind of just started surfing.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21Does it help if you've got blonde hair?
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Because I'm thinking of dying me hair
0:05:23 > 0:05:27and growing it, cos I just think it will help me balance on the board.
0:05:27 > 0:05:28Kind of like a flame or a streamer?
0:05:28 > 0:05:31- Yeah, yeah, like a flame, yeah, yeah, that's what you got.- Yeah.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33Well, do you think I have to dye it?
0:05:33 > 0:05:37- Cos I think I've got the teeth. We've got the same teeth.- Chompers?
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Yeah, you need the chompers for the balance.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43But I just haven't got anything to weigh me hair back.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48So what tips could you give somebody who's starting off surfing?
0:05:48 > 0:05:51- You've just got to slow down a bit.- Slow down?- Yeah.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55Take your time and get... get into it, like, patiently.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57- Patiently?- Yeah.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01I'm being told to have patience by a 12-year-old!
0:06:01 > 0:06:03That's never happened in all me life. Ha-ha!
0:06:03 > 0:06:04Take care, mate.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10Back home, we all need wellies
0:06:10 > 0:06:13and pac-a-macs to get our kids outside, but here,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17by the time they're six, Aussies are training to be lifeguards.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19WHISTLE BLOWS
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Are you ready? I'm going to join your club now.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25- OK.- What do I do? - Pull it over and tie it up.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28'The Junior Life-Saving Club, or Little Nippers,
0:06:28 > 0:06:30'is an important part of beach life.'
0:06:32 > 0:06:36First thing I want to ask - does everyone like doing this
0:06:36 > 0:06:38or do you have to do it cos your mum and dad make you?
0:06:38 > 0:06:41- No.- I like it.- I like it. - You like it? Yeah.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44- I like doing it... - Except for 5:30 in the morning.
0:06:44 > 0:06:48- 5:30 in the morning? - Yeah, that's...- Who trains at 5:30?
0:06:48 > 0:06:51- Everyone?! - ALL: Yeah.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54- And you have to do that to be part of the club?- No.- No.- No.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58- Oh, you just do it cos you want to? - ALL: Yes.
0:06:58 > 0:06:59You just sign up!
0:06:59 > 0:07:03'I can't see my kids volunteering to get up at half five in the morning.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08'But all Aussies love a competition, so, showing some true British grit,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10'I thought I'd take them on at their own game.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14'Just like they did with us at the cricket. Well, almost!'
0:07:14 > 0:07:16This has got nothing to do with making friends.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20This is to do with winning. This is all about victory this.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22- Oh...- In between. - Right in the middle.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24MAN: Spread out, guys, make some space.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26THEY GIGGLE
0:07:26 > 0:07:31I may not beat the under 14s, but under 9s, I think I've got a chance.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33MAN: Competitors, ready!
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Heads down. WHISTLE BLOWS
0:07:39 > 0:07:41LAUGHTER AND CHATTER
0:07:41 > 0:07:43GIRLS SHOUT, JOHN LAUGHS
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Competitors, ready.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48'There's nothing like beating eight-year-old girls in a race
0:07:48 > 0:07:50'to boost your ego.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52'But to beat the bigger ones,
0:07:52 > 0:07:54'I knew I had to have something a little bit extra.'
0:07:58 > 0:07:59Guys, come on!
0:08:00 > 0:08:04'The reality is, even cheating, it didn't help.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08'Next time, I'll need a jet ski.'
0:08:08 > 0:08:12Jesus! I never even got out to them!
0:08:12 > 0:08:13How mad was that?!
0:08:17 > 0:08:20The facts are that three quarters of the population
0:08:20 > 0:08:25who live in Australia live on this coast and you can see why.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Here, I think the quality of life
0:08:27 > 0:08:30is measured by the time that people spend with each other.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Cos it's pretty clear from the kids with the parents there,
0:08:33 > 0:08:37they spend a lot of time together, cos they're all outside together,
0:08:37 > 0:08:41because this environment invites you outside, doesn't it?
0:08:46 > 0:08:50'Before I leave Byron, there are some people I need to look up.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53'In 1992, a lovely family took pity on me
0:08:53 > 0:08:56'and took me into their home for a few nights.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00'I became friends with Reg and Denise Miller and their son Tim,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03'but I haven't seen them for over 20 years
0:09:03 > 0:09:07'and I'm curious to what their first impression of me was back then.'
0:09:07 > 0:09:11When I came in, you must have thought, "Who's this?"
0:09:11 > 0:09:15- I mean, what did I look like to- you, then? Really good.- Yeah?
0:09:15 > 0:09:17LAUGHTER
0:09:17 > 0:09:19- Similar.- You still look really good!
0:09:19 > 0:09:21No, you look similar to what you look now.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23- Yeah.- You haven't changed at all. LAUGHTER
0:09:23 > 0:09:27In those days, you were one of the boys that every mum would like, mate.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Aw, are you listening? Are you listening?
0:09:30 > 0:09:33- "Every mum wants one." - It's a public shaming!
0:09:33 > 0:09:34Here, somebody told me
0:09:34 > 0:09:37that you'd seen me on Graham Norton that time.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39I did and that's when I went on Facebook!
0:09:39 > 0:09:41I said, "John, is that you? Because this is Reg and Denise
0:09:41 > 0:09:44"and we just saw you on Graham Norton."
0:09:44 > 0:09:46But when you saw that, well, what did you think?
0:09:46 > 0:09:50- Did you sort of...?- I said, "Was he funny when we knew him?"
0:09:50 > 0:09:51LAUGHTER
0:09:52 > 0:09:56And Reg said... You said, "No, he wasn't that funny."
0:09:56 > 0:09:58No, he wasn't that funny!
0:09:58 > 0:10:01- He was bloody serious.- He was serious.- I was serious?- Yeah.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03- Well, I had... - He was trying to raise money.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06He was raising money and that's what appealed to us.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10It's funny, because, like, cos I didn't choose to do that
0:10:10 > 0:10:13as a career, and I never even thought of it,
0:10:13 > 0:10:17so when I met yous, it was never even a feature in me life.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19The life was just normal until,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22- until I started doing stand-up... - So what was the switch?
0:10:22 > 0:10:25- I split up, me and Mandy split up. - And you thought that was funny?
0:10:25 > 0:10:27- No. - LAUGHTER
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Speaking to the Millers, it's made me realise
0:10:39 > 0:10:41that it's a while since I've done any stand-up.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44It's something that I really miss,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47which is odd when you think about it, cos it's me day job.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50I can't imagine that a plumber goes travelling
0:10:50 > 0:10:53and then suddenly has the urge to go and service a boiler.
0:10:54 > 0:11:00I'm heading 160km north to Brisbane, the last major city on the journey.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03And also my last chance to do a gig.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09"How you doing?" "Oh, pretty good!" "Well, that's good..."
0:11:09 > 0:11:13The Sit Down Comedy Club is the best club in the city.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15"I'm studying to be a vet!"
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Is this your first time doing a gig in Australia?
0:11:17 > 0:11:19- Never done a gig in Australia.- All right, cool, yeah.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22- Have you gigged abroad?- Yeah, yeah, yeah, but not that often...- Yeah.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26- I've mostly played gigs in Australia.- You're always...
0:11:26 > 0:11:28- It's how to tune your ear in, innit? - Yeah.- So...
0:11:28 > 0:11:31- That's why I want to watch the other two first.- And also...
0:11:31 > 0:11:34- As you're on stage, you go, "Wait, this is a local reference."- Yeah.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37As you say it, you go, "I'll plough through, I'm sure they'll get it."
0:11:37 > 0:11:40- All right, good man, look forward to it.- Yeah, cheers, mate.- Cheers.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43I don't know whether it'll work or not work.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45I might completely die on me arse, er,
0:11:45 > 0:11:49and, in some respects, it's nice to do it without any expectation.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51So if I do a small gig in England now,
0:11:51 > 0:11:53there's a bit more of an expectation
0:11:53 > 0:11:56cos people know who you are. When nobody knows who you are,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59you can just stand or fall on your own merit.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02So I may find out tonight I'm actually shit.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08He's visiting from the UK and he's a fantastic comic, so I want you
0:12:08 > 0:12:11please to put your hands together and welcome on the stage
0:12:11 > 0:12:14the fantastic Mr John Bishop, ladies and gentlemen, make some noise!
0:12:14 > 0:12:15CHEERING
0:12:18 > 0:12:19Thank you!
0:12:20 > 0:12:23WHOOPING AND WHISTLING, A WOMAN CHATTERS
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Were you the one they were telling to shut up?
0:12:26 > 0:12:28- LAUGHTER - By any chance?
0:12:28 > 0:12:29LAUGHTER
0:12:29 > 0:12:31What are you shouting at me like?
0:12:32 > 0:12:34I'm better than Russell Brand?
0:12:34 > 0:12:36LAUGHTER
0:12:36 > 0:12:39I have to be honest with you, everyone here,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42this is the first gig I've ever done in Australia.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45And, er, I wasn't expecting that as the beginning.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48LAUGHTER, SOMEONE WHOOPS
0:12:48 > 0:12:49WHISTLING
0:12:49 > 0:12:52I'm travelling up from Sydney up to Cairns,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54and I've been in New South Wales.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57And then I said I want to do a gig, I'm going up to Cairns
0:12:57 > 0:13:01and everyone said, "Brisbane, that's your last hope."
0:13:01 > 0:13:04LAUGHTER
0:13:04 > 0:13:08"In Brisbane, you've got a chance. After that, it's six-finger city."
0:13:12 > 0:13:17I'm actually riding a bike from Sydney to Cairns.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21I am! I'm doing it and I did it, er, 22 years ago
0:13:21 > 0:13:23and this time, I'm doing it again,
0:13:23 > 0:13:27I wanted to see how the world was different. 22 years ago, I was 25,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31I was single, I had optimism, joy, hope in me heart.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33And now I've been married 20 years
0:13:33 > 0:13:35and I'm just here cos I want some time on me own.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38LAUGHTER
0:13:38 > 0:13:39APPLAUSE
0:13:39 > 0:13:41Er, ladies and gentlemen, seriously, this
0:13:41 > 0:13:45is honestly the first gig I've ever done in Australia,
0:13:45 > 0:13:48and I will tell you one thing, and I do mean it,
0:13:48 > 0:13:50I haven't met an Australian, well, up till now,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53- I haven't met an Australian... - LAUGHTER
0:13:53 > 0:13:55..that I didn't like, erm...
0:13:55 > 0:13:57LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE
0:13:59 > 0:14:02You've been wonderful, thank you. God willing, I'll see you again.
0:14:02 > 0:14:03Good night and God bless. Thank you.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05CHEERING
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Oh, it was great. I feel a little bit more connected now.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12You know, it's like anything, if you make strangers laugh,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15you feel more connected to them.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Some references that I thought, "That obviously didn't work,"
0:14:18 > 0:14:21and so I was changing things mid-sentence.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23But, you know, that's part of the job, innit?
0:14:27 > 0:14:31Each day, I feel more and more connected to this country.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Next morning, I head out to explore around Brisbane.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36It's a modern multicultural city
0:14:36 > 0:14:40that apparently has the largest Aboriginal population in Australia.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46Brisbane looks different than I remember - busier, bigger.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49I'm interested in finding out where, you know, where members
0:14:49 > 0:14:54of the Aboriginal community see their place in this modern society.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58SINGING AND CHANTING
0:14:58 > 0:15:00'I've been invited to the birthday party
0:15:00 > 0:15:02'of Jaido, who's two years old today.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08'His mother, Mundonara, comes from a politically active family
0:15:08 > 0:15:11'who are campaigning to improve Aboriginal rights.'
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Most people come to the city
0:15:13 > 0:15:16and they usually don't meet Aboriginal people, you know.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21- People think we're, we're, you know, living in Alice Springs.- Yeah.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Well, this is the thing, like, on the way up, on the journey up,
0:15:24 > 0:15:27the people that we've met and spoke to about Aboriginal culture
0:15:27 > 0:15:32have had a very conciliatory view of it. It seems to have been,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34a lot of things went wrong, a lot of things were done bad,
0:15:34 > 0:15:38but we need to move forward. and I've been surprised.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42What do you get out of being angry? Do you know what I mean?
0:15:42 > 0:15:46It takes a lot more energy to do good things,
0:15:46 > 0:15:50so put your good energy and make some good things happen.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:15:55 > 0:15:59'Thanks to people like Mundonara, things are getting better,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02'but even now, an Aboriginal child born today
0:16:02 > 0:16:06'is expected to live ten years less than a non-indigenous child.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12'Mundonara's father, Tiger, is a tribal elder who has
0:16:12 > 0:16:16'dedicated his life to creating a better future for his people.'
0:16:16 > 0:16:19I try to come without preconceived ideas, but then, you start
0:16:19 > 0:16:22having a little... It doesn't take you very long to see
0:16:22 > 0:16:27the disparity in the life that most Aboriginal people live to most...
0:16:27 > 0:16:29- to most white...- We make up 3% of the population.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32We don't have any economic power. We have no political power.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34And we don't have the numbers.
0:16:34 > 0:16:39So we can scream and yell from the tops of the buildings,
0:16:39 > 0:16:41to no avail, generally. No-one listens.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44I mean, this is the thing, as you say, like today,
0:16:44 > 0:16:493% of the population means that, in reality, you wouldn't normally
0:16:49 > 0:16:54- expect 3% of a population to get a voice in any society.- Exactly.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57But 200 years ago, you were 100% of the population.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00- And that...- We ran this country. We ran this country!
0:17:00 > 0:17:05We had our own... societal structures.
0:17:05 > 0:17:11We had international agreements for trade before the British got here.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14We ran this country not all that long ago.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16So it's that recognition of our people.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19What would you say is the most important step that can be done now?
0:17:19 > 0:17:23- Cos we can't turn the clock back, so...- We can't turn the clock back.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26And we're not saying, "Turn the clock back," but we're saying,
0:17:26 > 0:17:29- "There's a lot of lessons can be learnt from our people."- Yeah.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32"We've been here since the first sun rose and shone,
0:17:32 > 0:17:34"let's sit down and talk."
0:17:35 > 0:17:37'This is a dialogue that's going to become
0:17:37 > 0:17:39'more and more important over time.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43'According to recent research, the Aboriginal population will grow
0:17:43 > 0:17:48'from 670,000 to over a million people in the next 20 years.
0:17:48 > 0:17:52'This next generation will need to make their voices heard.'
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Your son today is two.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58How do you think the world will be for him over the next 20 years?
0:17:58 > 0:18:01That's, er... that's a beautiful question.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04For these kids here, they will learn,
0:18:04 > 0:18:10without even being told, how to make good society.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14We encourage our kids to mix in with other kids,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17We don't even look at other kids as black, white or yellow, you know.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21I think, if everyone had the opportunity to learn
0:18:21 > 0:18:27from our elders, they would gain an understanding of our culture,
0:18:27 > 0:18:28- of Aboriginal logic...- Hm.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Aboriginal philosophy, Aboriginal history.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34It's like, "OK, you do this, but why do you do that?"
0:18:34 > 0:18:38It's like why - why we're like this. Why do we share?
0:18:38 > 0:18:41Why is family important? Why is land important?
0:18:41 > 0:18:45Everything that you could think of that makes us who we are,
0:18:45 > 0:18:49that's something we could teach non-indigenous people.
0:18:49 > 0:18:54That's what's missing in society. That's what I have hope towards.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02'It's a complicated situation and a visitor like me
0:19:02 > 0:19:05'can't just walk into it and pretend to fully understand it.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12'But during this trip, I've learnt so much more about it.'
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Do you want to swap with her?
0:19:14 > 0:19:19'The Aboriginals now have a voice they didn't have before.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21'And the future for Jaido and the other children
0:19:21 > 0:19:23'does seem a little bit brighter now.'
0:19:34 > 0:19:38I've come up here on me way out of Brisbane to get this view.
0:19:38 > 0:19:45Just beyond Brisbane there, that's going flat and hotter and harder.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47In many respects,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50we're getting close to the real Australia going north.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04One thing that I learnt last time is that Australia is massive.
0:20:04 > 0:20:09The whole of the UK would fit into Queensland more than seven times.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13So to move on to where I want go to next, I need more than a bicycle.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17I'm travelling to Fraser Island,
0:20:17 > 0:20:21a World Heritage Site that's 200km north of Brisbane,
0:20:21 > 0:20:25and accessible only by ferry over shark-infested waters.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Yes, that's right - shark-infested waters!
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Always wanted to say that.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37I'm going to Fraser Island because when I went north last time,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39everywhere... every backpacker I met,
0:20:39 > 0:20:43everyone I'd spoke to about travelling north said to me,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46"Did you stop off at Fraser Island?" and I didn't.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Er, so I wanted to do it for that reason,
0:20:48 > 0:20:52but also because it's the largest sand island in the world.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04Wow, look at that. That is amazing, though, innit?
0:21:06 > 0:21:09If I was asked to design my own perfect desert island,
0:21:09 > 0:21:13Fraser would be it. It's made up of more sand than the Sahara, which has
0:21:13 > 0:21:17been blown here by thousands of years of winds and tides.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21It's got 250km of beautiful beaches
0:21:21 > 0:21:24that are flanked by spectacularly colourful cliffs.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27It's got rainforest and over 100 freshwater lakes.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31It's a bit like the Isle of Man. Well...
0:21:31 > 0:21:34it's surrounded by water at least.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Oh, wow, look at that.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38This is a proper barren landscape, innit?
0:21:41 > 0:21:46I'm actually driving on the official highway of Fraser Island Beach.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51It's 75 miles long and has an official speed limit, although,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54to be honest, with dingoes on one side and the tide on the other,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56you're not going to go that mad.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Wow!
0:22:02 > 0:22:05When you see that, that's when you feel like you're a long way from home.
0:22:08 > 0:22:09It's just staggering, innit?
0:22:11 > 0:22:15Now, this is brilliant. This is typical Australia.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22Look at that, that's an Aussie way to deal with tourists.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24It's the cliff edge, if you fall off, it's your own fault.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27If this was England, there'd be a barrier there, wouldn't there?
0:22:27 > 0:22:29And there'd be big warning signs.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32And you'd have to get a certificate to walk up.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34In Australia, it's just, "You fall off, mate,
0:22:34 > 0:22:36"your own fault, you're a dickhead."
0:22:43 > 0:22:46'And even the scientists here are more gung-ho.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48'Fraser expert Professor Jamie Shulmeister
0:22:48 > 0:22:51'has been airdropped onto the island to meet me.'
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Australians are very privileged people, they're, they're...
0:22:55 > 0:22:59We have the nicest beaches in the world, and they're also
0:22:59 > 0:23:01a beautiful temperature. And if you get over the, er,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04- pommy fear of snakes and spiders... - JOHN LAUGHS
0:23:04 > 0:23:07..and sharks, erm, there's actually very little in Australia
0:23:07 > 0:23:09that's going to do you too much harm.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17The scariest thing that I've seen is a koala with chlamydia.
0:23:17 > 0:23:18JAMES LAUGHS
0:23:22 > 0:23:25'As well as having an academic interest in Fraser Island,
0:23:25 > 0:23:29'Jamie's a great enthusiast for the beauty of the place,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31'so he's taking me to some of his favourite spots.'
0:23:34 > 0:23:37- So you said this is called Red Canyon?- Yeah.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39And I've brought you here, because this is one of the
0:23:39 > 0:23:43nice spots on the island to see the different coloured sand.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50What strikes me about it is the sheer quality of the colour.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53The colours represent the minerals that are
0:23:53 > 0:23:56present in there, and we've got a rainbow range of colours.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00But there are really two minerals that are doing most of the work,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03and those two minerals are iron, and, as you'll know yourself,
0:24:03 > 0:24:07if you've got a piece of iron and it rusts, it goes red.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10- Yeah, like the shipwreck.- Like the shipwreck just down the beach.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13And the other dominant mineral is aluminium
0:24:13 > 0:24:17and the colour of weathering of aluminium is yellow.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19- That's staggering, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24'Moving from the beach to the other side of Fraser Island,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27'there's an ancient rainforest growing out the sand.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30'This place is like having a conversation with your nan -
0:24:30 > 0:24:33'you never really know what's coming up next!'
0:24:33 > 0:24:36So, as you can see here, this looks like a regular forest
0:24:36 > 0:24:39and just a regular place, but we're still on top of a dune.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43This is one of the old dunes and we've got fully grown forest here.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47- How old would the trees be?- Well... - Cos some of them look really big.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50Yeah, some of the biggest ones will be several hundred years old.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58What we're leading down to now is Lake Boomanjin.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03A pretty spectacular body of water for a lake inside a dune field.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08- And as you can see, it's a huge...- It's massive!
0:25:08 > 0:25:10It's a pretty huge lake, eh?
0:25:12 > 0:25:15'This lake is the largest of its type in the world,
0:25:15 > 0:25:17'made up entirely of trapped rainwater,
0:25:17 > 0:25:20'which has took thousands of years to accumulate.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24'It's just like a giant puddle, really. If it was in England,
0:25:24 > 0:25:27'they could have filled it in a bank holiday weekend!'
0:25:27 > 0:25:32So this would have started out as an area between some large dunes
0:25:32 > 0:25:35and that initially wouldn't have had any water in it.
0:25:35 > 0:25:36And if we have a look here,
0:25:36 > 0:25:41we can see that there's all this organic soup in here and...
0:25:41 > 0:25:44- Yeah, you can see the mixture. - You can see that organic mix.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47And this material basically
0:25:47 > 0:25:49blocks the drainage at the bottom of the lake
0:25:49 > 0:25:54and that's what actually, er, allows the lake to sit here indefinitely.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57- So it's like a big organic plug? - Absolutely.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00'As far as puddles go,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03'Lake Boomanjin's going to take some beating.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07'However, Jamie's told me about a nearby oasis
0:26:07 > 0:26:09'that's perfect for a dip.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14'It's also, by the time I get there, completely empty.'
0:26:16 > 0:26:18This is Lake Wabby down there
0:26:18 > 0:26:21and, er, and where I'm going to go for a swim.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23So I haven't got a costume, I've got a pair of shorts,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26I haven't got a towel, I've got a sweatshirt,
0:26:26 > 0:26:30cos I've come completely unprepared. I'm like a proper backpacker.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34'This journey to Australia has already allowed me
0:26:34 > 0:26:36'to achieve a few personal ambitions.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39'This is another one.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42'Not doing a moony on the BBC!
0:26:42 > 0:26:45'But going swimming naked in a freshwater oasis.'
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Oh! Oh, beautiful!
0:26:48 > 0:26:50# I'm headed for a land that's far away
0:26:50 > 0:26:54# Beside the crystal fountain Some come with me... #
0:26:54 > 0:26:58Beautiful. This is beautiful fresh water.
0:27:01 > 0:27:02It's so refreshing,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05and to think it's been here for thousands of years...
0:27:05 > 0:27:10People have been doing this for decades and decades and decades.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Coming here, getting their cock out, going for a swim.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Now that I've had my naturist moment,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24I'm heading 250km up the coast
0:27:24 > 0:27:26to the town of Gladstone
0:27:26 > 0:27:30in the industrial heartland of Northern Australia.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Thanks to a mining boom, this is now one of the largest ports
0:27:33 > 0:27:37in the country. In many respects, it reminds me of Liverpool.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39GENERAL CHATTER
0:27:42 > 0:27:44I want find out how this expansion has affected
0:27:44 > 0:27:46the lives of ordinary Aussies.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53So I'm going for a tour of the harbour with the local man made good, Adam Bolton.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01- Adam. Good to meet you, mate, I'm John. Good stuff.- Come on aboard.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04- Thanks for having us on board. - No worries.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09- If you need me to drive, just let me know!- Yeah, no worries.
0:28:09 > 0:28:10All right, Shelby.
0:28:15 > 0:28:2029-year-old Adam runs a successful business ferrying workers to
0:28:20 > 0:28:24and from the new industrial plants on Curtis Island.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27He started with one boat, but now has a fleet of them.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32I've been going since 2008, set up business as a one-man band then.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35- That was you?- That was just me. - You were the one man in the band.
0:28:35 > 0:28:37I was, I was the one man in the band.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39Er, one man, one boat, and we've grown from there.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42So when you say you've grown from that, how big are you now?
0:28:42 > 0:28:45Er, currently, we've got 12 boats of our own,
0:28:45 > 0:28:48and there's 25 that we manage and operate.
0:28:48 > 0:28:53In 22 years, it seems to have exploded. It didn't look this busy.
0:28:53 > 0:28:54Very much so.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57How often is something like that arriving into the port?
0:28:57 > 0:29:01Probably got about 20 of them sitting out the front at the moment waiting to come in.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08These giant tankers come from all over the world to ship
0:29:08 > 0:29:10minerals such as coal and aluminium
0:29:10 > 0:29:13that are being mined from all over Northern Australia.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15It's a huge business.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21What's interesting is this... this is what me dad
0:29:21 > 0:29:24would have been doing when he was working on the tugs.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27Pushing the big ships in.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29That's what's so interesting about Gladstone to me,
0:29:29 > 0:29:32cos it feels a lot like Liverpool, really.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36It's a proper shipping town with a shipping history.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40This is really as big as it gets, isn't it?
0:29:41 > 0:29:45At the heart of this boom is a 70 billion
0:29:45 > 0:29:47development on Curtis Island.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51Like Fraser, this island is a heritage-listed marine park,
0:29:51 > 0:29:54but in 2009, there was controversy
0:29:54 > 0:29:58when a quarter of it was rezoned for industrial use.
0:29:58 > 0:30:0211,000 workers were employed to build three gas refineries -
0:30:02 > 0:30:06just a stone's throw from the Great Barrier Reef.
0:30:06 > 0:30:08Everything had to be brought to the island,
0:30:08 > 0:30:12from gravel, er, pylons, steel...
0:30:12 > 0:30:16And as far as the local community goes, is everybody happy with
0:30:16 > 0:30:20the environmental impact of having something like this, then?
0:30:20 > 0:30:22Of course not. Yeah, not everyone's happy about it.
0:30:22 > 0:30:24Personally, yes, it has impacted the environment...
0:30:24 > 0:30:26You've seen it, or...?
0:30:26 > 0:30:29Let's not put our heads in the sand, they've undertaken
0:30:29 > 0:30:32the biggest dredging project in the southern hemisphere.
0:30:32 > 0:30:3427 million tonnes of soil
0:30:34 > 0:30:36and rock and stuff had to be removed.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39They have cleared some land and animals will be displaced.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41There is an environmental impact.
0:30:41 > 0:30:46- However, the biggest concern is there was three built, three plants built.- Yeah.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48It's not like there's one, they've come along
0:30:48 > 0:30:51and put one plant in, they've turned around and built three.
0:30:52 > 0:30:58I think everything Adam said was sensible and honest,
0:30:58 > 0:31:01and you've got to look at it from his point of view.
0:31:01 > 0:31:06A young man living here whilst this boom's going on, he's
0:31:06 > 0:31:09making the most of a life for him and his family, and the difficulty
0:31:09 > 0:31:15with balancing the environmental concerns that everyone's got.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17Where your own concern is making a good life for yourself,
0:31:17 > 0:31:19it's always going to be difficult.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25THUNDER RUMBLES
0:31:25 > 0:31:28The next day, I'm back in the saddle.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32Moving north, I'm getting closer and closer to tropical Australia...
0:31:32 > 0:31:34and the rain arrives.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39THUNDER RUMBLES
0:31:40 > 0:31:42Come on!
0:31:42 > 0:31:43HE LAUGHS
0:31:43 > 0:31:46Come on! YES!
0:31:57 > 0:31:59Flat tyre.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03It's the gravel, isn't it? I hit the gravel going too fast, I think.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05And then, er, pop.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11Bike mechanics by John Bishop.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Going to be late for me supper!
0:32:21 > 0:32:24Every man knows... if you've got a little pump,
0:32:24 > 0:32:26it takes a lot more to get anything done.
0:32:28 > 0:32:29Look at it!
0:32:29 > 0:32:32HE WHISTLES
0:32:37 > 0:32:42I'm now heading to Coowonga, over 1,500 kilometres away from Sydney,
0:32:42 > 0:32:45and deep into the heart of Queensland.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49This is a tough part of the country and it breeds tough people.
0:32:49 > 0:32:51Come on!
0:32:51 > 0:32:53I'm going to meet one of the toughest of all of them...
0:32:53 > 0:32:55- Come on, girlie, come on. - ..a real-life Crocodile Dundee.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57Hup, come on, come on!
0:32:57 > 0:33:00John Lever fell in love with saltwater crocodiles
0:33:00 > 0:33:04when he lived with the remote crocodile tribe in Papua New Guinea.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08By the early '70s, salties had been hunted to near extinction
0:33:08 > 0:33:12in Australia, and so John decided to dedicate his life to saving them.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15He and his son now run tours of their farm
0:33:15 > 0:33:17to help promote conservation.
0:33:19 > 0:33:20Come on! Keep comin'.
0:33:20 > 0:33:22That's MASSIVE.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26It's just Australian, innit? You know what I mean?
0:33:26 > 0:33:29If this was Chester Zoo, I'm not sure they'd be doing that.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32Up here, boy, look up here.
0:33:32 > 0:33:33Good boy!
0:33:33 > 0:33:37- John.- How are you? - Nice to meet you!
0:33:37 > 0:33:39- Whoa, bloody hell! - What's the matter?!
0:33:39 > 0:33:40I didn't know that was here. Look at that!
0:33:40 > 0:33:43I thought you had nerves of steel. What's the matter?
0:33:43 > 0:33:45This is a girl.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47That's her mate, Pete.
0:33:47 > 0:33:53Erm, he's a croc I caught on a public boat ramp at Townsville...
0:33:53 > 0:33:55He was... He was what, on a public boat ramp?
0:33:55 > 0:33:58Well, he was approaching people when they put the boats in the water
0:33:58 > 0:34:02- and people were getting nervous, so they, er...- Really? I wonder why(!)
0:34:02 > 0:34:04Yeah! So the government asked me to go and catch him
0:34:04 > 0:34:06and take him away, which I did.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08And when I hit him with the harpoon,
0:34:08 > 0:34:11next thing I see a pair of open jaws coming straight for my head lamp.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15Threw myself back in the boat - in preservation mode, of course -
0:34:15 > 0:34:17landed on the anchor and got four cracked ribs at the back
0:34:17 > 0:34:21- which were painful for about three months.- Oh, I can imagine.- Yes.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24How much would he weigh?
0:34:24 > 0:34:28Oh, around about 450, maybe 500 kilos.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32- 500 kilos...- Yeah. - ..and he's kept in by this?- Yeah.
0:34:32 > 0:34:34You could buy this from B&Q.
0:34:34 > 0:34:38Will he be focused on me? Cos he's not moved since I arrived.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42His heartbeat, at the moment, might only be two or three beats a minute.
0:34:42 > 0:34:44- Yeah?- When he wants to get into action, it goes like that
0:34:44 > 0:34:46- up to 200 beats a minute.- No way!
0:34:46 > 0:34:49Yeah, and he's got that instant energy.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51But he's a nice croc, good temperament.
0:34:51 > 0:34:52Yeah, he seems it, lovely.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55- You know what, it's amazing. - That's your first time...?
0:34:55 > 0:34:57- CROCODILE HISSES - Oh!
0:34:57 > 0:35:00That obvious... That obviously is, cos you got too close, yeah.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03'Most of the crocodiles in these pens
0:35:03 > 0:35:06'have been personally rescued by John.'
0:35:06 > 0:35:09This is our monster croc.
0:35:09 > 0:35:125.3m long, 850 kilos.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16Took us three months to catch that crocodile.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21'John spent the last 20 years driving round the country saving
0:35:21 > 0:35:24'crocodiles that otherwise would have been shot.'
0:35:24 > 0:35:27They rang me up and said, "Please, come and get it, it's yours."
0:35:27 > 0:35:31And I drove 3,200km to Jabiru,
0:35:31 > 0:35:33picked the crocodile up and drove it back here.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36In what, in a specialised container?
0:35:36 > 0:35:38Nothing special, I got a Transit van over there.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41I just bunged him in the back of that.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43- You put him in the back of a Transit van?- Yeah, yeah.
0:35:45 > 0:35:46Serious, are you joking?
0:35:46 > 0:35:48HE LAUGHS No, I'm not joking.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51And then I had him in a cage in the back of the Transit van,
0:35:51 > 0:35:54and at night, I have my mattress on top of the cage,
0:35:54 > 0:35:57so I go to sleep on top of the crocodile in the cage.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01That would have been fantastic if someone had robbed your car.
0:36:01 > 0:36:06- Car thieves...- "Surprise!"- ..that would have been the perfect thing.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12'John supports his conservation work with a breeding programme.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16'He buys in eggs which he uses to stock his farm.'
0:36:17 > 0:36:19- BABY CROCODILES SQUEAK - Oh!
0:36:19 > 0:36:23- This is what it's all about. The eggs is the start of it.- Oh!
0:36:23 > 0:36:25Now, you can handle him very gently, OK?
0:36:25 > 0:36:27If he bites you, don't be alarmed,
0:36:27 > 0:36:29he won't take a finger off or anything. But they...
0:36:29 > 0:36:31- SQUEAKING CONTINUES - The noise of them!
0:36:31 > 0:36:33Yeah. That's the stress call, that's calling to Mum and Dad.
0:36:33 > 0:36:35Aren't they fabulous?
0:36:35 > 0:36:37- I mean, these are just baby dinosaurs. Look at them.- Yeah.
0:36:37 > 0:36:42At what point do their teeth become mature enough to cut?
0:36:42 > 0:36:46Ah, he's hard enough now, erm, but he wouldn't do much damage.
0:36:46 > 0:36:49- See the bottom part of the belly there?- Yeah.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51That's the umbilical scar just there,
0:36:51 > 0:36:54- and in the trade, that's the front of the handbag.- Right.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58That's its thumbprint, yeah. Good stuff.
0:36:58 > 0:36:59'Did he say "handbag"?'
0:36:59 > 0:37:02- Where are we going now? - These are the grow-out pens.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05- The grow-out pens?- They go from incubator as an egg, to the hatchery
0:37:05 > 0:37:08- as a little baby croc, and then we end up with, er...- Oh!
0:37:08 > 0:37:10..crocs this size.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15These are two to three years of age.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18As you can see, these are nearly ready for skinning.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21Near... Sorry, say that again - "these are nearly ready for skinning"?
0:37:21 > 0:37:22Skinning, yeah.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25The crocs we actually harvest are around...
0:37:25 > 0:37:271.6 to 2 metres long.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30What we're looking for is a nice belly skin,
0:37:30 > 0:37:33not the rough part on the back, that's used for belts only.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36So we, er, we take the skin off round that way, off the animal.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40And a crocodile of that size, what would you make from that?
0:37:40 > 0:37:43Oh, you'd get a smallish handbag, you wouldn't get
0:37:43 > 0:37:46a big tote or anything like that, but you'd get a purse,
0:37:46 > 0:37:49you'd get a few...about eight wallets, ten wallets out of that.
0:37:49 > 0:37:53'Before anything is turned into a wallet,
0:37:53 > 0:37:55'it first of all has to be killed.'
0:37:55 > 0:38:00- Now, this is the next stage for you to see.- Yeah.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04OK.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08And you see the size of them - around about 1.8m long.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11Beautiful skins, not a blemish on them, and that's what we gotta get,
0:38:11 > 0:38:13otherwise the industry doesn't want them.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16They don't want second grade skins, they want first grade only.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19So what we do is run a knife up there and right along
0:38:19 > 0:38:22underneath the tail, this whole back part is taken off of the crocodile,
0:38:22 > 0:38:26and then you're left with the belly skin and that's then taken off.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31- Hm.- Hm.- Oh...
0:38:31 > 0:38:33Got to be honest, I wasn't expecting to see that
0:38:33 > 0:38:34when I woke up this morning.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37There you go, you don't look too happy about it.
0:38:37 > 0:38:39No, I'll be honest with you, it-it's...
0:38:39 > 0:38:42As a vegetarian, the reason I became a vegetarian is
0:38:42 > 0:38:46because I used to work in a hamburger shop, and I had to go
0:38:46 > 0:38:49and collect the meat off the farmer that was producing it.
0:38:49 > 0:38:54And I walked into a room, not dissimilar to this,
0:38:54 > 0:38:58with a cow carcass hanging on it, and it was immediate, I just went,
0:38:58 > 0:39:00"I'm not going to eat that ever again."
0:39:00 > 0:39:04And this is the first time I've been in a similar facility.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06This is the realistic part of farming.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08This is...as you say, it's farming.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11It's farming. It's... I guess, what farming is.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18'It's hard for me to get my head around the concept that you can
0:39:18 > 0:39:22'save an animal by turning it into a luxury item like a handbag.'
0:39:23 > 0:39:26Before, when we were watching the crocs outside and the tour
0:39:26 > 0:39:29with the tourists, it was kind of these...
0:39:29 > 0:39:32- These are a... There was almost a conservation feel to it.- Yeah.
0:39:32 > 0:39:33It was like these are animals...
0:39:33 > 0:39:36But this is, this is... It's conservation through commerce.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39You can't get away from it - this is the best example
0:39:39 > 0:39:42in the world on how you commercialise an animal to save it.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45A lot of the property owners, years ago, we used to shoot
0:39:45 > 0:39:48all their crocodiles, because they had no commercial value.
0:39:48 > 0:39:50All right? I'm talking about cattle properties
0:39:50 > 0:39:54- with 10km of river flowing through their property.- Yeah.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57And they had a crocodile population they wanted to get rid of.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59And all of a sudden they found out the eggs were worth money,
0:39:59 > 0:40:02and they wanted their crocodile population back again.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05- It's quite clear from talking to you, you're very passionate about them.- Mm.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09That love of the animal and then moving it to the next step
0:40:09 > 0:40:12of harvesting the animal, how do you equate those two things?
0:40:12 > 0:40:16Oh, because I'm so convinced that conservation through commerce works.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19Because my passion is not for the individual croc,
0:40:19 > 0:40:22my passion is for the survival of the species.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26It might make me feel uncomfortable, but John seems to have found
0:40:26 > 0:40:30a way to save the saltwater crocodiles from extinction,
0:40:30 > 0:40:34and at least Australia's iconic animal is no longer under threat.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46Just a stone's throw from the croc farm is Rockhampton,
0:40:46 > 0:40:49the beef capital of Australia.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52If I didn't know where I was, I could easily believe
0:40:52 > 0:40:54I was in Wild West America,
0:40:54 > 0:40:59with girls riding round on horses and cowboys lining the streets.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05As a vegetarian, it feels odd being in a place that produces more
0:41:05 > 0:41:09meat than anywhere else, but I'm about to step into the lion's den.
0:41:11 > 0:41:16I'm going to meet the biggest beef baron in Australia, Graeme Acton.
0:41:16 > 0:41:18I couldn't feel more exposed.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20'I feel like I'm about to walk up
0:41:20 > 0:41:23'and take a penalty at Old Trafford in my underpants.'
0:41:23 > 0:41:27- John.- G'day, John.- How are you? - Graeme, this is my wife, Jenny.
0:41:27 > 0:41:29- Hello, John. - Hello, Jenny, how are you?
0:41:29 > 0:41:32- Good, thanks, nice to meet you. - Welcome to paradise in Rockhampton,
0:41:32 > 0:41:33the beef capital of the world.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35Would you like a cup of tea?
0:41:35 > 0:41:39Definitely, 100%. It's been a hot, sticky, dusty ride.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45'Graeme Acton and his brother Evan head up a business empire
0:41:45 > 0:41:48'that's reportedly worth around 500 million.'
0:41:49 > 0:41:53So what's your family heritage, what brought them to here first?
0:41:53 > 0:41:58Well, my grandfather came from... Great-grandfather came from Ireland,
0:41:58 > 0:42:03County Mayo in Ireland, in 1862, and settled, would you believe,
0:42:03 > 0:42:08about 20km to the southeast of us, where we sit today.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11In English terms, this is huge.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15How much land do you own?
0:42:15 > 0:42:19Oh, we own at least somewhere around four million acres.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21- JOHN LAUGHS - All in Queensland.
0:42:23 > 0:42:28Can I just...? So, four million acres, that's probably Scotland.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30That's massive!
0:42:30 > 0:42:32Oh, it's not quite as big as Scotland, but...
0:42:32 > 0:42:34So now you've got four million acres,
0:42:34 > 0:42:38how big was your holding 30 years ago?
0:42:38 > 0:42:40- 80,000 acres.- Really?
0:42:40 > 0:42:42Yeah.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47For more than 40 years, Graeme has worked seven days a week to
0:42:47 > 0:42:50buy more land and grow his business.
0:42:50 > 0:42:52His operation now is so big that the only way
0:42:52 > 0:42:55he can keep track of all of his cattle is by helicopter.
0:42:56 > 0:43:00Graeme wants to show me his prize herd, but first I'm
0:43:00 > 0:43:04joining his son-in-law, Ben, for some cattle mustering, Aussie style.
0:43:06 > 0:43:07I have been up in a helicopter,
0:43:07 > 0:43:10but I've never chased a cow in a helicopter.
0:43:10 > 0:43:12A slightly different experience.
0:43:12 > 0:43:13Ben.
0:43:14 > 0:43:18- Hi, John.- Hi, mate.- How you going? - Thanks for having me.- Very good.
0:43:18 > 0:43:22- Jesus, I've filled it, Ben! - Nice and cosy.
0:43:26 > 0:43:31I've never been in any flying craft before that I can stick me
0:43:31 > 0:43:33- hand out of both windows. - THEY CHUCKLE
0:43:38 > 0:43:41Great. Seriously picks up and you're away.
0:43:43 > 0:43:47Ben spends most days flying Graeme around his various cattle stations.
0:43:47 > 0:43:52This one spans 150,000 acres and has 12,000 cattle on it.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57Wow, I mean, I just didn't realise how many there was.
0:43:57 > 0:44:00Yeah, there's a lot of cattle in this paddock.
0:44:03 > 0:44:07- What are we flying at now? What height, about ten feet?- Yeah.
0:44:13 > 0:44:17Ben's herding cattle into different paddocks according to age and size.
0:44:17 > 0:44:19A bit like One Man And His Dog,
0:44:19 > 0:44:21but actually more like One Man And His Chopper,
0:44:21 > 0:44:24which I know sounds like an entirely different show.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28Pretty neat job when you get to do this all day, every day.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35'Back at the ranch, I get the opportunity to fulfil
0:44:35 > 0:44:36'a childhood dream.
0:44:36 > 0:44:40'I'm going to be a cowboy, that is if I can get on me horse.'
0:44:42 > 0:44:45- There we go. - Wrong side, wrong side!
0:44:45 > 0:44:47- Wrong side.- Oh, wrong side?
0:44:47 > 0:44:50Getting on a horse is like getting in a car.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53You don't drive from the passenger side, do you?
0:44:53 > 0:44:56The first thing you gotta do, put your reins around.
0:44:57 > 0:45:01Get a good bloody hold there like that,
0:45:01 > 0:45:05put your bloody left leg in there, put your knee in the shoulder,
0:45:05 > 0:45:09get a bit of spring up... And I'm starting to lose a bit of my spring.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11You probably will when you get to my age, too!
0:45:11 > 0:45:13All right.
0:45:13 > 0:45:15- This is a crocodile saddle. - And is this...?
0:45:15 > 0:45:17And you should be very proud of yourself, because the Prime Minister
0:45:17 > 0:45:21of Australia has rode in that saddle and the Premier of Queensland.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24So I'm going to put my arse where the Prime Minister of Australia...
0:45:24 > 0:45:26THEY LAUGH
0:45:26 > 0:45:28- I never thought... - This way a bit now.
0:45:30 > 0:45:34- Foot like that, yeah? - Yeah, and hold this here first.
0:45:34 > 0:45:36Oh, yeah, hold that, yeah.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39Hold that, grab the other side, that's right, and now swing on.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41- Hey!- There he goes.
0:45:41 > 0:45:42- There you are.- How's that?
0:45:42 > 0:45:46You know what? This is all I've ever wanted to do -
0:45:46 > 0:45:48be a cowboy, rustling cattle.
0:45:49 > 0:45:51All right.
0:45:52 > 0:45:54Kick in a bit with your heels.
0:45:54 > 0:45:55How far is Texas?
0:45:57 > 0:45:59There we go, go on.
0:45:59 > 0:46:01There we go.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03- There we go, hey!- Go on.
0:46:07 > 0:46:09He is massive.
0:46:10 > 0:46:14As far as all of these, these cattle goes, he's the daddy.
0:46:14 > 0:46:20The bull is the sire, he's the sire of all those calves you see there.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24- Yeah.- 70 is about the maximum herd number for a bull.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26There we go, hey!
0:46:26 > 0:46:30I don't eat meat, I haven't eaten meat for 27 years.
0:46:30 > 0:46:34Well, you should be ashamed of yourself, John, not eating meat!
0:46:34 > 0:46:37- No, I...- It's the most sought-after protein in the world, red meat.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40It's just more for me. I just don't see the point of killing
0:46:40 > 0:46:43something to eat it, unless you need to.
0:46:43 > 0:46:47I don't... My kids eat meat... My wife doesn't, my kids eat meat.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50I've got no problem with people who do cos it's their choice.
0:46:50 > 0:46:55And I've never missed the taste, but would these produce
0:46:55 > 0:46:58a different taste to other meats? They're more...
0:46:58 > 0:47:01- Australian meat is, er, renowned for its flavour.- Yeah.
0:47:01 > 0:47:06Because 80% of Australian meat is developed off the bloody, er...
0:47:06 > 0:47:10- grown out on the wide open spaces on the pastures.- Yeah.
0:47:10 > 0:47:12And it has a very distinct flavour.
0:47:14 > 0:47:17Although I can't see myself tucking into one of Graeme's steaks
0:47:17 > 0:47:22any time soon, I still really like this idea of being a cowboy.
0:47:22 > 0:47:27This kind of thing, as far as the mass production of meat, is
0:47:27 > 0:47:31not something that I would normally place myself in the middle of, but...
0:47:31 > 0:47:35I wish you wouldn't keep talking about being a vegetarian.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38I'm going to get into a fair bit of trouble about this with my mates!
0:47:38 > 0:47:39THEY LAUGH
0:47:46 > 0:47:49Rockhampton is a city of contrast,
0:47:49 > 0:47:52and as well as being the beef capital of Australia,
0:47:52 > 0:47:55it's also home to the Kendrick Tucker Velodrome,
0:47:55 > 0:47:59named after its cycling champion, Kendrick Tucker.
0:47:59 > 0:48:01I'm here to meet Russell and Alan,
0:48:01 > 0:48:05who last time I was here got me completely plastered after
0:48:05 > 0:48:09I'd walked into their bicycle shop looking for some repairs.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11All I remember is that we went for a quick drink,
0:48:11 > 0:48:13then I ended up on the stage singing.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16'I haven't seen them since, which, to be fair,
0:48:16 > 0:48:18'may say a lot about my voice.'
0:48:18 > 0:48:20- Russell, Alan. - How are you, John?
0:48:20 > 0:48:23- Long time, no see. - Hey, how are you, buddy?
0:48:23 > 0:48:27- I'm very good, how are you? - How are you, John?- How are you? Very good, yeah.- Hey.
0:48:27 > 0:48:29You're looking well. You look nearly the same!
0:48:29 > 0:48:33You've got THAT! Where did that come from?!
0:48:34 > 0:48:37If you recall, me back wheel had gone,
0:48:37 > 0:48:40- so that's why I had to come to the shop.- We fixed it up and then...
0:48:40 > 0:48:42And then you took me out somewhere to some bar
0:48:42 > 0:48:44where a band was playing.
0:48:44 > 0:48:48It was the only night during that whole trip that I got drunk.
0:48:48 > 0:48:51- We're going to have a beer tonight? - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:48:51 > 0:48:53There's some awesome racing just on.
0:48:53 > 0:48:57Well, they've got me on to have a go of that fastest lap.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00Oh, fabulous!
0:49:00 > 0:49:04You can tell by the lads' reaction that they don't really think
0:49:04 > 0:49:05I'll be very good at this.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12That was the under-17 girls.
0:49:13 > 0:49:16The under-17 girls.
0:49:17 > 0:49:20Next up, the hot lap - six men trying to be
0:49:20 > 0:49:23the fastest around the Kendrick Tucker Velodrome.
0:49:24 > 0:49:28The hot lap event comprises of two circuits behind the pacemaker
0:49:28 > 0:49:31who, in this case, is actually Kendrick himself.
0:49:31 > 0:49:33After that, you put your head down
0:49:33 > 0:49:35and pedal like mad for your final lap.
0:49:38 > 0:49:42I've borrowed a bike, so I'm going to give it the best shot I can.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47I've never ridden behind a motorbike this close before,
0:49:47 > 0:49:48so I've got to be careful.
0:49:48 > 0:49:51To be honest, I'm quite glad that me teeth are insured.
0:49:54 > 0:49:58Then I get me head down and put in a proper British performance.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03In front of an excited crowd...
0:50:04 > 0:50:06..I come last.
0:50:07 > 0:50:09So I'm off now to drown me sorrows with the boys.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11LAUGHTER
0:50:11 > 0:50:14What I remember is, we went to that bar and, er,
0:50:14 > 0:50:17- what was the bar called, you said... - Was it the Criterion?
0:50:17 > 0:50:19- The Criterion. - The Rockfors were playing.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22- Yeah, the Rockfors, your mates were playing.- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:50:22 > 0:50:25And then you, I'm sure it was you who went up on the stage and said,
0:50:25 > 0:50:28- "We've got someone here from Liverpool."- Yeah.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31And they must have thought, the Beatles are from there, everyone can sing.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34And I knew something was wrong cos when I got to the microphone,
0:50:34 > 0:50:38the guitarist just came up to me and said, "What key?"
0:50:38 > 0:50:41And I went, "I don't know. Let's just do our best."
0:50:41 > 0:50:44And then I started singing, there was a dance floor
0:50:44 > 0:50:47full of people and then they all left.
0:50:47 > 0:50:51And then, when they realised I was bad, they all just came back on.
0:50:51 > 0:50:53It was brilliant, and that was probably...
0:50:53 > 0:50:56That experience made me want to be on stage.
0:50:56 > 0:50:58LAUGHTER
0:51:01 > 0:51:04It was nice to say good night to Russell and Alan,
0:51:04 > 0:51:06without being booed off stage again.
0:51:06 > 0:51:10Today is my last day in Rockhampton and I'm going to go and experience
0:51:10 > 0:51:13something that's quite unique to this town.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17It's a full cowboy experience, and for many, a rite of passage.
0:51:17 > 0:51:20I'm attending a rodeo... that's in a pub.
0:51:31 > 0:51:33I've always wanted to attend a rodeo.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38But this was a lot less fun than I imagined.
0:51:45 > 0:51:48I thought it would have been big blokes in leather chaps
0:51:48 > 0:51:49screaming yahoo!
0:51:49 > 0:51:55But there's really young kids here being thrown around the ring.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57I want to get me head around it all,
0:51:57 > 0:52:01so I'm going to head to the warm-up area and talk to the boys.
0:52:03 > 0:52:04All right, mate, what's that?
0:52:04 > 0:52:08- Shoulder.- Shoulder, is that an injury?- Yeah.
0:52:09 > 0:52:12- So are these your boys? - Er, this little fellow is.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15- Yeah.- And young Brad over there... - Hi, I'm John.
0:52:15 > 0:52:18..in the purple shirt as well. He rides on our team and...
0:52:18 > 0:52:21THEY MUTTER
0:52:21 > 0:52:26Brad, then I shook his hands, he's got tape all over him. Is that...?
0:52:26 > 0:52:29- He got out of plaster six days ago, he broke his elbow.- Six days ago?
0:52:29 > 0:52:32He broke his elbow just before Christmas here at the same arena.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35And he's limp... You're limping as well.
0:52:37 > 0:52:40As a dad, I'm not sure I'd want my kids to do this.
0:52:40 > 0:52:42To me, it just looks lethal.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45But perhaps people here have a different attitude to danger than I do.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49Hi, big man, I'm John.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51- What's your name?- Tyler.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54- How long have you been riding? - Er, about a year now.
0:52:54 > 0:52:58- And how old are you?- 11.- 11.
0:52:58 > 0:53:00So when you were ten years of age,
0:53:00 > 0:53:05- you were put on a steer to start bucking?- Yeah.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07And what made you want to do it?
0:53:07 > 0:53:10Following in my father's footsteps.
0:53:10 > 0:53:12Why, does your dad do it?
0:53:13 > 0:53:16- Have you ever been hurt?- Er, yeah.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20Yeah, what's the worst one that you've had?
0:53:20 > 0:53:21Get stood on in the nuts.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23You got stood on in the nuts?
0:53:24 > 0:53:27So how far do you think you can go?
0:53:27 > 0:53:28Oh, how far can I go?
0:53:28 > 0:53:31Yeah, so do you think you could get to America?
0:53:31 > 0:53:33Oh, probably not.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35- No?- Afraid of flying.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37JOHN LAUGHS
0:53:38 > 0:53:42How can you be afraid of aeroplanes and still get on a bull?
0:53:42 > 0:53:44Tyler seems OK with everything around him,
0:53:44 > 0:53:46but he's grown up in this world.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49Back at the gates, the teenagers are up next.
0:53:49 > 0:53:52The adrenaline's pumping now.
0:53:52 > 0:53:54They're like gladiators preparing for combat.
0:54:00 > 0:54:03- Hey, I don't blame him doing that. - Why not?
0:54:03 > 0:54:07He's jumping on a bull that big, I'd be jumping all over the place!
0:54:07 > 0:54:09BULL MOOS
0:54:09 > 0:54:11How old are you, lad?
0:54:11 > 0:54:12- 16.- 16.
0:54:14 > 0:54:18- And how long have you been doing it? - Since I was nine.- Have you?
0:54:19 > 0:54:23So is this... How far are you away from the adult bulls now?
0:54:23 > 0:54:26I could get on them now if I wanted to, yeah.
0:54:28 > 0:54:32At home, I've got a 16-year-old son.
0:54:32 > 0:54:36I couldn't imagine standing there and watching him getting on a bull.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57- Mate, are you OK? - Yeah, I'm good.
0:54:57 > 0:54:59Unbelievable!.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03What happened, just slipped out your hand?
0:55:03 > 0:55:04Yeah, it just didn't...
0:55:04 > 0:55:08As he went round, I just like stayed in the middle.
0:55:08 > 0:55:11- Yeah.- And I should have cracked back that way.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14So what you're supposed to do is, when he moves, go back?
0:55:14 > 0:55:15- Yeah, just go with him.- Yeah.
0:55:15 > 0:55:19So when will you be riding bulls again?
0:55:19 > 0:55:21As soon as I can.
0:55:23 > 0:55:27When I came to Australia, I wasn't expecting to see anything like this.
0:55:27 > 0:55:31It's an Australia that most of us wouldn't recognise.
0:55:42 > 0:55:46It's a tough environment where young men have to be hard to survive.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55Whilst I'm watching one of the final events,
0:55:55 > 0:56:00a young lad gets thrown and is very badly hurt.
0:56:02 > 0:56:04Is he OK?
0:56:04 > 0:56:06- Is he OK?- Yeah.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09I saw him come off, it was a hell of a bounce.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11He stepped on him.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13What's that? He stepped on him.
0:56:15 > 0:56:16How are you feeling?
0:56:16 > 0:56:20- Shit.- Shit. How old are you?
0:56:20 > 0:56:22- 15.- 15?
0:56:24 > 0:56:27- Do you worry about him when he's doing it?- Yeah.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30- Do you do it yourself?- Yeah.
0:56:30 > 0:56:31How long did you do it for?
0:56:31 > 0:56:33- 26 years.- Really?
0:56:33 > 0:56:35But it gives you a hell of a battering.
0:56:35 > 0:56:39- What's the thrill of it? - It's just the challenge of it.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42It's a bit like, why would you be a boxer, you know what I mean?
0:56:42 > 0:56:45- Yeah.- Like, why get your head punched in, you know,
0:56:45 > 0:56:46it doesn't matter what happens,
0:56:46 > 0:56:50- you know you'll get punched in the head.- Tough game, isn't it?
0:56:55 > 0:56:58Today's been a bit of an education because in many respects
0:56:58 > 0:57:02it's been filled with things that I'm not really keen on,
0:57:02 > 0:57:05like I'm a vegetarian, I'm against cruel sports,
0:57:05 > 0:57:11I don't like, um...you know, I don't like industrial farming,
0:57:11 > 0:57:15I don't like using animals for entertainment.
0:57:15 > 0:57:16But it's a cultural thing
0:57:16 > 0:57:18and I think that's what we've got to remember.
0:57:18 > 0:57:21Now we've come to Queensland, we've seen a bit more
0:57:21 > 0:57:25of the Australian life that I guess I would have lived
0:57:25 > 0:57:27if I'd have been born in Australia.
0:57:27 > 0:57:32You know, I don't think I would have been a blonde kid on a beach in Byron Bay.
0:57:32 > 0:57:36I think my family and our history and our working-class roots,
0:57:36 > 0:57:38we'd have been in Gladstone working on the docks
0:57:38 > 0:57:42or would have been here or would have been working on a farm.
0:57:42 > 0:57:46You know, for these people, this is their way of life
0:57:46 > 0:57:49and I may not completely agree with it,
0:57:49 > 0:57:52but I think I'd be a little bit wrong to judge it.
0:57:54 > 0:57:57Next time, I head further north into the tropics
0:57:57 > 0:58:00and discover an Australia that's both wild and ancient.
0:58:00 > 0:58:02- That's Jurassic Park, isn't it? - It is.
0:58:02 > 0:58:04Heads up.
0:58:08 > 0:58:09Fuck off!
0:58:09 > 0:58:12- Have you seen that?! - That's a bloody snake.
0:58:46 > 0:58:48Shortly after filming,
0:58:48 > 0:58:51Graeme Acton was thrown from his horse and sadly died.