1
00:00:03,960 --> 00:00:06,655
The ancient site of Stonehenge.

2
00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:08,215
A place of ritual,

3
00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:11,495
ceremony, great spiritual
and mythical power.

4
00:00:11,520 --> 00:00:15,895
A neolithic light bulb for
the druid moths of old Europe.

5
00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,695
I'm here to celebrate the winter
solstice in the month of June.

6
00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:23,535
Wait a second.

7
00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:26,815
This is all wrong.

8
00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:28,575
It looks like Stonehenge,

9
00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:30,015
the ritual stones are there,

10
00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:32,975
but...the solstice is inverted.

11
00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:35,775
This grass is growing the wrong way.

12
00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:38,655
Where, am I?

13
00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:41,535
What manner of madness is this?

14
00:00:41,560 --> 00:00:43,855
Yes. Stonehenge...

15
00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:45,375
...but not as you know it.

16
00:00:45,400 --> 00:00:47,695
Not the one on Salisbury Plain,
the broken one.

17
00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:48,815
No, the one they've mended,

18
00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:51,575
here in Esperance, Western Australia.

19
00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:58,575
If you think you know Australia...

20
00:00:58,600 --> 00:00:59,575
...think again.

21
00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:04,135
Because there's an even wilder...

22
00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:05,415
Here we go.

23
00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:06,735
Phwoar!

24
00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:08,295
...weirder...

25
00:01:08,320 --> 00:01:10,615
Even the kookaburras are embarrassed.

26
00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:13,855
...and more wonderful version of
the land down under.

27
00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:16,935
I don't think there's anywhere
like this on Earth.

28
00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:18,215
And it's in the west.

29
00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:19,975
There's so much space here.

30
00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,335
You could put 13 Britains into
West Australia.

31
00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:24,575
Let me take you there.

32
00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:27,895
Imagine a land of giants...

33
00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:29,095
You look like Bill.

34
00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:30,575
Yeah, you look like Luc.

35
00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:33,615
...of alien landscapes...

36
00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:36,095
I mean where else in
the world can you see

37
00:01:36,120 --> 00:01:38,415
a waterfall in the ocean?

38
00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:39,735
whoa-ho!

39
00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:43,015
...and a bunch of characters you won't
find anywhere else on Earth.

40
00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:46,055
Well, if you're Space Gandalf, I'lUl
be, what'lL I be, Space Gimli?

41
00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:48,375
ELECTRIC GUITAR RIFF PLAYS

42
00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:50,335
You play so fine!

43
00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:52,615
I know. Sounds too good to be true.

44
00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:53,815
But it's not.

45
00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:56,335
This is the real Western Australia
right here. Oh, yeah. Yeah.

46
00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:57,775
I come in peace.

47
00:01:57,800 --> 00:01:58,975
Because here it is,

48
00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:01,975
the most remarkable part
of this Great Southern Land,

49
00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:03,615
is the western bit.

50
00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:04,655
Who knew?

51
00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:06,455
In our DNA...

52
00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:07,575
...we want this.

53
00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:09,455
We wanna be amongst this.

54
00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:12,855
Western Australia
cracks open your soul.

55
00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:30,255
This leafy-looking wonderland

56
00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:33,175
is the southern coast
of Western Australia.

57
00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,935
With its Mediterranean climate
and dense forests,

58
00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,255
it's a world away from
the endless red dirt

59
00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:41,295
and baking heat of the north.

60
00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:42,815
It's an idyll.

61
00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:47,495
Keenly sought by the explorers of
Asia and Europe over centuries,

62
00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:50,495
though the First nations people here
always knew they were onto

63
00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:52,255
a good thing.

64
00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:54,575
There's two towns
of note in these parts.

65
00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:56,535
Esperance and Albany.

66
00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:59,935
Bustling commercial hubs
where I plan to mix with the locals

67
00:02:59,960 --> 00:03:03,055
and get the Western Australian vibe.

68
00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:04,575
But before all that,

69
00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:07,895
a treat which transcends
anywhere else on Earth.

70
00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:13,415
So, here we are at Lucky Bay.

71
00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:15,215
Wow, look at that.

72
00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:19,615
This corner of Western Australia
was voted the world's best beach.

73
00:03:19,640 --> 00:03:24,015
A big call, but on first glance,
I think they may have got it right.

74
00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:28,375
And it's even scientifically proven
to have the whitest sand.

75
00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:30,335
It's simply beautiful.

76
00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:34,935
And an appropriate place
for my official welcome to

77
00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:39,815
the south by Nyungar elder
and Lucky Bay local Doc Reynolds.

78
00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:41,335
Hello, there.

79
00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:43,695
Kaya. Doc. Welcome.

80
00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:45,215
Hey.

81
00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:46,295
Kepa Kurl Wudjari.

82
00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:47,575
Oh. My country.

83
00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:50,895
Doc makes his living reminding
visitors that his culture

84
00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:52,535
is the oldest on Earth.

85
00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:55,455
65,000 years old.

86
00:03:55,480 --> 00:03:56,775
Maybe more.

87
00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:00,695
What is the name of your people here?

88
00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:02,295
Well, we are the Nyungar people.

89
00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:03,535
Right.

90
00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:07,095
Which is the largest collective
group of Aboriginal people

91
00:04:07,120 --> 00:04:08,895
on the Australian mainland.

92
00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:11,895
We have 14 tribes within
the Nyungar Nation,

93
00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:15,535
which is basically in
the south west of Australia.

94
00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,895
Now, what I'm going to do is do
a very special

95
00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:23,415
and sacred ceremony to welcome
people onto Kepa Kurl, Wudja.

96
00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,775
Or where the waters lie like
a boomerang by the sea and the land.

97
00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:28,975
Understand that? I do.

98
00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:35,335
The boorn or the tree brings
the scent of the Earth,

99
00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:37,855
which is our mother, to us.

100
00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:40,535
Just want you to stay for
a few seconds,

101
00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:41,935
just to grasp...

102
00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:44,495
...Mother Earth.

103
00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:55,175
Smoking ceremonies like this
are used for cleansing

104
00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:57,055
and warding off bad spirits,

105
00:04:57,080 --> 00:04:59,895
and literally wearing Mother Earth
as smoke.

106
00:04:59,920 --> 00:05:02,855
It instantly connects you to country.

107
00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:08,335
Wow, look at this.
It's a proper picnic.

108
00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:12,255
What's this plant you've got here?
This is a eucalypt.

109
00:05:12,280 --> 00:05:14,695
It's a boorn. OK.
This one here is the Tjaltjraak.

110
00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:16,415
This is the Blue Mallee.

111
00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:18,935
I'll take from one from each tree.

112
00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:23,295
And now we've got the water boiling
here, put that in there, OK? Right.

113
00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:24,415
Just a little handful.

114
00:05:24,440 --> 00:05:25,735
Like that? That's it.

115
00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:27,175
Chuck it in there.

116
00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:28,975
Chuck it in there, yeah.

117
00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:30,535
Right. There you go.

118
00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:32,375
So what you do is you get it,

119
00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:34,815
and you just swing it,
and just go like that. Whoa.

120
00:05:34,840 --> 00:05:35,895
OK? OK.

121
00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:37,895
Because the gravity will hold it.

122
00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:39,255
Yeah. And then you get it.

123
00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,055
So when you see
the tea swirling around,

124
00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:45,055
you know that's ready now to drink.

125
00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:47,375
And you got to have to tea like me -

126
00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:49,015
black and sweet.

127
00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:52,935
Cup of splosh.

128
00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:54,335
Oh, that smells good.

129
00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:55,775
While I love a good brew,

130
00:05:55,800 --> 00:06:00,375
Doc's cuppa is also a bittersweet
taste of Western Australia's past.

131
00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:02,695
See back when we were first
colonised,

132
00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:04,695
and our men were working,

133
00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:09,055
their pay was flour,
sugar, and tea.

134
00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:11,335
Right. And so...

135
00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:12,735
...flour... Flour, yeah.

136
00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:13,935
...sugar... Sugar.

137
00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:15,135
...and tea. Tea, yeah.

138
00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:17,495
So I get my revenge
back on your guys.

139
00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:19,535
So I'm paying you
for you coming out to see me.

140
00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:22,615
That's right. Well, I tell you,
I'm not complaining.

141
00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:24,415
Cheers.

142
00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:25,815
This is good.

143
00:06:25,840 --> 00:06:28,175
Well, that's that I call
a proper welcome.

144
00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:30,815
And now I'm fortified
for the road ahead.

145
00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:45,055
The southern highways
of WA are dotted with country towns.

146
00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:47,375
And while stopping to refuel...

147
00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:49,895
Oh, The Quirky Den's
my kind of place.

148
00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:52,175
...something has caught my eye.

149
00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:53,175
Hello?

150
00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:55,815
I was just... We stopped for coffee,

151
00:06:55,840 --> 00:06:58,135
and I saw in the window
you have an accordion.

152
00:06:58,160 --> 00:06:59,255
I do.

153
00:06:59,280 --> 00:07:01,655
I wondered if I could look at it,
please? You certainly can.

154
00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:04,135
I'll get it out for you.
Thank you very much. Thank you.

155
00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:10,535
I notice it's, um,
it's a Serenelli, which is a...

156
00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:11,775
I think it's an Italian one,
isn't it?

157
00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:12,855
Is it? Or Russian?

158
00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:14,015
Or might be Russian, yeah.

159
00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:15,135
Might be.

160
00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:16,975
Here we go. Look at that,
it's working.

161
00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:22,335
It's almost in tune.

162
00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:35,495
Marvellous.

163
00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:37,375
I'll take it. Oh, my God!

164
00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:41,775
Lovely. Wow. Well, pleasure doing
business with you, ladies.

165
00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:43,455
Thank you. Thank you so much.

166
00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:44,495
Come again any time.

167
00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:46,215
We will. Absolutely.

168
00:07:46,240 --> 00:07:48,535
Thanks, then. Cheers. See ya. Bye.

169
00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:52,095
100% Italian craftsmanship
in rural Australia.

170
00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:53,335
Grazie, mate.

171
00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:55,295
OK, well, this will be fun on
the road.

172
00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:56,855
Now I'm sorted for sounds,

173
00:07:56,880 --> 00:07:58,535
I can tell you a bit more about

174
00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,215
the sheer size of this part of
the world.

175
00:08:01,240 --> 00:08:04,295
The population, 2.7 million,

176
00:08:04,320 --> 00:08:06,895
or about the same as Manchester,

177
00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:09,775
except it's 23,000 times larger.

178
00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:14,775
All that space means
Western Australians have access

179
00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:18,015
to nature like nowhere else on Earth.

180
00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:21,175
But to really appreciate
WA's great outdoors,

181
00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:24,415
I need a more elevated perspective.

182
00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:31,895
I'm weaving my way through
the landscape,

183
00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:33,815
I'm making my way round the coast,

184
00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:35,695
and I wanted to stop here,

185
00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:38,015
at the Valley of the Giants,

186
00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:41,095
just to get a sense of
the biodiversity of the place,

187
00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:43,455
the scale of the landscape,

188
00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:47,975
and to find out about these
massive trees.

189
00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:49,135
Where they came from?

190
00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:51,455
How did they get to be here?

191
00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:55,055
And is this walkway safe enough
for more than three people?

192
00:08:57,920 --> 00:09:00,255
Hey. Hello, there.
Helen, how are ya? Good.

193
00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:01,735
Good to meet you.
Lovely to meet you.

194
00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:03,455
Lovely to meet you. Yeah.

195
00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:05,375
This has definitely got
a bit of a wobble.

196
00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:07,775
It has. The more people on it,
the more it'll wobble.

197
00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:10,495
But there's only two of us, so you're
fine. Oh, that's OK. All right, then.

198
00:09:10,520 --> 00:09:11,935
We're fine.

199
00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:13,695
This is quite amazing.

200
00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:18,495
The Valley of the Giants
Treetops Walk soars above

201
00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:23,295
an ancient forest whose origins date
back 65 million years.

202
00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:27,015
I'm taking a spectacular if slightly
precarious stroll

203
00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:28,415
with my guide Helen.

204
00:09:32,120 --> 00:09:33,935
We're gonna go up to
the highest point.

205
00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:35,055
OK.

206
00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:36,415
How high are we up here, Helen?

207
00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:38,775
Well, we're about 36 metres.

208
00:09:38,800 --> 00:09:40,295
Not quite at the top yet.

209
00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:41,575
What's that in the old money?

210
00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:42,695
SHE LAUGHS

211
00:09:42,720 --> 00:09:44,975
It's about a 13-storey building.

212
00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,295
Oof. It's about 120 feet, I think.

213
00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:48,815
120 feet? Right. OK.
Something like that.

214
00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:51,135
So don't drop anything... No.
..out of your pocket.

215
00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:52,695
No. All right.

216
00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:56,455
There's so much space here in
Western Australia. Yes.

217
00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:59,095
That's what I'm very much
getting a sense of. Yes.

218
00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:03,535
I worked out once that you could
put 13 Britains into West Australia.

219
00:10:03,560 --> 00:10:04,615
13?

220
00:10:04,640 --> 00:10:06,095
Blimey.

221
00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:08,535
And you're originally from the UK,

222
00:10:08,560 --> 00:10:09,975
from Wales? From Wales, yes.

223
00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:12,295
And you came here to live.

224
00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:15,615
What was it about this place that
made you want to stay?

225
00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:17,375
I fell in love with
Western Australia,

226
00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:19,655
particularly because of the space.

227
00:10:19,680 --> 00:10:20,575
Mm.

228
00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:23,935
And to be honest, I loved all
the plants and the animals,

229
00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:25,175
how different they were,

230
00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:27,055
how strange some of them were. Mm.

231
00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:30,615
And people are genuinely happy in
Western Australia.

232
00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:31,815
I like it.

233
00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:33,375
What are these trees, Helen?

234
00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:36,935
OK, so these rough-barked
eucalyptus trees,

235
00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:39,255
they're called tingles,

236
00:10:39,280 --> 00:10:44,375
but the local First Nations people
call them Dingle Dingle.

237
00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:46,735
Right. Which is a plural,
it means lots of something.

238
00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:49,215
See, these are special trees,
because this is the only place

239
00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:51,895
you'll find them, we've only
got 6,000 hectares of them.

240
00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:55,495
They are the biggest buttressing
eucalypts in the world.

241
00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:57,935
Wow. And we've got the Karri.

242
00:10:57,960 --> 00:10:59,975
Oh, this one? The lighter colour one?

243
00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:01,775
Yeah, the smooth bark one.
That's a Karri.

244
00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:03,015
Right.

245
00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:06,615
But what's special about the Karris
is that every February, March,

246
00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:08,695
the tree will lose its bark,

247
00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:11,815
and that's the time to go down
to the south coast to fish

248
00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:14,415
because the salmon are running on
the south coast.

249
00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:16,335
Ah.

250
00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:18,255
That's great. I love that.

251
00:11:18,280 --> 00:11:21,175
Nature's given you a bit of a,
sort of, tip.

252
00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:23,455
Yes. You know? Yes.

253
00:11:23,480 --> 00:11:25,815
I can see why it gets the name.

254
00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:26,855
Valley of the Giants?

255
00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:28,735
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

256
00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:32,055
They didn't name it after me,
as you can see.

257
00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:33,095
I know.

258
00:11:33,120 --> 00:11:35,535
I'm a hobbit. You're a hobbit.

259
00:11:35,560 --> 00:11:38,735
Along with 10,000 varieties
of native plants,

260
00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:42,335
Western Australia also has
600 bird species.

261
00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:46,055
And for an outdoors man like me,
that's not too bad.

262
00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:48,495
Hello.
I think that's a Western Warbler.

263
00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:50,775
He seems pretty tame.

264
00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:52,375
He likes you.

265
00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:56,815
So you've got all kinds of
other wildlife here as well... Yep.

266
00:11:56,840 --> 00:11:59,095
...in these trees in the forest?

267
00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:00,455
What sort of things do you have?

268
00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:02,495
Well, we've got the,
I say the birds,

269
00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:05,095
you know, the white-tail
black cockatoos, the parrots.

270
00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:06,495
We also get the possums,

271
00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:08,175
the brush tail possums. Mm-hm.

272
00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:10,695
And they love the holes in
the tingles. Mm.

273
00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:14,015
But on the ground, of course,
we've got the famous quokka.

274
00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:15,055
Yes.

275
00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:17,455
Now, I've seen quokkas,

276
00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:19,815
but I've only seen them on
Rottnest Island. Yes.

277
00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:21,575
I didn't realise they were on
the mainland.

278
00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:23,135
Yes. We've got them on
the mainland.

279
00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:25,735
And they live,
mostly live in the sword grass,

280
00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:27,375
and they make holes in
the sword grass.

281
00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:29,735
They go through
and make nests on the ground.

282
00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:32,175
Is that that grass
that's really sharp... Yes.

283
00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:33,855
...and the edges are really sharp?
Yes.

284
00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:35,415
I think I just encountered
some of that.

285
00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:36,455
Cutting grass.

286
00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:37,735
Razor grass.

287
00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:39,055
Very well aptly named.

288
00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:40,895
Yes.

289
00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:42,615
Helen's just told me great things.

290
00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:44,935
She said, "Oh, I love it here."

291
00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:48,215
And I said, "Yeah, because look at
it, it's beautiful and wild,

292
00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:51,175
"and there's a great expanse
of nature and all that."

293
00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:53,135
And she said, she goes,

294
00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:57,535
with a slight welsh.. lilt
in her voice,

295
00:12:57,560 --> 00:13:00,335
she said, "I love it
cos it's dangerous."

296
00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:02,215
I said, "What?"

297
00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:04,855
I said, "Most people...that's
the reason why most people

298
00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:06,535
"don't want to come to Australia,

299
00:13:06,560 --> 00:13:09,455
"cos there are things that can bite
you, and sting you, and nip you.

300
00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:12,255
"There's sword grass,
and, you know, everything.

301
00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:15,255
"Even the plants
want to stab you, get you."

302
00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:17,535
She goes, "No, I like that.

303
00:13:17,560 --> 00:13:19,175
“I like the danger."

304
00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:22,055
Because it's untamed.

305
00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:26,375
It's nature unchallenged,
untrammelled, unrestrained.

306
00:13:27,920 --> 00:13:31,175
This is my theory, right? This
is what I think about all this.

307
00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:36,775
Humans have an instinctive desire
to connect with nature,

308
00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:42,215
and most of the time, we spend our
lives indoors, in cars, buildings,

309
00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:46,615
and yet...we yearn to be out
in all of this.

310
00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:50,175
What this is, is this
thing, biophilia,

311
00:13:50,200 --> 00:13:53,495
our innate desire
to be amongst nature.

312
00:13:53,520 --> 00:13:55,135
It's part of our evolution.

313
00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:58,895
Our ancestors spent all their time
out in nature.

314
00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:00,895
In our DNA...

315
00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:03,455
...we want this,
we wanna be amongst this.

316
00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:06,575
This is where we feel...

317
00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:08,975
...more at home, in a way.

318
00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,855
And that is why I think that
so many people here have this

319
00:14:11,880 --> 00:14:14,215
positive attitude
in Western Australia,

320
00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:17,815
because of the proximity to
the natural world.

321
00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:22,575
And biophilia, this innate sense of
desire to be amongst nature,

322
00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:23,815
to connect with it,

323
00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:27,095
is really what it means to be human.

324
00:14:33,880 --> 00:14:38,295
Experiencing biophilia
and being menaced by the local grass

325
00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:40,895
has got my philosophical
juices flowing.

326
00:14:43,480 --> 00:14:46,255
A picnic spot is
the perfect place to listen to

327
00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:48,735
the sounds of nature,
hear its rhythms,

328
00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:51,575
and perhaps add my own accompaniment.

329
00:14:54,320 --> 00:14:58,215
HE PLAYS THE ACCORDION

330
00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:19,095
ACCORDION CONTINUES

331
00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:33,455
I don't know what it's doing,

332
00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:36,095
but I think I've scared
all the wildlife off.

333
00:15:48,800 --> 00:15:53,415
I'm travelling along the breathtaking
southern coast of Western Australia,

334
00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:55,415
and my next stop is Albany.

335
00:15:57,160 --> 00:16:00,455
Although the Nyungar people's
original name is Kinjarling,

336
00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:02,295
meaning place of rain,

337
00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:03,975
I like it already.

338
00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,775
The British landed here in 1826

339
00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:08,375
and set up a whaling industry

340
00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:10,615
that prospered until the late 1970s.

341
00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:15,975
Thankfully, humpback
and sperm whales are now protected,

342
00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:19,655
and as is often the way with
gory and brutal industries,

343
00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:22,695
there's a museum, and a gift shop.

344
00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:26,335
Oh. Viewer discretion is advised.

345
00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:30,255
Four whales being processed at once.

346
00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:34,055
My God.

347
00:16:34,080 --> 00:16:36,375
But what is...

348
00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:39,055
...what's extraordinary about
this photograph here,

349
00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:40,575
there's bunch of kids...

350
00:16:42,400 --> 00:16:43,735
...in the foreground.

351
00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:47,655
Oh, my God.

352
00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:49,575
What kind of school trip was that?

353
00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:52,615
I mean, we used to go
to ruined abbeys and old churches.

354
00:16:52,640 --> 00:16:56,495
"Now, kids, we're gonna see
a giant whale being carved up

355
00:16:56,520 --> 00:16:58,535
"by a bloke in a pair of shorts.

356
00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:00,895
"There'll be guts and blood
and blubber.

357
00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:04,455
"Make sure you write it all down
on your questionnaires.

358
00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:09,495
"Slaughter. Today, the theme of
today's trip, kids, is slaughter."

359
00:17:13,360 --> 00:17:15,815
There's 45-year-olds walking around
in Albany now with

360
00:17:15,840 --> 00:17:17,215
a kind of haunted look on them.

361
00:17:18,560 --> 00:17:21,215
They probably all work in
conservation now.

362
00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:23,495
This kid here, on his own.

363
00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:26,295
"Why?" That's what he's thinking.

364
00:17:26,320 --> 00:17:29,815
"Why?

365
00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:31,575
"Worst school trip ever."

366
00:17:36,800 --> 00:17:39,975
I might hold off on my lunch
for a bit after that.

367
00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:42,815
But not every relic
of whaling is quite as grisly.

368
00:17:44,320 --> 00:17:47,535
This is an incredible piece
of scrimshaw,

369
00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:51,575
the art of etching onto bone.

370
00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:55,975
In this case, the jaw bone of
a sperm whale, and also on teeth.

371
00:17:56,000 --> 00:18:01,375
And all of the teeth from this whale
that were recovered

372
00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:03,055
have got scrimshaw.

373
00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:07,455
It's just staggering the amount
of detail that goes on here.

374
00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:12,095
This depicts the wreck of
the boat, The Kathleen,

375
00:18:12,120 --> 00:18:15,775
and there's the whalers rowing away
from the wreck.

376
00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:19,615
The storms and the waves all round

377
00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:21,335
and all the teeth

378
00:18:21,360 --> 00:18:23,575
depict a little story as well.

379
00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:26,215
It's just extraordinary.

380
00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:30,695
Whalers had a reputation
as salty reprobates with

381
00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:33,215
a healthy disregard for authority.

382
00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:35,855
So it's no surprise
that Albany is regarded as

383
00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:38,095
WA's most rebellious town.

384
00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:42,055
There's always been
a strong separatist movement in WA.

385
00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:47,575
As recently as 2020, almost a third
of the population said they wanted

386
00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:48,815
independence from Australia.

387
00:18:50,080 --> 00:18:52,055
But Albany took things
a step further,

388
00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:54,775
wanting to secede from the state.

389
00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:58,815
Malcolm Trail is
an expert on WA's rabble-rousers.

390
00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:00,455
So the, I guess the important thing

391
00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:03,375
to realise from Albany folks'
point of view is that we were

392
00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:05,695
two and a half years ahead of Perth

393
00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:08,175
because there was
a settlement here in 1826.

394
00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:11,135
Perth, as the capital,
didn't get settled till 1829.

395
00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:13,615
And there's always been
this rivalry. Yes.

396
00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:15,455
For many years in
the 19th century,

397
00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:17,975
Albany was the sort of centre of
international trade,

398
00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:20,295
and defence, cos it was
a very strategic place.

399
00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:21,335
So, from that point of view,

400
00:19:21,360 --> 00:19:24,095
over the years,
we've had a few little efforts

401
00:19:24,120 --> 00:19:26,455
to secede from the rest
of Western Australia.

402
00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:29,695
Really? Yeah. So we thought,
on a couple of occasions,

403
00:19:29,720 --> 00:19:33,215
"Look, I think it would be good
to set up our own state here.”

404
00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:37,055
And on one occasion in the 1880s,
there was a proposal put in

405
00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:39,415
the House of Commons that
we should set ourselves up as

406
00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:41,295
a crown colony,
not even be part of this,

407
00:19:41,320 --> 00:19:43,655
this is before Australia
was Australia. Right.

408
00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:45,255
So we'd become a separate
crown colony,

409
00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:46,935
like Hong Kong, or Singapore.

410
00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:49,455
And so we thought, "That was
quite a good idea, really." Yes.

411
00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:50,735
Because we'd get rid of Perth,

412
00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:52,495
they could do whatever they wanted.

413
00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:54,335
Yeah. It never flew, sadly.

414
00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:56,895
No. Oh, that's a shame.
It is bit of a shame, yeah.

415
00:19:56,920 --> 00:19:58,895
I think we could've been good
as a crown colony.

416
00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:02,295
I heard this phrase,
this Cinderella kind of state...

417
00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:04,975
Mm. ..or the Cinderella,
sort of, feeling of, like,

418
00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:07,815
you were providing
all of this bounty... Yeah.

419
00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:09,735
...and weren't getting much in return.

420
00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:11,335
Well, very much so,
yeah, that's right.

421
00:20:11,360 --> 00:20:13,695
And we're the sort of Cinderella
town of Western Australia.

422
00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:14,775
Cinderella town. Yeah.

423
00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:17,135
So Perth was gathering
all the resources,

424
00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:18,815
all the taxes were going in there,

425
00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:20,855
they were sort of going ahead
in leaps and bounds,

426
00:20:20,880 --> 00:20:23,775
and poor little old Albany
was left to fend for itself,

427
00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:25,495
despite our natural resources.

428
00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:28,695
When West Australia
was holding off from joining

429
00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:30,335
the Commonwealth of Australia,

430
00:20:30,360 --> 00:20:33,615
Albany, at that stage, was aligned,
I guess, with the gold fields.

431
00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:36,415
So we saw ourselves in league
with Kalgoorlie

432
00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:39,815
and the gold fields there
against the common enemy of Perth.

433
00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:42,255
Right. There was the whole
separational league

434
00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:45,335
which would carve off the bottom bit
of Western Australia. Hm.

435
00:20:45,360 --> 00:20:48,135
The capital was going to be,
not surprisingly, Albany.

436
00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:50,095
Yes. Of course. Well, why not?

437
00:20:50,120 --> 00:20:51,495
My kind of place.

438
00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:53,815
So, we'll send you the visa papers.

439
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:56,335
When am I moving here?

440
00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:09,455
All this talk of unruly behaviour
has strangely drawn me

441
00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:11,735
to the pub...

442
00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:13,135
...purely for research, obviously.

443
00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:17,415
SINGING

444
00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:21,735
# ..loving, loving wife

445
00:21:21,760 --> 00:21:25,255
# She's all gone
for beer and tobacco... #

446
00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:28,175
The Albany Shantymen are
the global superstars of

447
00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:29,895
the sea shanty movement.

448
00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:33,335
Like K-Pop, but with beards
and craft ale.

449
00:21:33,360 --> 00:21:35,375
# Well, it's all for me grog

450
00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:37,655
# Me jolly, jolly grog

451
00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:40,895
# It's all for me beer and tobacco

452
00:21:40,920 --> 00:21:42,935
# Well, I've spent all me tin

453
00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:44,815
# On the lassie drinking gin

454
00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:48,615
# Far across the western ocean
I must wander. #

455
00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:50,895
During Covid, one of their shanties,

456
00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:52,775
Soon Will The Wellerman Come,

457
00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:56,415
inspired a TikTok craze
that spread across the planet.

458
00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:58,255
# Well, I've spent all me tin

459
00:21:58,280 --> 00:22:00,575
# On the lassie drinking gin

460
00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:03,815
# Far across the western ocean
I must wander. #

461
00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:06,135
CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

462
00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:10,015
Shantymen Crispin and Alby
join me for a pint and a yarn.

463
00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:12,935
We had that song on Spotify
and things,

464
00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:15,295
and all of a sudden,
I think we got...

465
00:22:15,320 --> 00:22:18,055
I don't know.
..700,000 streams on that.

466
00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:21,535
And the next closest was, like,
10,000. Yeah.

467
00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:24,335
And we couldn't work out
what was going on.

468
00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:29,415
Why do you think there's this
resurgence in interest in shanties,

469
00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:30,735
cos it's definitely...

470
00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:33,695
It's happening in England a bit too,
isn't it? It's hugely popular, yeah.

471
00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:35,495
Yeah. There's a resurgence in
pub singing,

472
00:22:35,520 --> 00:22:37,055
and group singing in general.

473
00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:41,815
I have a theory that music started
when apes are in the forest,

474
00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:45,255
and one starts hooting, and they
all start hooting in unison. Yeah.

475
00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:48,695
And it makes them feel
bigger and safer. Yes.

476
00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:51,575
And that,
when we launch into a chorus,

477
00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:55,295
to me, it's like we're one organism.
A bunch of silver backs?

478
00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:57,975
Yeah, but we becomes one organism...
Flexing.

479
00:22:58,000 --> 00:22:59,735
Yeah. ..and I feel bigger and safer.

480
00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:01,655
So what's happening then?
What's the plan?

481
00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:03,975
We'll sing, people will clap.

482
00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:06,775
If you'd like to join us,
you can join us.

483
00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:09,135
In fact we've got
a song specially prepared for you.

484
00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:11,855
Love you to join us. I would love
it. Yeah, we'd love you to join.

485
00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:13,295
Yeah. I feel like I'm...

486
00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:16,615
I feel like, sort of,
I'm amongst my people here.

487
00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:18,455
Oh, you will. You will. You will.

488
00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:21,495
And, um... Because in shanties,
volume and enthusiasm counts

489
00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:25,935
much more than musical talent.
Oh, I've got plenty of that. Yeah.

490
00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:28,375
Well, we'll do a cheers,
and then that'll be that. Yeah.

491
00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:29,935
Cheers. Cheers, mate.

492
00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:31,295
Looking forward to it. Done.

493
00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:32,855
APPLAUSE

494
00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:35,775
We're auditioning
a new fellow tonight so,

495
00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:38,615
just bear with us cos
we don't know how he's going to go.

496
00:23:38,640 --> 00:23:40,375
CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

497
00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:41,575
Get up here.

498
00:23:49,360 --> 00:23:50,655
Hello.

499
00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:53,575
Apparently, the Albany Shantymen
started out with

500
00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:57,015
a strange-looking bearded Englishman
coming to this city.

501
00:23:57,040 --> 00:23:58,615
LAUGHTER

502
00:23:58,640 --> 00:24:00,975
So maybe this is history
repeating itself.

503
00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:03,415
Anyway, take this as an audition.

504
00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:04,935
Thank you.

505
00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:07,735
# In the year of '42

506
00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:10,015
# An Irish ship hove into view

507
00:24:10,040 --> 00:24:11,975
# On Paddy's day arrived the crew

508
00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,495
# Here come the drunken whalers

509
00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:16,775
# Way-hey, up she rises.

510
00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:21,015
# Way-hey, and up she rises

511
00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:23,295
# Bastard drunken whalers

512
00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:25,575
# Drunken whalers roamed the town

513
00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:27,575
# Drinking rum till the sun went down

514
00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:29,615
# Spending till their last half crown

515
00:24:29,640 --> 00:24:31,895
# Here come the drunken whalers

516
00:24:31,920 --> 00:24:38,775
# Way-hey, and up she rises

517
00:24:38,800 --> 00:24:41,055
# Bastard drunken whalers... #

518
00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:42,935
So what have I learned so far?

519
00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:45,255
That Western Australians are a proud

520
00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:47,615
and ancient people
who love the outdoors,

521
00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:50,695
have proper gory school trips,
enjoy a sing-song,

522
00:24:50,720 --> 00:24:53,175
and cock a snook at authority.

523
00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:55,175
Definitely my kind of place.

524
00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:58,015
# ..up she rises
Bastard drunken whalers

525
00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:00,295
# Hello, ladies come and see

526
00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:02,375
# The drunkest men in Albany

527
00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:06,895
# Try your luck upon my knee
and feel the drunken whaler

528
00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:12,815
# Way-hey, and up she rises

529
00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:14,855
# Bastard drunken whalers

530
00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:20,095
# Way-hey, and up she rises

531
00:25:20,120 --> 00:25:21,735
# Bastard drunken whalers

532
00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:26,615
# Way-hey, and up she rises

533
00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:28,335
# Bastard drunken whalers. #

534
00:25:28,360 --> 00:25:30,575
CHEERS AND APPLAUSE

535
00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:33,615
Thank you very much.

536
00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:35,095
Thanks.

537
00:25:35,120 --> 00:25:36,655
I hope I passed the audition.

538
00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:39,255
Thank you.

539
00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:55,655
Psychiatric help, five cents.

540
00:25:57,080 --> 00:25:58,935
Anyone, step up.

541
00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:00,695
This is what I always thought.

542
00:26:00,720 --> 00:26:01,975
My dad was a doctor,

543
00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:05,375
and he was a rural GP,

544
00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:07,015
and at one stage of my life,

545
00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:09,695
I think he wanted me to follow
in the footsteps, you know, and...

546
00:26:11,960 --> 00:26:13,495
...perhaps now I can just say,

547
00:26:13,520 --> 00:26:14,775
"Here I am, Dad...

548
00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:17,895
"Top of the world."

549
00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:19,415
Bill Bailey? Yes. G'day, mate.

550
00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:20,615
Hello, how are ya?

551
00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:21,775
Pleasure to meet you, mate.

552
00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:23,375
Do you need any psychiatric help?

553
00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:24,375
Oh, BLEEP yeah.

554
00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:26,695
Oops, sorry.

555
00:26:28,000 --> 00:26:30,655
No, not today, thanks, mate. I've
had enough of doctors for one day.

556
00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:32,655
Oh, yeah, no, you look like
you've been banged up.

557
00:26:32,680 --> 00:26:34,095
Bit of Aussie skin, Aussie sun.

558
00:26:34,120 --> 00:26:36,855
You're good to watch on telly, mate.
Thanks, mate. No worries.

559
00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:39,455
Good on ya. Pleasure meeting ya.
Have a good day. All the best.

560
00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:41,735
Yeah, you know, just remember, any...

561
00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:42,735
...any time.

562
00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:45,735
Blimey.

563
00:26:45,760 --> 00:26:47,255
Doing pretty good trade.

564
00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:51,655
I only set up shop in two minutes,
already had a first customer.

565
00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:53,935
DOG BARKS
Shut up.

566
00:26:55,120 --> 00:26:56,495
Doing business here.

567
00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:06,335
I'm heading for
the port town of Esperance.

568
00:27:06,360 --> 00:27:09,015
It was named after
the French word for hope,

569
00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:12,375
when a storm-damaged vessel
sheltered here in the 1800s.

570
00:27:14,840 --> 00:27:17,575
But it was another stricken craft
that really launched

571
00:27:17,600 --> 00:27:19,815
Esperance's name into orbit.

572
00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:24,535
I did hear about this, actually.

573
00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:26,855
It's quite an interesting
story, really.

574
00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:30,415
Skylab, not that one, that's a model,

575
00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:32,735
it launched in 1973

576
00:27:32,760 --> 00:27:36,015
and it orbited the Earth
thousands of times

577
00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:39,415
until the orbit started to decay.

578
00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:41,415
And they knew it was
going to land somewhere,

579
00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:42,895
they just didn't know where.

580
00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:44,895
They thought it might land in
the Indian ocean.

581
00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:49,295
But, in fact, it landed here,
in Esperance.

582
00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:53,375
And one of the local rangers
decided to charge NASA

583
00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:55,735
with littering,
which was quite a nice touch.

584
00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:59,455
They charged them $400 for littering,
but they haven't paid it yet.

585
00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:01,095
It's kind of a running joke
with them.

586
00:28:01,120 --> 00:28:04,055
The San Francisco Examiner
had a competition.

587
00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:07,175
They were gonna give
a $10,000 prize to

588
00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:11,735
the first person who'd actually found
a bit of Skylab debris.

589
00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:14,055
And this kid,
this teenager called Stan Thornton,

590
00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:15,495
found this bit of debris,

591
00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:17,815
and they managed to get him out
to San Francisco,

592
00:28:17,840 --> 00:28:19,135
and he claimed his money.

593
00:28:19,160 --> 00:28:22,775
But for many people,
it was the way that...

594
00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:25,095
...it put Esperance on the map.

595
00:28:25,120 --> 00:28:27,535
That's what they loved about it.
You know?

596
00:28:27,560 --> 00:28:29,815
Because it's a little bit
out of the way here.

597
00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:34,095
But an International Space Station
landing in your backyard,

598
00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:35,775
well, that's going to put you
on the map.

599
00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:39,615
And that's it there.

600
00:28:41,720 --> 00:28:43,695
Skylab may have hit the headlines,

601
00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:45,495
but here at Mission Control...

602
00:28:45,520 --> 00:28:47,495
Mm...well, that's that then.

603
00:28:47,520 --> 00:28:49,815
...I've discovered evidence
of a little-known

604
00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:52,215
Western Australian space program me.

605
00:28:52,240 --> 00:28:56,575
This, of course, was Australia's
first space station.

606
00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:59,335
And, uh, it was launched in 1962,

607
00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:04,775
but, uh, very quickly, they realised
it was unsuited for space travel.

608
00:29:04,800 --> 00:29:07,055
This was where the pilot sat,
up here.

609
00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:11,695
Australia's first astronaut,
Frank Williamson, sat up there.

610
00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:15,095
He had a...air bowl for
a couple of days,

611
00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:19,495
and he had a vacuum-packed rucksack
with 20 chicken parmys.

612
00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:23,335
And, uh, they got about as far as,
I don't know, 400 feet up,

613
00:29:23,360 --> 00:29:25,655
then he had a bit of
a mechanical failure,

614
00:29:25,680 --> 00:29:26,815
and the thing crashed down.

615
00:29:26,840 --> 00:29:29,615
But, you know, bit of history.

616
00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:31,055
"Preparing for re-entry."

617
00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:32,455
That would have been...

618
00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:34,975
...what he said,
they were his last words...

619
00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:37,255
...before he broke up over...

620
00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:38,615
...over Esperance.

621
00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:43,135
Right, we better get out of here...

622
00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:45,575
...before we get told off.

623
00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:47,575
Before I'm chased out of town,

624
00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:49,495
here's a bit more on Esperance.

625
00:29:49,520 --> 00:29:53,255
It's home to one of the most
important ports on the planet.

626
00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:56,095
That's because more nickel -
you know, the wonder metal

627
00:29:56,120 --> 00:29:59,655
that's essential to everything
from electric cars to smartphones -

628
00:29:59,680 --> 00:30:01,975
is exported through here
than anywhere else

629
00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:03,535
in the southern hemisphere.

630
00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:06,335
Now, I'm about to head over to the...

631
00:30:06,360 --> 00:30:07,695
I recognise you.

632
00:30:07,720 --> 00:30:09,335
Wait a minute,
I think I've been spotted.

633
00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:12,975
Hello. I said to my husband,
I said, "They're making a film,

634
00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:15,535
"or they're doing a doco."
Yes. That's right. You're right.

635
00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:18,255
I said, "Let's go over and ask,"
and he said to me, no,

636
00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:19,775
because he would be
too embarrassed.

637
00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:21,495
Oh. He's an English gentleman.

638
00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:23,255
Oh, you see, that's right.

639
00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:26,815
But you...you show no such reserve,
madam.

640
00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:28,415
That's right. God bless you.

641
00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:30,735
Ah. Ooo, you got a strong grip.

642
00:30:30,760 --> 00:30:33,135
Well, if you're going to shake
someone's hand in Australia,

643
00:30:33,160 --> 00:30:35,455
darling, that's what
you've got to do.

644
00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:37,375
Grab hold of it. Don't let go.

645
00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:38,535
What's your name, madam?

646
00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:41,255
Lenore. Lenore. Or you can just
call me "Lovely" if you like.

647
00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:42,935
All right, then, Lenore.

648
00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:44,615
Uh, do you live here?

649
00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:46,975
Yes, I do.
Are you an Esperance local?

650
00:30:47,000 --> 00:30:49,295
I am. We came here three years ago
when Covid struck,

651
00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:50,375
and we got stuck.

652
00:30:50,400 --> 00:30:51,895
And you just thought, "Why not?"

653
00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:54,495
And the man said,
"You can't leave Western Australia,”

654
00:30:54,520 --> 00:30:56,815
so we stayed and bought a house,
and here we are.

655
00:30:56,840 --> 00:30:59,095
It's a lovely spot. It's beautiful.

656
00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:00,575
It's absolutely stunning.

657
00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:02,575
Bill Bailey,
I'll give you a hug and everything.

658
00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:04,295
Oh, give us a hug then, Lenore.

659
00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:05,335
There you go.

660
00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:06,375
Thanks, then.

661
00:31:06,400 --> 00:31:07,615
All right. All right, Lovely.

662
00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:09,255
All right, then. Bless you, mate.

663
00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:10,975
Bless you. Thanks very much.

664
00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:16,535
Welcome to WA.

665
00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:17,895
OK, where was 1?

666
00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:20,095
Oh, yeah.

667
00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:22,415
Western Australians rely on the sea

668
00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:26,775
for work, trade, food, and for
their heritage and identity.

669
00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:30,335
In fact, over 90% of the population

670
00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:32,935
live less than 30 miles from
the ocean,

671
00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:36,615
even though WA is
the size of Western Europe.

672
00:31:36,640 --> 00:31:38,575
OK. Can I keep my beanie on?

673
00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:41,655
Yeah. I've got mine on.
OK, yeah, all right. There we go.

674
00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:42,735
Is that right?

675
00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:45,775
Yeah, that doesn't look,
that doesn't look stupid at all.

676
00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:49,375
To understand this
aquatic affiliation,

677
00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:51,175
I'm joining Mackenzie Marine,

678
00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:54,175
a WA family firm
of tugboat operators.

679
00:31:56,200 --> 00:31:57,255
Thank you. Morning.

680
00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:00,095
Hello, there. How's it going?

681
00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:03,175
This is apparently
a Turkish-made tug.

682
00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:04,695
It's brand new.

683
00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:07,975
Costs about 12 million euros.

684
00:32:08,000 --> 00:32:10,935
So...it's pretty state of the art.

685
00:32:10,960 --> 00:32:14,335
We're just setting up
to head out over

686
00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:18,375
to this big cargo ship here
to tow it out from berth,

687
00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:20,615
cos it's fully laden, ready to go.

688
00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:23,735
Hello.

689
00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:29,415
This port is...is huge, isn't it?

690
00:32:29,440 --> 00:32:31,735
There's a lot of traffic
coming through it now.

691
00:32:31,760 --> 00:32:33,295
It's a very unique port.

692
00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:35,975
We're the deepest port on
the southern part of Australia.

693
00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:38,975
Trade through Esperance has been
going on since the early 1900s...

694
00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:40,695
Yeah. ..sailing ships

695
00:32:40,720 --> 00:32:43,015
slowly evolving to these size,

696
00:32:43,040 --> 00:32:45,295
and these modern tugs to be able
to handle them. Mm.

697
00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:48,655
Multinational companies rule

698
00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:51,255
the cut-throat business
of commercial towing,

699
00:32:51,280 --> 00:32:54,775
making Sean's firm
true Aussie battlers.

700
00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:57,255
My grandfather started it.

701
00:32:57,280 --> 00:32:59,055
This is right back
in the early '50s,

702
00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:00,815
he had a small wooden fishing boat,

703
00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:03,615
and since then the business has just
grown from there.

704
00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:05,575
It's a real delight to be able
to have

705
00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:08,655
a family business that's continuing
through the generations.

706
00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:10,375
It's all about local knowledge.

707
00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:14,055
So there's a kind of a
Western Australian, entrepreneurial,

708
00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:19,655
this, kind of, resourcefulness that
is born out of the isolation.

709
00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:21,055
RADIO CHATTER

710
00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:26,215
The tanker we're towing is packed to
the gunnels with iron ore.

711
00:33:26,240 --> 00:33:27,935
At around £86 a tonne,

712
00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:31,855
that's a £60 million load
we're responsible for.

713
00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:33,335
It's out to sea. Yeah.

714
00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:35,335
Oh, it's halfway to China now.

715
00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:39,735
Being out on the waves
definitely brings out

716
00:33:39,760 --> 00:33:42,335
the steely-eyed mariner in me.

717
00:33:42,360 --> 00:33:45,935
If only they'd let muggings here
drive their expensive new toy.

718
00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:50,135
Try.

719
00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:51,295
All right.

720
00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:52,495
OK.

721
00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:56,655
How much are these things
worth again?

722
00:33:56,680 --> 00:33:58,695
Hold on below.

723
00:33:58,720 --> 00:34:01,055
I don't know. I'd say go this way.

724
00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:03,055
Bit of this?

725
00:34:03,080 --> 00:34:04,855
Something's happening.

726
00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:07,815
Is that right? We're going to the
right. Why don't you pull this in?

727
00:34:07,840 --> 00:34:10,295
What, just do that? Or just do that.

728
00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:12,015
Or just do that?

729
00:34:12,040 --> 00:34:13,375
Oh, OK.

730
00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:15,935
This is a very high-tech piece
of kit.

731
00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:17,775
This propeller's going in
all directions.

732
00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:20,615
So... Cool.

733
00:34:20,640 --> 00:34:23,215
...if you tried both pods to
one side.

734
00:34:23,240 --> 00:34:25,095
That way? Yep.

735
00:34:25,120 --> 00:34:27,055
So, what do you think's
going happen now?

736
00:34:27,080 --> 00:34:28,775
We're just going to...

737
00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:30,575
Do doughnuts. Do doughnuts!
BILL LAUGHS

738
00:34:32,720 --> 00:34:36,335
Is that what you get up to out here,
Rennie? Yeah.

739
00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:37,775
whoa-ho!

740
00:34:43,920 --> 00:34:45,495
That was amazing.

741
00:34:47,160 --> 00:34:49,535
Thank you so much, Sean.
I appreciate that very much.

742
00:34:49,560 --> 00:34:51,295
Cheers, mate. Good on you.

743
00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:53,855
This port is the lifeblood
of Esperance.

744
00:34:53,880 --> 00:34:57,455
There's a huge boat full
of iron ore heading for China,

745
00:34:57,480 --> 00:34:59,815
and then if it's not iron ore,
it'll be grain.

746
00:34:59,840 --> 00:35:04,175
These are the two big industries
that have driven

747
00:35:04,200 --> 00:35:06,095
Western Australia's fortunes.

748
00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:07,455
It's mining and agriculture.

749
00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:09,215
You know, wheat and iron ore,

750
00:35:09,240 --> 00:35:12,135
the essence of what
Western Australia is about.

751
00:35:15,160 --> 00:35:18,655
I don't think I've done doughnuts
in a tug before. That's a first.

752
00:35:19,880 --> 00:35:21,575
So thanks, WA.

753
00:35:36,560 --> 00:35:38,855
Even on a chilly wintry morning,

754
00:35:38,880 --> 00:35:42,615
the south of Western Australia
is a sight to behold.

755
00:35:42,640 --> 00:35:46,135
Just sunlight coming through
the trees,

756
00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:47,775
morning mist,

757
00:35:47,800 --> 00:35:50,975
birds chirruping away.

758
00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:53,255
I need a coffee, though, so.

759
00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:55,255
I can see one person.

760
00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:58,015
So that's where I'm heading.

761
00:35:58,040 --> 00:36:00,055
BIRDSONG

762
00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:03,815
Listen to the magpies,
the butcherbirds and a crow.

763
00:36:03,840 --> 00:36:05,895
Can you hear that? Harr.

764
00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:10,895
There's this difference between
British crows and Australian crows.

765
00:36:10,920 --> 00:36:13,135
British crows are just, "Hah."

766
00:36:14,320 --> 00:36:17,295
But Australian crows
are actually sarcastic.

767
00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:20,935
You know they're, like, "Harr."

768
00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:23,295
"Are you're gonna get coffee,
are you? Harr."

769
00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:27,015
I'm leaving the hecklers behind

770
00:36:27,040 --> 00:36:31,575
and heading east towards my final
stop on my southern travels.

771
00:36:31,600 --> 00:36:33,535
Once I'm fully fuel led up.

772
00:36:33,560 --> 00:36:35,015
Can I get a flat white please?

773
00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:37,335
Sure. Want to get a large one?

774
00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:40,255
Just a regular size, please. OK.

775
00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:42,175
Oh, the cinnamon rolls.

776
00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:43,615
I mean...

777
00:36:43,640 --> 00:36:45,255
...oh.

778
00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:47,175
This is forbidden fruit right here.

779
00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:51,575
There's a fire burning in
the stove there.

780
00:36:51,600 --> 00:36:54,815
This is...this is so cosy.

781
00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:56,615
Could just stay here.

782
00:36:56,640 --> 00:36:57,975
I might move here.

783
00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:01,295
Just become, like,
a local eccentric, you know?

784
00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:04,215
Play the piano in the local bar...

785
00:37:04,240 --> 00:37:07,935
...maybe join a sort
of Police tribute act.

786
00:37:07,960 --> 00:37:09,455
Play guitar in it.

787
00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:10,855
I'd be quite happy with that.

788
00:37:10,880 --> 00:37:13,135
Come in here everyday,
get my coffee, banana bread.

789
00:37:14,160 --> 00:37:16,455
Just leave my old life behind.

790
00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:18,335
Oh, yeah that's Bill.
Yeah, the English bloke.

791
00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:21,255
Yeah, no, he just showed up one day
with a film crew, and

792
00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:22,615
he's been here ever since.

793
00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:28,375
I'm actually singing Roxanne
right now,

794
00:37:28,400 --> 00:37:29,495
but you'll have to imagine it

795
00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:33,415
because we don't have the budget
to pay Sting's royalties.

796
00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:34,815
You all right to go past?

797
00:37:34,840 --> 00:37:36,535
Yeah, come on, mate.

798
00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:38,855
I love you, eh...
Oh, thanks very much, cheers.

799
00:37:38,880 --> 00:37:40,615
Bye-bye. Yeah, I'm here all week.

800
00:37:40,640 --> 00:37:42,535
Good luck. Thank you.

801
00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:45,935
At least the humans are more
enthusiastic than the crows.

802
00:37:45,960 --> 00:37:48,215
But before I leave Esperance,

803
00:37:48,240 --> 00:37:50,855
I have some unfinished business.

804
00:37:50,880 --> 00:37:53,375
You were probably wondering about
this place.

805
00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:55,975
Hello, Tracey. Hello,
Bill, nice to meet you.

806
00:37:56,000 --> 00:37:57,935
Lovely to meet you.

807
00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:01,775
It turns out there's nothing
Western Australians like more

808
00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:04,735
than recreating neolithic landmarks.

809
00:38:04,760 --> 00:38:10,175
So, this looks to me like
it's pretty much an exact replica.

810
00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:13,055
It is. It's the exact same size,

811
00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:16,495
same layout of what they would've built when
they envisioned it. The same dimensions? Yes.

812
00:38:16,520 --> 00:38:18,255
This is what they would
have been looking at

813
00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:19,895
all that time ago. Right.

814
00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:22,415
Now, I've got to ask you this,
Tracey.

815
00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:25,815
What, uh,

816
00:38:25,840 --> 00:38:31,255
what possesses someone to build
a Stonehenge in Western Australia?

817
00:38:31,280 --> 00:38:33,735
It's a bit of a story, Bill.
OK. Right.

818
00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:36,055
But it was originally going to
go to Margaret River

819
00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:37,215
as a tourist attraction,

820
00:38:37,240 --> 00:38:39,735
and the gentleman from there
commissioned the quarry here

821
00:38:39,760 --> 00:38:41,415
cos he wanted it made from
pink granite.

822
00:38:41,440 --> 00:38:43,775
This is back in 2008
when they'd finished,

823
00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:45,535
he couldn't afford to pay for it
because there was

824
00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:47,375
a global financial crisis
at the time.

825
00:38:47,400 --> 00:38:50,255
Oh, right. Actually stayed in
the quarry here for three years.

826
00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:53,335
Just sat there, the whole Stonehenge has
been cut out. What? Just all this? Yeah.

827
00:38:53,360 --> 00:38:54,615
All been cut out.

828
00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:56,975
Huh. Not too much demand
for a Stonehenge.

829
00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:58,655
Well, I mean there's,
I mean, there's a bit of

830
00:38:58,680 --> 00:39:03,055
a slow down in the whole Henge
demand, globally. There is.

831
00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:04,935
Yeah, so it stayed there
for three years,

832
00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:06,695
and a farmer who was here
at the time,

833
00:39:06,720 --> 00:39:08,695
he decided he'd buy it,
and put it up here.

834
00:39:08,720 --> 00:39:11,015
My husband said, "Do you want
to buy a farm in Esperance?”

835
00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:12,335
And I said, "No, not really."

836
00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:14,215
And he said,
"It's got a Stonehenge on it."

837
00:39:14,240 --> 00:39:17,055
And I said, ""Yes, OK then, let's
buy it." Al right, that was the...

838
00:39:17,080 --> 00:39:19,615
That was the clincher.
..sort of... The clincher, yeah.

839
00:39:19,640 --> 00:39:21,975
So, now you're, sort of,
keeper of the Henge? Yes.

840
00:39:22,000 --> 00:39:23,615
How does that feel?
Being a Henge keeper?

841
00:39:23,640 --> 00:39:25,415
I love it. I feel very blessed.

842
00:39:25,440 --> 00:39:28,655
And this is the giant,
the trilithon, is it?

843
00:39:28,680 --> 00:39:31,055
Yes, giant trilithon that is there.

844
00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:33,615
So later later on today,
when the sun sets,

845
00:39:33,640 --> 00:39:35,095
it's going to come straight down

846
00:39:35,120 --> 00:39:37,575
and set in between
those stones there.

847
00:39:37,600 --> 00:39:39,375
So you've even...

848
00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:41,855
It's aligned. ..aligned it up
to the solstice? Yes.

849
00:39:41,880 --> 00:39:42,935
Yes, it is. Oh.

850
00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:44,735
For winter and summer.

851
00:39:44,760 --> 00:39:46,415
Can I actually go and commune...

852
00:39:46,440 --> 00:39:48,135
Of course you can.
..with the stones?

853
00:39:48,160 --> 00:39:49,495
Yes. They love it.

854
00:39:50,840 --> 00:39:52,655
You see, there's
something lovely about

855
00:39:52,680 --> 00:39:54,455
putting your face against stone.

856
00:39:54,480 --> 00:39:56,015
There is.

857
00:39:56,040 --> 00:39:58,335
I don't know what it is.

858
00:39:58,360 --> 00:40:00,895
There's something very calming
and cooling about it.

859
00:40:00,920 --> 00:40:04,535
Because in the,
the old ones, we call it...

860
00:40:04,560 --> 00:40:07,335
Yeah. The broken one.
..the broken one,

861
00:40:07,360 --> 00:40:08,815
you can't walk around it. No.

862
00:40:08,840 --> 00:40:12,095
I mean, you can't get close to it,
so at least with this one,

863
00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:14,575
you can get into the centre of it,
walk amongst the stones...

864
00:40:14,600 --> 00:40:17,215
That's right. ..and get a feeling
of what it would've been like.

865
00:40:17,240 --> 00:40:19,535
Exactly.
We let people sit on our stones.

866
00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:20,455
Do you? Yes, we do.

867
00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:21,815
You see, that's great. Yeah.

868
00:40:21,840 --> 00:40:23,655
That's very Australian.

869
00:40:23,680 --> 00:40:24,735
"Sorry."

870
00:40:24,760 --> 00:40:26,735
“No, get on it. Get amongst it."

871
00:40:28,200 --> 00:40:29,335
Time and time again,

872
00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:31,815
I've been struck by
the free-spirited nature

873
00:40:31,840 --> 00:40:35,495
and sometimes downright eccentricity
of Western Australians.

874
00:40:37,360 --> 00:40:39,775
Before I end this leg of my trip,

875
00:40:39,800 --> 00:40:42,775
I'm off to meet a man who's got
a unique insight into

876
00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:45,255
the people who call this state home.

877
00:40:45,280 --> 00:40:47,575
Hey, Milo. What's going on?

878
00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:53,495
7ft 2in colossus Luc Longley
is one of WA's most famous exports.

879
00:40:53,520 --> 00:40:55,815
Playing alongside Michael Jordan,

880
00:40:55,840 --> 00:40:59,295
he was a key member of
the legendary Chicago Bulls

881
00:40:59,320 --> 00:41:01,335
NBA team of the '90s.

882
00:41:01,360 --> 00:41:02,455
You look like Bill.

883
00:41:02,480 --> 00:41:04,055
Yeah, you look like Luc, I think.

884
00:41:04,080 --> 00:41:06,415
Ah, we've got the right guy then.
How are ya? Good morning.

885
00:41:06,440 --> 00:41:07,735
Really good, thanks, yeah.

886
00:41:07,760 --> 00:41:10,735
Now he's returned home,
I want to know Luc's take

887
00:41:10,760 --> 00:41:13,575
on what makes WA and its locals
so special.

888
00:41:13,600 --> 00:41:14,695
Whoa!

889
00:41:16,720 --> 00:41:18,055
All right, here we go.

890
00:41:18,080 --> 00:41:19,815
I'm trying to think of, though,

891
00:41:19,840 --> 00:41:22,695
the contrast between life here and

892
00:41:22,720 --> 00:41:25,255
touring around America,
part of the NBA. Mm.

893
00:41:25,280 --> 00:41:28,535
I mean what, that must have been
a bit of a culture shock, was it?

894
00:41:28,560 --> 00:41:29,855
I mean, I was 18.

895
00:41:29,880 --> 00:41:31,815
It was more of an adventure than
a shock.

896
00:41:31,840 --> 00:41:34,895
I was just up for having some fun
and playing some basketball.

897
00:41:34,920 --> 00:41:37,255
I had no idea it was gonna
lead to...

898
00:41:37,280 --> 00:41:38,895
...to the Chicago Bulls.

899
00:41:38,920 --> 00:41:40,455
At that point I didn't even care.

900
00:41:40,480 --> 00:41:42,415
I was just down for... Yeah.

901
00:41:42,440 --> 00:41:44,735
You know, like any young bloke,
at that stage,

902
00:41:44,760 --> 00:41:46,135
just down for an adventure.

903
00:41:46,160 --> 00:41:48,015
But this was a culture anchor
for me.

904
00:41:48,040 --> 00:41:50,815
So I started living down in Denmark
in the off-season as a way,

905
00:41:50,840 --> 00:41:52,375
as a detox, I suppose,

906
00:41:52,400 --> 00:41:56,855
both physical and emotional detox
from all the stuff that goes

907
00:41:56,880 --> 00:41:58,175
with playing in the NBA.

908
00:41:58,200 --> 00:42:00,095
There's lots of Australians in
the NBA now.

909
00:42:00,120 --> 00:42:02,455
At that stage I was the first
and only. Mm.

910
00:42:02,480 --> 00:42:04,815
And, ah, so I was a novelty act,
for sure.

911
00:42:04,840 --> 00:42:09,735
<i>A big 71, skinny, ginger, novelty
act, who was pretending to,</i>

912
00:42:09,760 --> 00:42:12,495
that he knew how to basketball,
but didn't really.

913
00:42:12,520 --> 00:42:15,615
But they never figured out that
I was just pretending.

914
00:42:18,400 --> 00:42:20,735
We're in the
William Bay National Park

915
00:42:20,760 --> 00:42:23,735
for a wintry morning dip in
the Southern Ocean.

916
00:42:23,760 --> 00:42:25,215
Where are we going?

917
00:42:25,240 --> 00:42:27,615
What is that? Tell me about that,
this...this...

918
00:42:27,640 --> 00:42:30,655
So, really, it's just
a great little beach that, you know,

919
00:42:30,680 --> 00:42:32,695
on a good day you can launch your
boat from.

920
00:42:32,720 --> 00:42:35,455
You know, it's just one of those
spots that's still accessible,

921
00:42:35,480 --> 00:42:37,055
that doesn't get a lot of traffic.

922
00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:39,375
Although at times, I mean,
at times it gets busy.

923
00:42:39,400 --> 00:42:41,335
And fun to get to. Yeah. Yeah.

924
00:42:41,360 --> 00:42:44,255
Classic bit of WA Adventure.

925
00:42:44,280 --> 00:42:46,335
That's what we're all about here.

926
00:42:46,360 --> 00:42:49,375
This is where we're going.
Oh, here we are. Look at that.

927
00:42:49,400 --> 00:42:50,775
Stunning.

928
00:42:54,880 --> 00:42:57,735
I suppose, for me, the bit that's
charming about Western Australia

929
00:42:57,760 --> 00:43:01,215
is that ability to go out
and hunt out a beach...

930
00:43:01,240 --> 00:43:03,615
Yeah. ..find your own little spot.

931
00:43:03,640 --> 00:43:04,775
Come on, Milo.

932
00:43:06,120 --> 00:43:08,375
Beautiful. And what's in the water?

933
00:43:08,400 --> 00:43:10,655
Oh. Anything you want, Bill.

934
00:43:10,680 --> 00:43:12,375
Anything you want. Um...

935
00:43:12,400 --> 00:43:14,135
Cause every time people go,

936
00:43:14,160 --> 00:43:17,815
"You went...you went swimming in
Australia, are you mad?"

937
00:43:17,840 --> 00:43:20,135
And you've still got both your legs.
You've got your limbs.

938
00:43:20,160 --> 00:43:21,215
That's right. Yeah, yeah.

939
00:43:21,240 --> 00:43:24,055
Well, there will be a few sharks
here, but they're pretty well fed.

940
00:43:24,080 --> 00:43:25,975
I think you'll be right.
Oh, OK. Yeah.

941
00:43:26,000 --> 00:43:28,815
Yeah, I mean, I probably don't taste
great, anyway.

942
00:43:28,840 --> 00:43:30,415
You don't look a lot like a seal.

943
00:43:30,440 --> 00:43:32,855
No. No.
No, I've got too much fur.

944
00:43:32,880 --> 00:43:35,935
More of a walrus, maybe. Yeah. The
sharks here wouldn't be looking for walrus.

945
00:43:35,960 --> 00:43:37,775
No, they might be confused by
a walrus.

946
00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:40,375
That's right, I think you'll be
fine. I think I'U be all right.

947
00:43:43,400 --> 00:43:45,775
The water temperature hovers
above zero,

948
00:43:45,800 --> 00:43:50,135
but the siren call of a pristine dip
is too tempting to pass.

949
00:43:50,160 --> 00:43:51,375
Nice.

950
00:43:55,200 --> 00:43:57,775
Beach life is as Australian
as it gets,

951
00:43:57,800 --> 00:44:01,055
but in WA, the numbers are
mind-boggling.

952
00:44:01,080 --> 00:44:04,935
Western Australia has about
3,500 beaches.

953
00:44:04,960 --> 00:44:07,255
So, doing the maths, at one a day,

954
00:44:07,280 --> 00:44:10,215
it would take me ten years
to visit them all.

955
00:44:17,000 --> 00:44:17,975
Oop.

956
00:44:19,560 --> 00:44:21,815
OK, I'll get the hang of this in
a minute.

957
00:44:24,680 --> 00:44:26,415
It's just me...

958
00:44:26,440 --> 00:44:28,295
...a sporting legend...

959
00:44:30,400 --> 00:44:32,695
...and a very happy dog...

960
00:44:32,720 --> 00:44:37,055
...with nothing but crystal water
between us and the South Pole.

961
00:44:40,440 --> 00:44:42,175
It's warmer than I thought.

962
00:44:46,920 --> 00:44:47,935
Good boy.

963
00:44:47,960 --> 00:44:48,935
Get going now.

964
00:44:51,320 --> 00:44:52,975
Well, that was fantastic.

965
00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:54,655
Wasn't that great? Eh? Thanks, mate.

966
00:44:54,680 --> 00:44:56,095
The water's pretty nice, isn't it?

967
00:44:56,120 --> 00:44:58,575
It is. It's beautiful
once you get in there.

968
00:44:58,600 --> 00:45:00,935
It's actually not as cold as
I thought.

969
00:45:00,960 --> 00:45:03,375
The only person who enjoyed it
more than you was Milo. I know.

970
00:45:03,400 --> 00:45:08,015
It's very much indicative of the pull
of this place that someone like Luc,

971
00:45:08,040 --> 00:45:11,095
who was the first
Australian to play in the NBA,

972
00:45:11,120 --> 00:45:13,695
achieving fame around the world,

973
00:45:13,720 --> 00:45:18,895
and yet he feels this great pull
to come back here

974
00:45:18,920 --> 00:45:20,255
to Western Australia.

975
00:45:20,280 --> 00:45:21,575
For me, it's the space.

976
00:45:21,600 --> 00:45:23,415
For me, there's a, sort of,

977
00:45:23,440 --> 00:45:24,975
it's definitely not a frontier,

978
00:45:25,000 --> 00:45:28,255
but it just feels far enough behind
everything everywhere else,

979
00:45:28,280 --> 00:45:30,775
where it's slower,
and there's more space,

980
00:45:30,800 --> 00:45:34,215
and I feel like I can relax into
that as a place to live.

981
00:45:34,240 --> 00:45:35,295
Yeah.

982
00:45:35,320 --> 00:45:38,855
This really represents
everything that

983
00:45:38,880 --> 00:45:41,415
the Western Australian spirit is
all about.

984
00:45:41,440 --> 00:45:44,615
And that is the hugeness of
the space,

985
00:45:44,640 --> 00:45:46,415
the proximity to the nature,

986
00:45:46,440 --> 00:45:49,175
and just this, kind of,
tranquil beauty.

987
00:45:49,200 --> 00:45:51,095
And this is just glorious.

988
00:45:55,640 --> 00:45:57,295
On the next episode...

989
00:45:57,320 --> 00:45:58,495
You call that history?

990
00:45:58,520 --> 00:46:00,495
This is history.

991
00:46:00,520 --> 00:46:05,175
Those that strayed in were punished
by the gods, and turned into stone.

992
00:46:05,200 --> 00:46:08,375
And the nature just keeps
getting wilder.

993
00:46:08,400 --> 00:46:09,535
They're huge.

994
00:46:09,560 --> 00:46:12,375
Nothing prepares you
for how big they are.

995
00:46:12,400 --> 00:46:14,055
They're just amazing.

996
00:46:16,040 --> 00:46:17,415
Subtitles by Red Bee Media