Australia with Simon Reeve - Season 1

First aired: 5/19/2013 3 episodes

Episodes

1. Episode 1

Aired: 5/19/2013

Simon's adventure starts in the magnificent 'red centre' of the continent and onwards through South Australia, via the extraordinary Indian Pacific Railway until he reaches the west coast city of Perth. On the way, he joins an Aussie rancher in the parched outback and takes part in a spectacular camel round-up. This mad aventure, involving specially adapted off-road vehicles and a chopper, is part of an ongoing effort to stop the damaging spread of up to a million feral camels across the country. Simon also passes through Australia's wine country and to the lucrative tuna fishing city of Port Lincoln, and he investigates the impact these trades are having on the environment. In Western Australia, he joins a 21st century gold rush - part of the resource boom that has made Australia one of the richest countries in the world. Finally in Perth, Simon discovers a full scale British invasion.

2. Episode 2

Aired: 5/26/2013

Simon travels from Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory or 'Top End', across to the remote Cape York Peninsula, and on to the Great Barrier Reef. Simon sets off from Kakadu, the largest national park in the world, where the wildlife is under threat from the march of millions of poisonous cane toads. He joins a team of toad-busters catching the amphibian invaders - originally introduced to the country to kill pests. In Robertson barracks Simon meets Australia's best - and only - tank regiment. They will soon host 6,000 American Marines - evidence of Australia's strategic importance in the Asia Pacific region. Simon also heads out on patrol with Norforce, a unique military unit who use ancient aboriginal knowledge to help them survive in the bush. It's a case of green ant tea before bed. On the Cape York peninsula Simon joins scientists catching deadly box jellyfish, whose venom could prove to have great medicinal value.

3. Episode 3

Aired: 6/1/2013

Simon travels travels down the east coast to the magnificent cities of Sydney and Melbourne in the final part of his journey. Simon's journey starts in Surfers Paradise near the city of Gold Coast, the Las Vegas of Australia. Behind the sun and surf, this area has become the organised crime capital of Australia. Police are cracking down on outlaw motorcycle clubs, accused of being criminal gangs. Simon meets the most notorious and feared biker group in Australia to hear their side of the story. In the wealthy East Coast suburbs, Simon has a different kind of encounter, joining a vet and his team who rescue and treat injured koalas - thousands of which are killed each year by cars and pet dogs. Arriving in Sydney, Simon discovers a city of huge cultural diversity closely linked to its booming Asian neighbours, India and China. One in ten Aussies are now of Asian origin.