How To Virtually Visit Australia’s Best Attractions All Weekend Long - Forbes

Posted: 15 May 2020 12:00 AM PDT

Kangaroo Feeding with Chris 'Brolga' Barnes at The Kangaroo Sanctuary. — Tune in for a live kangaroo feeding with Chris 'Brolga' Barnes at The Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice ... [+] Springs.
Photo courtesy of Tourism Australia.

Whether you're dreaming of a trip to the land down under or have recently returned from living abroad in such a wonderful country, you're in for a treat this weekend. Starting Friday, May 15, you'll be able to virtually visit some of Australia's greatest attractions in Live From Aus, a special Facebook Live event featuring some of the country's biggest stars, with new events happening every hour on the hour all weekend long. The best part: you can watch it for free from the comfort of your own home via Facebook or on YouTube. Note that because of the 14-hour time difference, some events will occur overnight in the U.S. but during the daytime in Australia. As a result, all events listed below include both time zones—ET (Eastern Standard Time) and AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time).

Friday / Saturday

The program begins May 15 at 5 p.m. ET here in the U.S. (Saturday, May 16, at 7 a.m. AEST), with a special cultural welcome and an acknowledgement of country from Sydney's South Coast, followed by an hourlong workout brought to you by Chris Hemsworth's team of exercise gurus live from Byron Bay and New York City. The fun continues at 7 p.m. ET (9 a.m. AEST) with a lesson in how to make the ultimate brekkie bowl, followed by an hour of song and dance with The Wiggles, performing live from Sydney—if you've got kids at home who still have some energy to burn at 8 p.m. ET (10 a.m. AEST), you won't want to miss this.

Candice Dixon holding a koala at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in Australia — See koalas up close when Facebook Live takes you to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.
Photo courtesy of Tourism Australia

Next up is a cooking lesson in Melbourne specializing in indigenous ingredients, an close-up encounter with koalas from the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, a look at cheesemaking in the Yarra Valley and a professional putting class by Great Golf Courses of Australia. American night owls should tune in for special look behind the scenes at Questacon—the National Science and Technology Centre—at 1 a.m. ET (3 p.m. AEST) followed by an underwater tour of the Great Barrier Reef and a special look at some wineries in Adelaide Hills. At 4 a.m. ET (6 a.m. AEST), greet the Australian sunset from Uluru—a major highlight of a trip to the Northern Territory—experience a dinner party and play along from home during a classic Aussie pub trivia night in Sydney. The first day's events end with a closer look at whisky in Tasmania and a live stream of Spectra, an artistic light installation by Ryoji Ikeda, live from MONA (the Museum of Old and New Art) in Hobart.

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Saturday / Sunday

Tune in Saturday, May 16, at 4 p.m. ET (6 a.m. AEST on Sunday, May 17) for some sunrise yoga in Byron Bay, followed by a coffee masterclass hosted by ONA Coffee in Canberra. Zookeeper Chad and Laura Brown will host an hour with Aussie wildlife from Featherdale Wildlife Park and New York City at 6 p.m. ET (8 a.m. AEST), after which you'll be able to follow along with a mud crabbing adventure on Cooya Beach.

Next, learn all about the art of the great Aussie brunch with Three Blue Ducks, a popular Aussie restaurant, live from Byron Bay and Melbourne, before embarking on one of Tasmania's scenic walks through the Bay of Fires. At 10 p.m. ET (12 p.m. AEST), there's a crocodile encounter with Aussie wildlife explorer Matt Wright, host of National Geographic's Outback Wrangler, and a BBQ cooking demonstration by popular Australian Chef, Hayden Quinn. Night owls in the U.S. won't want to miss a look at one of Western Australia's most beautiful and unspoiled treasures, The Kimberley, at 12 a.m. ET (2 p.m. AEST) followed by a lesson in wine and art pairing at the d'Arenberg Cube in the McLaren Vale, a gorgeous winery located about 40 minutes from downtown Adelaide.

The Penguin Parade on Phillip Island in Victoria, Australia. — See the Penguin Parade live from Phillip Island in Victoria.
Photo courtesy of Tourism Australia.

Calling all kangaroo lovers: Chris 'Brolga' Barnes (pictured at the top) will be doing a feeding live from his delightful Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs at 2 a.m. ET (4 p.m. AEST) followed by a tour of Kangaroo Island in South Australia. For a real treat, tune into the Penguin Parade, live from Philip Island at 4 a.m. ET (6 p.m. AEST) and an hour later, listen to Aboriginal Dreamtime stories being told from Shark Bay. The weekend's events end with a night at the Sydney Opera House—which, for those of us tuning in from the U.S., actually starts at 6 a.m. ET (8 p.m. AEST)—and a special Sunday Session hosted by Sounds Australia.

Bottom Line

While it'll be a while before Americans and other foreigners will be able to visit Australia again, the Facebook Live weekend-long event is a great way for aspiring visitors to see what we can look forward to on future visits.

"Even though demand for travel is currently on hold and the timing of the recovery is still uncertain, it's important that we don't go quiet as a destination," said Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison. "While people can't travel right now, they can certainly dream and plan for those holidays to come."

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