| Description |
1 online resource (streaming video file) (26 min. 27 sec.) ; 159098615 bytes |
| Summary |
Australian's best-known scientist and his satirical mate continue their unique adventure investigating Australia's northern frontier. Being a palaeontologist Tim views the world through very different eyes. While John sees a pile of rocks on the side of the road, Tim finds extraordinary evidence of the beginnings of life on earth, ancient stromatolites dating back 1.4 billion years.As the temperature and humidity build, the pair race against the start of the wet season. With a bit more rain the red dirt roads of the Savannah Way will soon become impassable quagmires. They cross into the Northern Territory aiming to reach Borroloola and the safety of the bitumen road. But there's no guarantee they'll make it.Some see Australia as a young country. In the outback, with Earth's history laid bare, that idea soon withers. Everywhere Tim and John go there are ancient stories in the landscape. They visit the 'Lost City' in Litchfield National Park and its unique towers of rock formed thousands of years before people existed.Borroloola provides an opportunity to see what the Indigenous community think about development in the Top End. The Macarthur River zinc and lead mine offers plenty of jobs to Indigenous locals, but there is concern about upstream diversion of the Macarthur River to allow more mining.John and Tim head west through endless kilometres of savannah and examine the cattle industry. Many pastoral stations simply haven't survived but in Mataranka John and Tim witness a new way of managing cattle in this difficult country.After two weeks on the road, finally - despite an inconvenient speed limit - John and Tim arrive in Darwin. If the future of the south is drying up then perhaps Darwin is the northern nirvana. In Darwin they come face to face with big development, big growth and massive crocs. But there's still no sign of the wet in Darwin as temperature soar and rain clouds taunt. 'Mango madness' sets in. The boys are going troppo. PRODUCTION DETAILS:Series Director and Writer: Michael Cordell; Series Producer: Scott Feeney; Producer: Jessica Brown; Supervising Producer: Toni Malone; Executive Producers: Michael Cordell and Nick Murray; ABC TV Commissioning Editor: Alan Erson. A Cordell Jigsaw Production. Produced in association with ABC TV |
| Event |
Broadcast 2013-05-18 at 13:00:00 |
| Notes |
Classification: G |
| Subject |
Beef cattle -- Behavior.
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Landscape changes -- Psychological aspects.
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Rocks -- Identification.
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Stromatolites.
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Sustainable agriculture.
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Voyages and travels.
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Northern Territory.
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| Form |
Streaming video
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| Author |
Cordell, Michael, director
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Doyle, John, host
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Flannery, Tim, host
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