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As Crocodile Dundee himself might have said: That ain’t a vacation. This is a vacation.
Back in September, the chat show Queen blew our minds by giving every single person in the audience at one of her shows a prize of a lifetime: 300 lucky people won an eight-day trip across Australia, taking in such sights and sounds such as a mass-scaling of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, visiting the Great Barrier Reef and the Outback in addition to taking surfing lessons, hanging with kangaroos and koalas as well as experiencing those legendary barbecues on the beach.
(See where Oprah ranks in TIME’s most important women of the century.)
On Tuesday, the winners touched down for what is reasonably being billed as “Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure.” What’s more, Winfrey herself will be joining for part of the trip as she takes over the — wait for it — Sydney Oprah House to record at least two episodes as well as a third at a yet-to-be disclosed location, rumored to be in the Outback.
In case you’ve been living under a rock — or possibly in Australia itself — Oprah is bowing out after 25 seasons and this is up there when it comes to making a splash. The truth, as ever, shows that there’s a little bit more going on behind the scenes as her temporary host country is spending over $4 million for the trip though officials maintain it’s a small price to pay for the p.r. and advertising that’s coming in.
(See 10 things to do in Sydney.)
Australia’s Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, will not only be at a civic reception but will take part in one of the Sydney tapings next week. And Gillard will surely be delighted to be the second most prominent female in the country if it results in many more people flooding into the country, wishing to sample the many delights on offer, even if Oprah won’t be able to show them around herself. (via AP)