Check it out! Koalas, kangaroos and penguins will be at your place this weekend
Is anyone else getting a bit over lockdown? With family trips and adventures cancelled and little chance to let the kids run wild even at the local park, it’s no wonder we’re all getting a little stir-crazy.
Well, the cure for our lockdown wanderlust is here! For isolated families desperate to get out of town, here’s the next best thing.
Travel Australia from your couch this weekend
Tourism Australia have announced Live from Aus – an epic weekend-long LIVE program of entertainment streaming on their Facebook page and hosted by loads of our fave Aussie personalities, from Wippa to The Wiggles!
They’ll be taking us to some of the most iconic destinations in this great land of ours, from croc encounters in the Top End to sunset at Uluru, from the depths of the Great Barrier Reef to the Penguin Parade at Phillip Island.
Every hour will see a fresh program including lots of fun stuff for kids and families. Here’s some of our fave stuff coming up this weekend!
Kids Club: Sing and Dance with The Wiggles
Live from Sydney | Sat 16 May, 10AM
Kids, grab your dancing shoes and get a front row seat to an exclusive LIVE performance by The Wiggles, featuring your favourite Aussie songs. Join Emma, Lachy, Simon and Anthony, and dance your heart out from the comfort of your living room.
Koala-ty Time with Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary & Candice Dixon
Live from the Gold Coast | Sat 16 May, 12PM
Join Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and Wildlife Hospital as they go LIVE for the first time in their 73-year history, hosted by Candice Dixon. Though their doors may be temporarily closed, life beyond the sanctuary gates is as busy as ever. Explore this beautiful sanctuary and meet Humphrey, the Gold Coast’s most popular male koala, as he heads to the wildlife hospital for his regular check-up.
Questacon: Behind the Scenes
Live from Canberra | Sat 16 May, 3PM
Join Australia’s National Science and Technology Centre LIVE from its flagship building in Canberra for an exclusive tour behind the scenes and discover what Questacon staff have been up to in isolation. But be warned … things have been getting a bit weird and whacky with no visitors around for the team to talk to. From lost astronauts to fiery explosions, misbehaving puppets, and liquid nitrogen eruptions, prepare yourself and the family to discover a side of Questacon you haven’t seen before.
Australian Wildlife with Zookeeper Chad & Laura Brown
Live from Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park & New York City | Sun 17 May, 8AM
Ever wondered how far a kangaroo can hop or how long a koala sleeps? Fall in love with our native Australian wildlife all over again in this interactive Q&A LIVE from Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park, home to the largest collection of Australian animals in the world. Join Zookeeper Chad Staples, who was instrumental in saving the lives of many animals during the devastating Australian Bushfires on the South Coast of NSW earlier this year, along with Australian fashion icon and animal lover Laura Brown live from her lockdown in New York City, and get ready to brush up on your knowledge of Aussie animals.
Kangaroo Feeding with Chris “Brolga” Barnes
Live from Alice Springs | Sun 17 May, 4PM
It’s time for kangaroo kisses, as we hop over to the Kangaroo Sanctuary in Alice Springs to meet Chris ‘Brolga’ Barns and his family of joeys. Brolga, aka ‘Kangaroo Dundee’, will guide you on a private tour of the sanctuary’s 36-hectare property and get up close with beautiful red kangaroos of the Red Centre. Then, as the baby joeys wake from their daytime snuggles, get ready to bottle feed them as they get stuck into their beloved milk for dinner.
Penguin Parade Bedtime Stories with Wippa
Live from Phillip Island | Sun 17 May, 6PM
Take in the magic of little penguins returning home to the world’s largest little penguin colony in this playful bedtime story narrated by one of Australia’s funniest dads, Michael “Wippa” Wipfli. Join us at Phillip Island as we watch the world’s smallest and most adorable penguins waddle up the beach at sunset, heading home to their warm burrows after a long day fishing out at sea. Cuteness guaranteed.
Live From Aus is set to kick off on Friday 15 May with a special one-hour broadcast at 7:30pm on Network Ten, then the hourly live-streamed programs launch on Tourism Australia’s Facebook page at 7am (AEST) Saturday 16 May. Check out the full weekend schedule on the Live From Aus Event page.