What is Baz Luhrmann's film Australia about?
Australia is a 2008 epic film directed by Baz Luhrmann, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Set in northern Australia before and during the Second World War, it follows an English aristocrat who inherits a cattle station.
Kidman plays Lady Sarah Ashley, who travels to the Northern Territory and joins forces with a rough cattle drover, played by Jackman, to drive 1,500 head of cattle to Darwin.
The story is narrated by Nullah, a young boy of Aboriginal and European heritage, played by Brandon Walters. His story highlights the Stolen Generations.
Production
The film was shot in the Kimberley, Bowen in Queensland and Sydney. It recreates the Japanese bombing of Darwin in 1942.
With a large budget and Hollywood stars, it was one of the most expensive films ever made in Australia, and it became one of the country's highest-grossing local films at the time.
Reviews were mixed: some critics praised its sweeping landscapes and romance, while others found it too long and old-fashioned. David Gulpilil appeared as King George, Nullah's grandfather, and the film drew attention to the cattle droving history of the north.
Did You Know?
Tourism Australia used the film in a major advertising campaign directed by Luhrmann.