User Reviews

This is a nature show about Australia. The three episodes are Ocean, Land, and Human Shift. The first two are standard nature shows. It's beautifully filmed and narrated by an older white guy with gravitas. The third one is the most interesting for me. It shows how nature evolves in different ways in the cities and the man-made world is forcing nature to adapt. The trick of the third episode seems to be that it starts as cute happy fish out of water stories and turns into something with a more serious environment bent. It tries to stay with happier side by finishing with a success. It's not just beautiful but also an episode to make one think. That's the mark of a good nature show.

Loved watching the documentary and hearing all the details about life around and in the continent. The list of unique species found only there is reason enough to watch the show.

Hearing that they have protected regions for species while other countries are going the opposite path makes me respect them only more.

Wish there was an episode 4 where they discussed what they were not doing right as a counter-point but I know that won't happen.

It did feel almost as if it was meant to be a travel pitch for getting people to go there. Guess what? It is working.

Grim old Bazza narrates this fascinating three-partner on the wildlife of Australia. There's some really beautiful photography and the animals on show range from charismatic marsupials to characterful birds. I genuinely learned a load of things I didn't already know which is a plus, but for a 2019 doc it definitely goes a lot softer on humans than it probably should in the last part. The series makes some laughably acquiescent observations about the new normal for the beasts of the continent... the strip mining is "helping" the creatures in some ways. Certain beasts are just evolving quickly to adapt. Some may die, but oh well that's just how things go!

As an Australian i found it a beatifully done series just as it is. I am disappointed that some comments politicize the series. Appreciate it for the beauty and information it provides. However, Some statements made are not given a factual reference e.g. 'its only recently been discovered that 24 million years ago birdsong evolved in this forest' ....Seemed a bit of a wild claim? I do agree though that the voice over by Barry just didnt 'feel' / sound right at first, although i did get used to it after a while, otherwise loved the series

The cinematography is good, and there's no shortness of adorable, fascinating creatures. There is an odd lack of self-awareness, however, that may leave you thinking that something is a bit off.

This doco seems to downplay the impact of human development to the point of actually saying that the animals have used their radically transformed environments to their advantage. In one part, the doco focuses on a group of dingos living by a mine in the desert. No discussion of how this has negatively impacted the environment, and rather, were "living the best lives possible". Aww, isn't that sweet - strip mining has actually made it better than ever for wildlife.

Where the series does make some claim to what can be done, it calls for an ambiguous "national plan". We're then told of a magnificent project on Phillip Island where someone (the doco is unclear who or how) has taken the initiative to reclaim the island for the penguins. This is a success story, apparently, because now tourists pay to go to the island.

This doco filmed strip mines and said nothing about the criminal mining industry? It filmed koalas and said nothing of the criminal Berejiklian government's murderous cuts to fire reduction programs? And it's one solution is to marketise the problem? Riiiiight.

Sounds suspiciously like more capitalist propaganda where the solution is always mores capitalism.

Let me say that I'm a great fan of Barry Humphries but this is NOT one of his great (or even good) performances. The visuals, as to be expected were good. But who wrote the narrative and there were times when Barry's narrative intonation is painful. My wife (who was in an adjoining room) thought I was watching a kids show. So I wasn't alone in regards to the narrative. It really spoils what otherwise would have been a good viewing experience.

Beautiful scenes, particularly whales and dolphins in Nullarbor but mute it while you watching as the narrative is so boring and painful to listen. There is no story also behind different locations that the documentary is filmed. I wished there would be a map or links between the locations so we could follow the story through the map of "land of Ozz" not just jumping from here to there.

The crabs fighting scene was also very interesting.

The title of the documentary also not very smart. The scenes were not filmed in a way to show the magics in the nature. Pretty basics compared to other nature documentaries.

Misleading title for one thing, misleading about how great Australia is, and this just seems mediocre at best.

Please don't waste your time on this, unless you plan to mute it and enjoy the visuals of the animals.