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Private Notes
Welcome to Australia's wild west. Kalgoorlie was, and still is, the great frontier town. Gold built it, but Tony discovers the diamonds in the rough that are the people who live here. From the pubs to the public squares, and the ghost towns to the brothels, they play hard, work hard, and live hard .and they'll happily share their stories with anyone who's prepared to listen.
The northern Tasmanian town of Launceston was once a colonial powerhouse, home to explorers, farmers, businessmen and entrepreneurs. Its star may have waned, but Tony's walk proves that if you know where to look you can travel from ancient Aboriginal history through to modern-day people power .and it takes less than a day.
For 160 years, the green, garden city of Christchurch was the antipodean England. Two devastating earthquakes changed that forever, but they haven't destroyed the city's will. Tony visits a town that is looking to the future, but still takes pride in its past.
If you thought Canberra was nothing but pollies and public buildings think again. Tony's walk through the nation's bush capital proves that the city its founding fathers built to rival the great European capitals is chock-a-block with some very surprising hidden history.
Tony swaps his walking shoes for a steering wheel as his biggest walk yet takes him to the beautiful towns and wineries of South Australia's Barossa Valley. In the 160 years since German immigrants came here fleeing religious persecution, this beautiful region has become synonymous with fine wine, and good food. Plenty of cracking good history makes Tony's journey one to savour.
Wellington, the tiny capital city perched at the bottom of the North Island is set to become the Hollywood of the Pacific, thanks to visionary filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson. If he wants some inspiration, Tony can provide him with heart-warming pooches, bloody strike re-enactments, and even an iconic New Zealand dessert.
Tony's itchy feet take him to tropical Townsville. Plenty of war history here, but as usual, it's the hidden history that uncovers the not-so-well known side of a far North Queensland treasure. High-altitude graffiti, the invention of texting! Townsville will surprise you.
Sydney's city within a city has always been home to some of Australia's most important colonial history. But in modern times, the one-time breadbasket of the colony is re-inventing itself as a multi-cultural hub. Walking round Parramatta, seeing the faces on the street and feeling the buzz in the air is enough to convince Tony he's seeing the future of Australia.
Geelong missed out on being Victoria's capital thanks to a quirk of nature, but this beautiful seaside town doesn't lack for unusual history. Horses hiding out, never to be seen again prison escapees, false maps, and a load of old bollards are proof positive that a walk around Geelong is one not to be missed.
Alice Springs is a tiny speck in a vast, red, dry interior but it's a fertile oasis of historical highlights - the centre of an early mass communications trail, a vital transport link in the battle to save Australia from invasion, and a vital link in a chain of nuclear early-warning sites. And that's not all. Tony's last walk finishes at one of Central Australia's most spectacular natural landmarks.
