“A love letter to our vast and majestic country.” “Authentic in a way you might not expect.” “Viewers will love the camaraderie and confessions.” “ The scenery is undeniably awe-inspiring.”
These are just some of the reviews that have been published on the eve of the premiere on SBS of Great Australian Road Trips this week.
The six-part series follows comedian Nazeem Hussain and food guru Melissa Leong on three epic adventures while actor Claudia Karvan and writer/performer Steph Tisdell embark on another three road trips across different parts of this great southern land.
Screenhub’s reviewer gave it 4 stars (out of five), saying: “What makes this worth watching above and beyond the settings (which to be clear, are definitely eye-catching) and the always interesting communities they encounter is the chemistry between the hosts…[that’s what] makes Great Australian Road Trips more than just six episodes of recognisable faces in pretty settings.”
In its “10 Shows to Watch”, The Daily Telegraph’s reviewer wrote: “Long-time pals Melissa Leong and Nazeem Hussain make for fabulous company in this six-part travel series that celebrates Australia’s natural beauty from the Great Barrier Reef to windswept Tassie.”
The Sun-Herald headlined their feature interview with food guru Melissa Leong and comedian Nazeem Hussain ‘A road trip to savour’, adding: “The pair share an easy camaraderie on the show.”
TV Week selected it as their “What to watch”, describing the six-part series as a “love letter” to Australia that shines “a spotlight on some true hidden-gem spots.”
Titled “How Nazeem Hussain and Melissa Leong turned ‘hot girl walks’ into a TV road trip”, the feature interview in The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age newspapers focussed on the chemistry between Nazeem and Melissa. Says Nazeem: “I would never have normally chosen to go to the places that we went. I’m a tech head. I love all my devices and crowded places with people. Getting out and about in non-built-up Australia was out of my comfort zone, but I now understand why people do road trips. Planes take you over, cars take you through. It’s the best way to see Australia. It’s good for the soul. It’s like therapy, except there are kangaroos and red rocks along the way.”
WHO magazine added: “Not only do viewers get to experience incredible parts of Australia through the eyes of their guides, but they’ll also hear the stories of people they meet along the way.”
“Viewers will love the camaraderie and confessions as they go along for the ride,” wrote Women’s Day magazine while New Idea rated the series in its “Don’t Miss” section.
The series was directed by Jodi Boylan, field produced by Kirrilly Brentnall, post-produced by Daniel Whelan and executive produced by Craig Graham and Dan Goldberg. It was financed by SBS, Screen NSW with support from NT Tourism and Lexus.
Great Australian Road Trips airs weekly from this Thursday (July 31) at 7.30pm on SBS and SBS On Demand. The opening episode features the Red Centre Way from Alice Springs to Kings Canyon.
