Wild Down Under
Series title card from UK broadcast
Also known as	Wild Australasia
Genre	Nature documentary
Narrated by	Matt Day
Composer	Adrian Johnston
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of episodes	6
Production
Executive producers	Neil Nightingale (BBC) Dione Gilmour (ABC)
Running time	50 minutes
Production companies	BBC Natural History Unit Animal Planet ABC
Original release
Network	BBC Two
Release	12 September (2003-9-12) – 17 October 2003 (2003-10-17)
Related
Wild New World Europe: A Natural History

Wild Down Under is aBBCnature documentary series exploring thenatural history of theAustralasian continent, first transmitted in the UK onBBC Two in September 2003. It was broadcast in Australia under the titleWild Australasia in February 2004. In Canada, the show aired as episodes ofThe Nature of Things under theWild Australia title.

Each of the six episodes features a particular environment and, using a combination of aerial photography and traditional wildlife footage, reveals how physical forces and human activity have transformed Australasia from a lush green wilderness into an increasingly dry and harsh continent, troubled by unpredictable weather but still home to a huge array of creatures found nowhere else on Earth..

Wild Down Under was co-produced by theBBC Natural History Unit, theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) andAnimal Planet. The series was produced for the BBC byNeil Nightingale and executive-produced for ABC by Dione Gilmour. The music was composed byAdrian Johnston and performed by theBBC Concert Orchestra. The series was narrated by Australian actorMatt Day.

The series forms part of the Natural History Unit'sContinents strand. It was preceded byWild New World in 2002 and followed byEurope: A Natural History in 2005.

Wild Down Under is one of the most comprehensive surveys of Australasia's natural history ever filmed, with production of the series taking three years.^[1] The aerial photography used extensively in the series was shot by Damon Smith.

As well as mainland Australia, the production team visited other locations across the continent for the fifth episode, "Island Arks", includingNew Guinea,New Caledonia,Lord Howe Island andNew Zealand.

Broadcast dates refer to the original UK transmission.

No.	Title	Original air date
1	"Wild Down Under"	12 September 2003 (2003-9-12)
The first episode provides an overview of Australia's natural history.Tasmania gives a glimpse of Australia's lush forests of the past. A group ofTasmanian devils are filmed squabbling over awallaby carcass. In eastern Australia, buckling formed theAustralian Alps, high enough to attract snowfall.Wombats bulldoze the snow to reach buried grass andplatypus hunt shrimp in the mountain streams. In the ancient tropicalrainforest of theTop End,cassowaries,striped possums andsugar gliders are filmed.Kangaroos andkoalas inhabit the more open eucalypt woodlands, andkookaburras feed their chicks in the nest hole. As Australia dried out, many rivers became intermittent or turned to creeks.Billabongs attract wildlife such as flocks ofcorella parrots, a sign of water to early explorers. They are curious, sociable birds, and are shown playing on branches and investigating the nest holes ofbudgerigars. In north Australia's wet season, the tropical wetlands ofKakadu attract millions ofmagpie geese and other water birds. When the land begins to dry out again,freshwater crocodiles must move to avoid being trapped in shrinking pools. Aerial photography is used to show features of Australia's deserts, such as parallel dunes andUluru. Aplanigale hides from ataipan, the world's deadliest snake, and asand goanna digs out ascorpion. TheGreat Barrier Reef was formed 10,000 years ago as sea levels rose. At certain tides after a full moon, itscorals engage in the planet's greatestsynchronised spawning event.[2]
2	"Desert Heart"	19 September 2003 (2003-9-19)
The second episode examines thedeserts of Australia's interior. These harsh environments make up two-thirds of the land area. Vast areas support nothing but toughspinifex grass, indigestible to most herbivores. Instead,termites are the grazers of these grasslands. Inside the termite mound, a whole ecosystem flourishes;centipedes eat the termites andknob-tailed geckos prey on both.Lizards are one of the most successful animals in Australia's deserts, and athorny devil is shown waiting alongside a pathway of ants. Mammals here arenocturnal, staying underground during the heat of the day. Those featured includebilbies andmalas. Waterholes attract huge numbers of birds, andzebra finches are shown being preyed on by afalcon. Nearby,black-footed rock wallabies hop around on the precipitous rock faces. TheFinke River is an important water source in central Australia andred-tailed black cockatoos gather here in large flocks to breed.Camels were originally brought over for transport, but now half a million roam the desert.Meat ants and aggressivebulldog ants are shown hunting and scavenging on the desert floor. TheSimpson Desert has the largest expanse of parallelsand dunes in the world, butred kangaroos survive even here. Once thought to be an inland sea,Lake Eyre is normally an inhospitablesalt pan. Every 30 years or so, exceptional rains charge rivers which flow inland, filling the lake. The waters trigger a rush to breed, attracting birds such aspelicans in their thousands.[3]
3	"Southern Seas"	26 September 2003 (2003-9-26)
The third instalment features the wildlife of Australasia's seas and coasts. OnWestern Australia's desert coastline, seas are lifeless apart from a few fertile pockets.Whale sharks feed close to shore atNingaloo Reef. AtShark Bay, sharks anddogtooth tuna pin asardine shoal to the shore, filmed from the air and underwater. A pair ofBryde's whales joins the feeding frenzy. Shallow, sandy bays are ideal conditions forseagrass, browsed bydugongs. In north Australia,monsoon rains flush rich sediment into the ocean. At low tide,golden ghost crabs andmudskippers emerge to feed on the exposed worms, snails and shellfish. TheLeeuwin Current brings warm water to the south coast.Australian sea lions andsouthern right whales raise their young in the impoverished waters of theGreat Australian Bight, whilegiant cuttlefish gather in the breeding season. The coldSouthern Ocean skirts Australia's remote south west tip, where the seas are home to giantkelp forests and strange creatures. Theleafy sea dragon is camouflaged as seaweed, while thehandfish uses its fins to walk across the seabed. At night, femalelobsters climb to high points on the reef to release their brood of larvae. InNew Zealand's cold and nutrient-rich waters,gannets are filmed plunge-diving into a sardine shoal, which also attractscommon dolphins.Hector's dolphins stay close to shore to avoid sharks.Snares Islands penguins must negotiate a steep granite rockface and patrollingHooker's sealions to reach their nest burrows.[4]
4	"Gum Tree Country"	3 October 2003 (2003-10-03)
Australia'seucalypt forests are the subject of the fourth programme. In the tropical north, malefrilled lizards fight over territory, but retreat to the trees as akite passes overhead.Gang-gang cockatoos stay above the snowline of the southern mountains to feed on the seed capsules ofsnow gums. On the misty lower slopes, better soils enable themountain ash to reach 100 metres, the tallesthardwood in the world. Animals of these forests includesuperb lyrebirds,Leadbeater's possums andmountain brushtail possums. Some gum trees survive in the arid conditions of the interior; theghost gum even clings to rocky gorges. The eucalypts provide essential resources for wildlife. Their flowers attract nectar feeders such aslorikeets,honeyeaters andflying foxes, which also act as pollinators. The koala has a special digestive system which enables it to stomach the toxic leaves.Yellow-bellied gliders are shown licking sap and sailing between trees, while termites attack the trees themselves. Gum trees are highly flammable and are adapted to cope withbushfires: fresh shoots grow from buds protected by the insulating bark within weeks of a blaze.Regent parrots nest deep inside theriver red gums along theMurray River to avoid predatorylace monitors. The boughs can drop without warning, and those that fall into the river provide shelter forMurray cod. The final scenes show red kangaroos bounding through a flooded forest – without periodic floods, the trees would not survive.[5]
5	"Island Arks"	10 October 2003 (2003-10-10)
The episode begins at Kakadu, a seasonalwetland and representative of the swamps that once stretched from north Australia toNew Guinea. The lush tropical forests of New Guinea are home to creatures such aslong-beaked echidnas,tree kangaroos and 38 kinds ofbird of paradise, as well as richly varied human cultures. MaleRaggiana birds of paradise are filmed displaying at alek and mating. Further east, the submerged tips of extinctvolcanoes support colourful reefs.Pygmy seahorses andrazorfish usecamouflage to avoid detection.Saltwater crocodiles can swim great distances, enabling them to colonise remote volcanic islands. No terrestrial mammals have made it this far, butfruit-eating bats such as the tube-nosed species feast on figs. OnLord Howe Island, the aerial displays of maletropicbirds are filmed, and adultsooty terns regurgitate meals for their chicks.New Caledonia is a remnant of the Australian land mass which broke away 80 million years ago. It has many unique species, especially lizards: thegiant gecko is the largest of its kind. New Zealand lies on the edge of the continental land mass, and marine life drawn to its nutrient-rich seas includesperm whales and acrobaticdusky dolphins. On land,keas have colonised theSouthern Alps and in the forests,kiwis andwētā occupy ecological niches normally associated with mammals. Introduced species have decimated the native fauna, but many species survive on offshore islands. Thekākāpō,tūī,kaka,Fiordland penguin andsooty shearwater are all shown.[6]
6	"New Worlds"	17 October 2003 (2003-10-17)
The final instalment, which explores man's impact on Australia's wildlife. The arrival of Europeans brought huge changes. Some creatures have benefited – golf courses provide perfect browse for kangaroos and a landfill site is an important feeding ground foribises – but many have suffered. Early homesick colonisers tried to model the landscape on the English countryside, bringing with them animals which have since wreaked havoc. Millions of wild pigs now roam, destroying vegetation, damaging waterholes and eating birds' eggs.Rabbits, camels andcane toads were also introduced and are out of control.European honeybees are supplanting native bees in the competition for nectar, andfoxes prey on smallmarsupials. 54 nativefrogs, birds and mammals, including theTasmanian tiger, have become extinct. Some which were presumed extinct have since beenrediscovered, including Australia's rarest mammal,Gilbert's potoroo. Scientists are still searching for thenight parrot after a single dead specimen was reported in 1990, but thegreat desert skink, familiar toAborigines, is more widespread than previously thought. OnBarrow Island, rare fauna includinggolden bandicoots andburrowing bettongs live amongst the oil wells, and aperentie drinks from a dripping air-conditioning unit. On Tasmania, devils andtiger quolls are filmed scavenging food in a sheep farmer's shed. Modern cities can also be a refuge for wildlife. 30,000grey-headed flying foxes roost inMelbourne's botanical gardens and feed on orchard fruit nearby, while paying tourists feed wildrainbow lorikeets in aBrisbane park.[7]

A DVD and book were released to accompany the TV series:

• ARegion 2 and 4, 2-disc DVD set (BBCDVD1321) featuring all six full-length episodes was released on 27 October 2003. The bonus features on the DVD include an edition ofWildlife on One (Possums – Tales of the Unexpected), a fact file and the featuretteWild – Penguin Paradise. A Region 4 DVD with the same content was released under the titleWild Australasia in 2004.
• The accompanying hardcover book,Wild Down Under by Neil Nightingale, Mary Summerill, Hugh Pearson and Jeni Cleversy, was published by BBC Books on 18 September 2003 (ISBN 0-563-48822-0). The foreword is written byTim Flannery. In Australia the book was released under the titleWild Australasia.

• Wild Down Under atBBC Online
• Wild Down Under atBBC Online
• Wild Down Under atIMDb
• Wild Australasia atABC Online

• BBC television documentaries
• Documentary films about nature
• 2003 British television series debuts
• 2003 British television series endings

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