Approximately two hundred staff from Harpo Productions and 200 local staff were employed to organize the trip from beginning to end – including the stage that was erected especially for the shows.
[Oprah Winfrey, Talk Show Queen]:
“After being here for a week, this I know for sure, I love Australia!”
Among the visiting celebrities, Academy Award winner Russell Crowe, the family of late conservationist Steve Irwin, rocker Bon Jovi and actor Hugh Jackman all took to the stage. But it was Jackman’s entrance on a flying fox that caught the crowd by surprise – after it ended with a crash, bang and several stitches.
Oprah jumped to Jackman’s assistance to ask if he was OK. The Australian star took it in his stride and reassured everyone that he was fine. Cheers and applause later erupted from the audience making the accident all part of the magic.
Oprah, who was Down Under with 300 of her American audience members, visited some of the country’s top tourist spots.