Travel Can Be A Trip Or A Stumble

The Age

Thursday March 23, 2006

Lucy Beaumont

I HAVE no problem with Jennifer Hawkins tripping the light fantastic. The former Miss Universe cuts a fine figure on Dancing with the Stars. Sure, Todd McKenney reckons her core body strength needs work but she seems prepared to pull out all stops in pursuit of the perfect paso doble.

However, Jen in Africa is not something I want to see again. On a recent episode of Channel Seven's The Great Outdoors, the 21-year-old blonde, whose star rose from Newcastle to New York in 2004, showcased the Phinda Private Game Reserve in Maputaland, South Africa.

There's a reason why guests at the reserve's lodge pay more than $3000 a night for the privilege. Because it is a privilege. You have to earn it.

While Jen seems like a nice enough girl, the job of travel reporter calls for more than spokesmodelling. Squealing, "Oh my gawd" and "I'm soooo excited" in the presence of some of the most magnificent creatures on earth does not constitute editorial comment. As a viewer, I can easily see what the place looks like. I'm relying on the reporter to convey what it feels, sounds and smells like - because I might want to go there or just imagine I can.

I don't aspire to Holidays in Places that Don't Exist like British journalist Simon Reeve, who stars in the series on SBS that takes in (usually dangerous and war-torn) countries not officially recognised by the international community. And when Bruce Parry, another Brit, undertook a rite of passage - via a vomit-inducing, subconscious-rocking hallucinogen - with the central African Babongo people in Tribe (which screened on SBS over summer) I thought better him than me. But it was fantastic, perception-shifting television.

I haven't been introduced to world food travellers the Hairy Bikers yet, or their cookbook. But I'm betting I'd rather watch them try long distance spitting in Namibia this week, than join in. Such hosts are different beasts to the shiny faces of travel shows but the latter should still show some guts.

As I watched Jen, wearing a Chapel Street trendy trucker's cap, watching the passing wildlife parade from her jeep seat, I recalled a similar story on Channel Nine's travel show a year or so back. In it, Getaway reporters Ben Dark and David Reyne visited Sabi Sabi reserve.

A video of the story, still on the show's website, brings back the buzz contained in it. With a heart-pumping soundtrack, the presenters are at the centre of the action, on the trail of aggressive rhinos. "Look at him," Dark, obviously thrilled to see a white rhino and fumbling for his camera, whispers to Reyne. "He's fabulous." It's not Shakespeare and in essence he's expressing the same sentiments as Jen did. But the packaging of the story and his genuine manner say more. He's aware he's getting a rare opportunity.

"What do they do before they charge?" he asks the ranger as the rhino pauses, head down and nostrils flaring. "Something just like that," says the guide. "Excellent," says Dark. Reyne is a little more reticent, asking whether it's wise to be abandoning their vehicle to walk into a herd of elephants. That, too, is revealing and entertaining.

Travel reporting isn't rocket science. Those who make a good fist of it include The Great Outdoors' giggly but endearing Shelley Craft, hunk o' spunk Tom Williams (who last week squirmed as stingrays swam around him - he also bluffed his way through Darwinism, noting that Galapagos tortoises can "live for, like, 200 years") and Getaway party boy Jules Lund.

Who could forget Getaway guest reporter Jodhi Meares-Packer, bikini-clad and slipping in and out of pools? As she showcased a Fijian resort she paused to learn about a traditional remedy for the cold she was suffering. Putting some clothes on might have helped.

Larrikins such as Andrew Daddo, Dark and Ernie Dingo can make strong connections with the locals and viewers. But former A Country Practice actor Di Smith has a mumsy style suited to bed and breakfasts, St Patrick's Day celebrations or Tasmania. I don't think I want to see her in Africa either.

For my travel buck, Catriona Rowntree is the most professional, standing at the middle point between pretty face, friendly fellow traveller and knowledgeable guide. Rowntree's round tones seem as at home in a luxury resort as they do cycling around Vietnam. Her sing-song storytelling is as suited to a jaunt in New York as it is to charting East Timor's transition from war zone to cruise ship destination.

With a decade of Getaway in her perfectly packed luggage, Rowntree knows how to stir a travel itch - without squealing.

© 2006 The Age

Back to News Index | Back to Home