Doing breakfast in Kakadu

Catherine Ralph and her dad Andy Ralph (left and right) serve up a range of Kakadu bush tucker for The TODAY Show presenters Karl Stefanovic and Lisa Wilkinson during a live broadcast from Anbangbang Billabong. 

THE ancient landscapes of Kakadu filled the screens of breakfast TV viewers around Australia on Monday 25 May as The TODAY Show broadcast live from Anbangbang Billabong. 

Dozens of Jabiru locals made the trek in the pre-dawn light to be part of the show with hosts Karl Stefanovic, Richard Wilkins and Lisa Wilkinson. 

Children’s Ground Bininj Gunborrk dancers put on an awesome display of local culture and dance, and Kakadu Park Ranger Fred Hunter cooked up a breakfast of bush tucker, which Jenny Hunter, Catherine Ralph and Andy Ralph presented to the hosts live on air. 

Pre-filmed segments showed Karl and Lisa on the famous Jumping Crocodile Cruise at Adelaide River, as well as aerial helicopter tour shots of Kakadu National Park. Ubirr Rock Art Gallery and Maguk Gorge also be featured during the four-hour broadcast. 

The live show was a huge operation, with 30 crew and equipment trucked into Kakadu. 
The special broadcast, which screened from 5.30 to 9.30am, was part of Tourism NT’s new national Kakadu campaign launched by Chief Minister Adam Giles this month. 

The ‘There’s So Much to Kakadu’ campaign is running around Australia until 7 June to coincide with the start of the Top End dry season. 

The campaign has a dedicated microsite, at www.kakadu.travelnt. com, which shows videos, regional maps, itineraries, and activities. 

Mr Giles said the broadcast would leave The TODAY Show’s 300,000 thousand daily viewers in no doubt that Kakadu was an accessible, must-do holiday destination. 

“The TODAY Show visit will encourage viewers to follow in Karl and Lisa’s footsteps and do Kakadu too,” Mr Giles said.  “Kakadu is Australia's largest national park home to ancient land with aboriginal rock art, spectacular landscapes, waterfalls and exotic wildlife.

“This broadcast will leave The TODAY Show’s 300 000 thousand daily viewers in no doubt that Kakadu is an accessible, must-do holiday destination. We hope the broadcast will help increase interstate visitors to Kakadu and the Top End, providing flow-on benefits to local businesses and operators.”

Executive Producer Mark Calvert said he loved bringing The TODAY Show viewers to the NT.  “It’s such a magical place, and we can’t think of anywhere better to kick off our big week travelling across this great nation,” he said. 

The Kakadu campaign is part of the NT Government’s plan to drive the development of North Australia and build a $2.2 billion visitor economy by 2020.

Behind the scenes during filming of The TODAY Show in Kakadu.