So Where the Bloody Hell Are You?

Australia has a new ad campaign to entice you come out for a visit. According to a recent survey, only 6% of Americans surveyed who expressed affection for Australia intend to visit in the immediate future. Which leaves Australians to ask, “So where the bloody hell are you?”

“Authenticity is the key to the campaign,” said Ian Macfarlane, marketing director for Tourism Australia. Although other tag lines, such as “Where are you, mate?,” were tested, this cheeky line was chosen as most illustrating a “warm, authentic invitation from down under,” according to AdAge.com.

If you’d like to see the commercial, visit www.wherethebloodyhellareyou.com. It’s kind of cute. It shows a series of Australians preparing for your visit, including a fellow who says, “We’ve bought you a beer,” a lady who says, “We’ve shampooed the camels,” and a golfer who adds that the ‘roos have been taken off the greens. The best part is when the Aboriginal dancers say, “We’ve been rehearsing for over 40,000 years.” Check it out.

Australia is a major player in the world of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Not only does it have a healthy fan base of its own, with several talented writers and quality genre publications, but plenty of genre film and TV has been shot there, as well. Here’s a short list:

• Mad Max (1979)
• The Road Warrior (1981) (US title)
• Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
• Fortress (1993)
• Dark City (1998 )
• The Matrix (1999)
• Farscape (1999-2003)
• Red Planet (2000)
• Pitch Black (2000)
• The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
• The Matrix Revolutions (2003)