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Going Home: episode guide

The Kimberley

Episode 1
February 01, 2006

Catherine Freeman and Deborah Mailman shed their city skins, and go bush on an epic journey through some of the roughest and most remote parts of Australia. Setting out to explore their country on an overland adventure from Broome to Arnhem Land, the girls come to terms with life in the outback as they play their part in a rollicking bush Olympics on the Dampier Peninsula. Hitting their stride, the girls go mud-crabbing in a mangrove swamp, sign up for a mystery double date in Derby and witness an emotional homecoming forty years overdue in the heart of the Kimberley. "Being in the bush is something I think I've been craving for a long time," says Cathy. "It's doing my soul wonders... I'm having a fantastic time."

Rodeo Country

Episode 2
February 08, 2006

Catherine and Deborah get into the thick of the action at one of Australia's most dangerous sporting events — the Halls Creek Rodeo — as they head deep into cowboy country on their spirited journey to Arnhem Land. Immersing themselves in outback station life, the girls muster steers, hone their bull-riding skills, and feel every bruise as ringers bite the dust in the Halls Creek Rodeo. Adopted by a Kimberley cattle family, Catherine comes face-to-face with a bull that could have taken seconds off her personal best while Deborah connects with the memory of her bronco-riding father. "As a child I grew up with cattle and horses and the rodeo town in Mt Isa," she says. "I felt very much at home in Halls Creek."

Croc Country

Episode 3
February 15, 2006

In the penultimate episode of "Going Bush", Catherine and Deborah confront their fear of man-eating crocs protected by nothing more than human sweat and the smoke of burning eucalyptus leaves as their overland adventure across the top of Australia brings them to the remote croc country of far north Western Australia. The girls test their faith in smoking ceremonies, come face to face with a saltwater monster, go disco crazy in one of Australia's most isolated communities, and have a dandy soiree with a group of retired stockmen who have taken the international world of contemporary art by storm. "It was beautiful to see these guys celebrating their life and celebrating their success as artists," says Deborah. "It was a magical night."

Arnhem Land

Episode 4
February 22, 2006

The fourth and final episode of "Going Bush" is the powerful climax of Catherine and Deborah's four thousand kilometre life-changing journey across the top of Australia. Crossing into Arnhem Land, the biggest Aboriginal reserve in the country, the girls hit the high notes with Indigenous rock band Narbalek, discover an isolated community weaving its way to economic success, and sweat out the dust and grime of weeks on the road in the ultimate bush sauna. In an emotional finale, Catherine and Deborah derive strength from their roots, their friendship and the incredible journey they have been on. "I feel like my life has been enriched," says Catherine at the end of the program. While Deborah draws a renewed vigour from the journey. "It's made me deeply, incredibly proud, to be an Aboriginal woman."