Great Australian Railway Journeys: Kuranda to Townsville
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm, Monday, May 11 on U&Yesterday (27)
Add to Favourites
About this Broadcast
Kuranda to Townsville
Season 1, Episode 5
Michael Portillo travels by rail through Queensland, marvelling at the engineering expertise of a railway line built in the 1890s. He visits a plantation where he learns how to harvest sugar cane, finds out how the townsfolk of Innisfail withstand the tropical storms that strike the region and ventures into the hinterland, where he braves a crocodile safari. At Mungalla Cattle Station, he hears how aboriginal people faced brutality at the hands of 19th-century settlers and after a singalong, he makes tracks for his end destination of Townsville - the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef
HD
subtitles
16x9
Leisure Hobbies
Tourism/Travel
More Information
Did You Know..
Michael Portillo
(Presenter)
Born:
May 26, 1953
in
Bushey, Hertfordshire
Best Known For:
Losing his parliamentary seat in 1997.
Early-life:
Michael Denzil Xavier Portillo was born in north London on May 26, 1953. He is the son of Luis (an exiled Spanish republican) and Scotland-born teacher Cora. As a child he wanted to become an actor, and appeared in a TV advert for Ribena. After attending Harrow County School for Boys, Michael went on to graduate from Cambridge with a first class degree in history and worked at a shipping company for a year. In 1976, he moved to the Conservative Research Department, where he spent three years. He worked for various government ministers until 1983.
Career:
Portillo entered the House of Commons in 1984 as the MP for Enfield Southgate following the murder of the previous incumbent, Sir Anthony Berry, in the IRA bombing of Brighton's Grand Hotel. He was a minister for 11 years and held three positions in the Cabinet, including Secretary of State for Defence. In 1997, he was one of many Tory MPs who lost their seats at the general election that saw Labour sweep to power. He returned to the Commons between 2000 and 2005, becoming Shadow Chancellor. However, his decision to leave politics led to a new career as a political pundit and a TV presenter, fronting documentaries on subjects as diverse as the death penalty, the railways and composer Wagner.
Quote:
On losing his Enfield seat in 1997: 'Well it was certainly a great opportunity to return to normal life.'
Trivia:
Portillo has been married to Carolyn Eadie since 1982.
Alison Kreps
(Series editor)
Ben Rowland
(Director)
