TV to recreate 1860s Outback life
SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- We've had modern families living in an Edwardian country house in Britain, and in a frontier house in the U.S. -- now its Australia's turn to reset the clock back a century or so in the name of reality television.
Producers are looking for a fresh set of volunteers ready to recreate life on an 1860s sheep station in rural Australia.
Participants will "step into the lives of a 19th century colonist, his family, servants and station workers, running an outback property with up to 2,000 sheep," according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation which is producing the series.
Called Outback House, the show will "reveal the drama" of Australia's past with "absolute historical accuracy," Daryl Karp, ABC TV's Head of Factual Programs, says.
Over three and a half months, starting in late August, those selected will have to cope with lambing, tending and shearing their sheep, growing their food, and living and working together.
Volunteers are being sought to fill the roles of a squatter family, a station manager and his wife, jackaroos, farmhands, maids, governesses, cooks, shearers, gardeners, station hands and boundary riders.
For potential British participants, there is the added bonus of a journey to Australia in a tall ship and the opportunity to help build a dwelling from scratch in an unfamiliar environment.
The series will be filmed at a secret location in a regional New South Wales state.
