''East of Everything'' is an Australian

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...

drama series set in the Northern Rivers region of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , e ...

which screened in 2008-2009 on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television network. It was produced by

Deb Cox Deborah Cox (born 29 January 1958) is an Australian screenwriter and producer for television and film. Cox started working in the television industry as a production assistant for the Crawford Productions television series '' Skyways''. It was ...

(''

SeaChange ''SeaChange'' is an Australian television program that ran from 1998 to 2000 on the ABC and in 2019 on the Nine Network. It was created by Andrew Knight and Deborah Cox and starred Sigrid Thornton, David Wenham, William McInnes, John Howar ...

''), Fiona Eagger (''

CrashBurn ''CrashBurn'' is an Australia, Australian 13-part drama series airing on Network Ten, about surviving long-term relationships in an age where Sexual partner, multiple partners and multiple orgasms are considered a birthright. It starred Catherine ...

'') and Roger Monk (''

The Secret Life of Us ''The Secret Life of Us'' is an Australian television drama series set in the beachside neighbourhood of St Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is primarily a drama with some comedic moments. The series was produced by Southe ...

''). Two seasons were produced. In addition to its principal themes of families, relationships, values and small-town politics, the series pays homage to the relaxed beach lifestyle, adjacent rainforest, "hippy vibe", and potential conflicts with developers associated with its principal setting, a somewhat downmarket version of the tourist town of

Byron Bay Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a head ...

on the northern New South Wales coast.

Synopsis

The story initially revolves around Art Watkins (

Richard Roxburgh Richard Roxburgh (born 23 January 1962) is an Australian actor, writer, producer, and director. He is the recipient of a number of accolades across film, television, and theatre, including three AACTA Awards (including AFI), three Logie Awards, ...

), a globe-trotting travel writer who returns home for his mother's funeral to a neglected resort town, Broken Bay, on the easternmost point of Australia, where he is challenged by a crooked local council, his brother Vance who is trying to cheat him out of his inheritance, his first love who broke his heart when he was a teenager and the son he hasn't seen in ten years. As the series progresses, the life journeys of additional characters are interwoven, including (in season 2) the unexpected return of Gerry (

Nick Tate Nicholas John Tate (born 18 June 1942) is an Australian actor popularly known for his roles as pilot Alan Carter in the 1970s science fiction television series '' Space: 1999'', and James Hamilton in the 1980s Australian soap opera '' Sons an ...

), estranged father of the Watkins brothers (and original constructor of the resort). The fictional town in which the show is set is loosely based on

Byron Bay, New South Wales Byron Bay (Minjungbal language, Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah)'' is a beachside town located in the Northern Rivers, far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia on Bundjalung Country. It is located north of Sydney and so ...

, where the majority of filming took place, with the distinctive character of the region providing a strong supporting element. According to "The Age" writer Debi Enker, the series creators (Cox and Monk) "see their multi-generational ensemble as characters bruised by life, some seeking refuge, most requiring restoration. Reaching Broken Bay, they have come as far as they can and must turn back to face their demons, confront the problems they have endeavoured to escape." Of the two initial principal characters (the Watkins brothers), Cox says, "There's a group of men, children in the 1970s, who were left by their fathers and left wondering how to be men... Divorce became easier in the 70s and there were more family break-ups. Men grew up as small children with the breadwinner around and then became confused when their own fathers took a different path... We were kind of interested in the idea of fatherhood and brothers, and men's relationships to each other." While season 1 is mainly about the initial ensemble characters coming to terms with, and for the most part resolving some of their problems, in season 2 some new characters are introduced and, with many demons disposed of, a somewhat lighter tone is permitted to prevail, although a range of serious themes is still addressed. The name "Broken Bay" was chosen as a combination of the names of

and Broken Head, the next headland down the coast. In addition to Roxburgh and Tate, the series features a number of other well-known Australian actors including Tom Long,

Susie Porter Susie Porter (born 1970 or 1971) is an Australian television, film and theatre actress. She made her debut in the 1996 film '' Idiot Box'', before rising to prominence in films including '' Paradise Road'' (1997), '' Welcome to Woop Woop'' (1997 ...

Gia Carides Gia Carides (born 7 June 1964) is an Australian actress. She portrayed Liz Holt in ''Strictly Ballroom'', Susy Connor in ''Brilliant Lies'', and Cousin Nikki in ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding.'' Early life Carides was born in Sydney, Australia, t ...

and

Steve Bisley Steve Bisley (born 26 December 1951) is an Australian writer, film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in the films ''Mad Max'' and ''The Great Gatsby''. On TV, some of his better-known roles include Detective Sergeant Jack Chr ...

Cast

as Art Watkins *

as Eve Pritchard * Tom Long as Vance Watkins *

as Melanie Freedman *

as Terry Adams * Kathryn Beck as Lizzy Dellora * Valerie Bader as Bev Flick * Craig Stott as Josh Watkins *

Liana Cornell A liana is a long- stemmed, woody vine that is rooted in the soil at ground level and uses trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy in search of direct sunlight. The word ''liana'' does not refer to a t ...

as Rebecca * Imogen Annesley as Suzy Burns * Mouche Phillips as Sandy * Tom Budge as Dale * Damien Garvey as Owen * Errol O'Neill as Len * Glen Shea as Edgar *

Fletcher Humphrys Fletcher Humphrys (born 1 April 1976) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his roles as Brett 'Brick' Buchanon in ''McLeod's Daughters'' and as Alex Kearns in '' All Saints''. Career Humphrys made his acting debut in 1993, appearing in ...

as Jai * Leah Vandenberg as Lara *

Tracy Mann Tracy Mann (born 1957) is an Australian actress and voice artist. After appearing in a number of television series, she won an Australian Film Institute award in 1980 for movie '' Hard Knocks'' . She has also won awards in her home country f ...

as Rosemary de Jong (season 2) *

as Gerry Watkins (season 2) * Craig Hall as Carter Smith (season 2)

Episode list

Season 1

Season 2

Detailed plot summaries for all episodes of both series are availabl
here
an

Production details

Season one had six episodes, with the show airing on Sunday nights at 8.30pm. It premiered on Sunday, 30 March 2008, and the season finale aired on Sunday, 4 May 2008. Season two has seven episodes, with the show airing on Saturday nights at 7.30pm. It premiered on Saturday, 25 July 2009.

joined the cast for the season. In season one, the town of Byron Bay was mostly used as the real-life analogue of the fictional Broken Bay; for season two, additional locations incorporated into the "Broken Bay" streetscape included other towns with a noted "hippy vibe" in the

Northern Rivers Northern Rivers is the most north-easterly region of the Australian state of New South Wales, located between north of the state capital, Sydney, and encompasses the catchments and fertile valleys of the Clarence, Richmond, and Tweed river ...

region of northern New South Wales, notably Nimbin and Mullumbimby. The run-down, fictional ''Far Out East'' resort where much of the action is set was a specially constructed set on the site of the future Byron Beach Resort situated on Belongil Beach, Byron Bay. The inspiration for the "Far Out East" concept was stated to be in part from backpacker accommodation associated with the former Piggery site and music venue in Byron Bay, which still exists under its current (2021) name "the Arts Factory Lodge". The contribution of the soundtrack (featuring many local and generally less well-known artists) to the story and the sense of place is discussed in an article in "Screen Sound" by Liz Giuffre.

DVD and CD releases

Both seasons were released by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on DVD for home viewing, Series 1 in 2008 and Series 2 in 2009, accompanied by various extras on each 2-disc set, while the soundtracks for both series were also available on CD. At the

ARIA Music Awards of 2009 The 23rd Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAs) took place on 26 November 2009 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex. The ceremony was telecast on ...

the soundtrack was nominated for

ARIA Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Cast or Show Album The ARIA Music Award for Best Original Soundtrack / Cast / Show Album is an award presented within the Fine Arts Awards at the annual ARIA Music Awards. The ARIA Awards recognise "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genre ...

.ARIA Award previous winners.

References

External links

Series 1 official website at ABC TV (original no longer accessible; archived version as at 24 July 2008)

Series 2 official website at ABC TV (original no longer accessible; archived version as at 6 February 2015)
* {{IMDb title, 1095324, East of Everything
East of Everything Production Blog (original no longer accessible; archived version as at 6 July 2011)

2000s Australian drama television series Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming Television shows set in New South Wales 2008 Australian television series debuts