On first glance, the tiny outback town of Kununurra, population 5000, is the last place you'd expect to rub shoulders with some of Australia's hottest movie stars. It's as close to the middle of nowhere as you can get, (3247km north of Perth, 512km west of Katherine, 1518km north-west of Alice Springs), but for a few months last year, during filming of Baz Luhrmann's Australia, that's exactly what happened.

If you've been inspired by Hugh Jackman's rough-hewn stockman, and fancy trying out the outback lifestyle yourself, simply donning an Akubra, a Drizabone and your oldest pair of Wrangler jeans won't quite cut it. Working on an outback farm or station is the real deal — there are no computers, iPhones or Internet here. Well, okay, I'm sure there are some hidden away in the homestead office, the Great Outback is, of course, not Mars but working on the land is a lot harder than Nicole and Hugh make it look.

One of the key events depicted in Baz Luhrmann's epic movie Australia is the Japanese bombing raids on Darwin during World War II. And for a slice of Australia's World War II history, Darwin is probably the best place to head to. However, there are some other spots around the country that have a war story or two to tell as well.

One of the key themes in Baz Luhrmann's Australia is the relationship between man and the land, particularly in terms of how Aboriginal Australians have learned to survive in a harsh climate using what is available to them.

This relationship with the land is usually associated with the Australian Outback, but it applies just as much to areas that have become cities since European settlement. Indeed, one of the best places to learn about the Indigenous way of life is at Western Australia's most visited site: Kings Park in Perth.