Burke's Backyard
| Company type | Television and radio program |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media, Gardening, Lifestyle |
| Founded | September 12, 1987 |
| Founder | Don Burke |
| Defunct | November 26, 2004 |
| Headquarters | Australia |
Area served | Australia |
Key people | Don Burke (host), Geoff Jansz, Tara Dennis, Rebecca Harris, Scott Cam |
| Products | Television program, Radio program, Magazine |
Burke's Backyard was an Australian lifestyle and gardening program hosted by horticulturist Don Burke, broadcast across both radio and television platforms. The series was shown weekly on the Nine Network from 12 September 1987 until 26 November 2004.
History
Initially, the show began as a weekend morning program on Sydney's AM radio station 2UE before being acquired by the Nine Network in late 1987. For 17 years, Channel 9 aired the series on Friday evenings. The program remains available on radio through 2UE and various syndicated stations during weekends. Additionally, a magazine sharing the show's title was produced by Australian Consolidated Press as a branded extension. Subsequently, Don Burke partnered with Jamie Durie to develop the television series Backyard Blitz.
Cast
Don Burke served as the primary host, supported by a team of presenters. The culinary portion was presented by Geoff Jansz, recognized for his roles on Channel Nine’s What's Cooking and Fresh. Tara Dennis handled the fabrics and interior design segment, while Rebecca Harris oversaw the pet-related content and occasionally contributed to design and fabric topics. For over half the show's duration, Scott Cam acted as the expert in building, gardening, and design alongside Don Burke. Other contributors featured included Ernie Dingo, Peter Harris, Dr. Chris Brown, Nigel Ruck, Jackie French, Elise Pascoe, Rita Hill, Dr. Harry Cooper, Reg Livermore, and Rosemary Stanton.
During the 2007 special episodes, Don Burke primarily collaborated with Scott Cam and Nigel Ruck. Environmental advice was provided by Olympic Gold Medalist Giaan Rooney, while financial insights were delivered by expert Paul Clitheroe.
Theme song
The opening theme for Burke's Backyard is an adapted version of Bullamakanka's cover of "Give Me a Home Among the Gumtrees" (written by Bob Brown and Walter Johnson Jr.). The chorus lyrics are:
<poem> Give me a home among the gum trees, with lots of plum trees A dog or two and a barbecue flowers down the side And veggies by the fence all in Burke's Backyard </poem>
Ratings
Throughout its run, the show consistently achieved strong ratings for the Nine Network, occupying the Friday 7:30–8:30 pm timeslot for 17 years. Nonetheless, its viewership dropped considerably during its final year, resulting in Nine placing the program on hiatus.
When it returned for a spring special in 2007, Burke's Backyard secured the 10th position in weekly ratings, outperforming rival programs on the Seven Network such as Australia's Best Backyards and Hot Property, and emerged as that week’s highest-rated show on Nine Network.
See also
- Better Homes and Gardens
- List of Australian television series
- List of Nine Network programs
- List of longest-running Australian television series
External links
- Articles with short description
- Australian non-fiction television series
- Nine Network original programming
- Australian talk radio programs
- 1980s Australian radio programs
- 1990s Australian radio programs
- 2000s Australian radio programs
- 1987 Australian television series debuts
- 2004 Australian television series endings
- 1990s Australian television series
- Gardening television
- Gardening in Australia