Wednesday, 8 December 2010:

Hamilton Island’s chairman, Sandy Oatley comments:
“I am thrilled to welcome Ms. Winfrey, her team and the lucky audience members to Hamilton Island. We are delighted Ms. Winfrey decided to make this her first stop on their Australian itinerary where they will get to enjoy Queensland’s beautiful Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef. We know everyone is as excited as we are to see the final show when it airs next year in January.”

Fast Facts about Elvis, our now famous koala:
Elvis is a toddler at 18months old. He is the youngest Koala in the Hamilton Island Wildlife Park (that’s out of the pouch). Elvis’ mum also lives in the koala enclosure and her name is Gretchen. She has a baby girl in her pouch called Blossom - so, Elvis has a new baby sister!

Koalas only eat eucalyptus leaves and this is also how they obtain their water. We harvest their food on Hamilton Island and have three naturally growing eucalyptus tree varieties - blue gum, iron bark and bloodwood.

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:
Hamilton Island: is located off the Queensland coast within the Whitsunday Islands at the edge of the Great Barrier Reef. Here visitors can experience everything that is great about Australia – natural landscapes, calm turquoise waters, secluded beaches, beautiful weather, fascinating coral reefs, diverse flora and fauna. Hamilton Island also offers a wide range of accommodation options, bars, restaurants, pools and shops, not to mention over 60 activities and all within a short direct flight from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Cairns. There are also great connections from other Australian cities. www.hamiltonisland.com.au

Image library: Hi-res images (including the image above) are available to download free of charge for editorial use. www.hamiltonisland.com.au/imagelibrary