If the thought of taking a pilgrimage to a place where the oxygen is so pure you need respiratory assistance on entry and the fruit is as sweet as childhood summer memories, then it’s time to turn off the TV and head to the Gold Coast hinterland to experience the delightful location for Spielberg’s latest hit TV series, Terra Nova.

For dozens of years it’s been touted as the green behind the gold and yet the Gold Coast hinterland always sat like a middle child, shaded by the dazzle of Surfers Paradise just 20 minutes drive away. That is until filmmaker extraordinaire Steven Spielberg passed up Hawaii for the hinterland and the lush world of the Scenic Rim beyond.

Terra Nova is a mythical TV series set in a futuristic time when battered Earth is gasping for its last breath and a colony of pilgrims, including the Shannon Family, travel back to pre-historic times for a shot at a second chance of life. As they battle man-eating dinosaurs and other heart-thumping dangers, the family is overwhelmed by their new environment. At Terra Nova, the sunshine appears “way too bright”, there is “too much colour” and there are “big stars in the sky”.

Anyone who has visited the hinterland recently will know this made-for-TV concoction is not so far from reality. (source: media.australia)