You may have seen the new Tourism Queensland ads on TV that feature two faces that should be very familiar, those of Tom Busby and Jeremy Marou.
As the duo Busby Marou, Tom and Jeremy have always been proud representatives of their home state and have recently been made the new faces of Tourism Queensland's latest publicity campaign.
“I'll tell you what, when we were recording [the ads] we didn't realise how big of a deal it was,” Jeremy says.
“Then they did a special on it on Channel Nine and talked about all the Tourism Queensland ads from the '60s all the way through to today – the good ones and the bad ones – and I was watching that thinking it was actually quite a big deal. It's something that is going to be around forever.”
Returning to the iconic slogan 'beautiful one day, perfect the next', the ads see Tom and Jeremy spruiking the abundant, natural beauty of Queensland and its idyllic locations, something Tom and Jeremy have always done when travelling as musicians anyway. “We were campaigners,” Jeremy says.
“We were always talking about how good Queensland is: State Of Origin, Brisbane Broncos – it's everything [Tourism Queensland] were looking for, which is perfect for us because we didn't have to change our ways and we just keep doing what we're doing.
"We carry the mantle with a lot of pride, don't worry about that. We're very lucky to be able to take on this role.”
In true Queensland style, filming for the ads endured the full spectrum of weather the state is known for, from gorgeous blue skies to drought-breaking floods. “Funnily enough, we did the main ad on Keppel Island where we grew up,” Jeremy explains.
“The weather was perfect and then the rest of the time it was pouring down with rain.
“They had that monsoon front in Queensland including out west; for the first time in 15 years Winton was flooding, so we're out west and it's all flooding. We had to work with the weather, which is normal for Queensland.
"It was a different experience, not like doing gigs in front of cameras, but we didn't have to act too much because we're at places we love and doing things we love doing.”
A massive improvement on the ill-fated, Lara Bingle-fronted 'so where the bloody hell are you?' 2006 campaign (never forget!), the latest ads focus on finding your own, perfect day in Queensland.
“My perfect Queensland day, being a Torres Strait Islander, would be sitting out on the water or on an island somewhere, normally in Great Keppel Bay where we have some amazing islands, with a line in the water and a cold Great Northern beer, and either fishing or swimming with the kids,” Jeremy says.
As a Queenslander and a touring musician who has toured extensively, Jeremy says there is still one place here he wants to go that he hasn't been able to discover yet.
“We are actually really lucky enough to get to most places around Queensland and I'm from Torres Strait Islands, so I've been up there a few times... but what I would love to do is explore the Torres Straits all the way through and travel the journey Captain [Luis Vaez de] Torres did when he first navigated through the Strait.”
Busby Marou Tour Dates
Fri 18 May - Memo Music Hall (Melbourne)Sat 19 May - Westernport Hotel (San Remo)
Thu 24 May - The Bridge Hotel (Sydney)
Fri 25 May - Long Jetty Hotel (Central Coast)
Sat 26 May - The Hoey Moey (Coffs Harbour)
Sun 27 May - The Soundlounge (Gold Coast)
Thu 31 May - The Triffid (Brisbane)
Fri 1 Jun - The Brewery @ Imperial Hotel (Sunshine Coast)
Sat 2 Jun - The Spotted Cow (Toowoomba)
