Oprah's Australian Adventure: 5 Reasons You Can Afford to Get There Too

Oprah Winfrey and the audience from her season premiere show are Down Under right now beginning their "Oprah's Australian Adventure." As the Big O wraps up her life as a syndicated-TV demi-goddess, Tourism Australia put together the trip of a lifetime for about 300 loyal viewers who were lucky enough to be present when her final season began.

According to a CNN video report, the group, which flew down in two jets, has already hit Sydney's historic The Rocks neighborhood and Taronga Zoo. Rumors about the rest of their secret itinerary have them heading to the Great Barrier Reef, to Byron Bay for surfing, to New South Wales' Hunter Valley for wine tasting, to the eucalyptus forests of the Blue Mountains, to the state of Victoria, and to the top of Sydney's Harbour Bridge with BridgeClimb. On Tuesday, December 14, they arrive back at Bennelong Point, to the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House -- temporarily called the "Oprah House" -- to shoot two episodes.

Sounds rich! Five years ago, it might have been quite a budget coup to save up for a visit like that. But in the past few years, a few new developments have made Australia a lot more affordable than it used to be.