Brooke Blurton is an individual with many strings to her bow. The country fell in love with Blurton when she first appeared on our screens as a contestant on The Bachelor Australia, launching a media career that has spanned television, podcasting, and the release of a memoir, alongside her role as a youth worker, and passion for sport.
Blurton has been a trailblazer in the industry, using her various platforms to champion mental health awareness, Indigenous rights, and LGBTQ+ representation.
Now, Blurton is stepping into the role of presenter as part of the new season of acclaimed travel series Going Places with Ernie Dingo. Alongside beloved presenter Dingo, award-winning broadcaster Rae Johnston, and actor Mark Coles-Smith, Blurton sets out on a very special journey to discover the people and places of her own backyard.
“It’s honestly a bit of a dream,” Blurton told SBS.
“Uncle Ernie has been such an inspiration for me in terms of what he's done for community and so, when I got asked to be a part of it, obviously it was a definite yes.”
A new format in the seventh season of the series follows each of the hosts, alongside Dingo, as they spend an entire episode exploring one region in depth. As a proud Noongar-Yamatji woman, Blurton says the chance to experience the locations in the series alongside Dingo was professionally and personally rewarding.
“When we did get together, we are just like two peas in a pod,” Blurton explains.
“I had so many beautiful moments with Uncle Ernie that I feel have had a huge impact on my life, because I don’t have much family alive, and I really do look up to people like him that inspire me.
“He's the one who has opened these doors for us, especially myself, Ray, Mark, and set an example. Now, we’re following in his footsteps.”
We're all just wanting to meet new people, have new experiences and experience joy.
Whilst the series takes viewers on an immersive and visually spectacular journey across some of Australia’s most unique landscapes, it is also an opportunity to meet those who call these places home. On her visit to the town of Tom Price in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, Blurton met artist Jenna Pickering and discovered that it is often the individuals within the place that make it what it is.
"Jenna and I got together and it was like two friends meeting up for a coffee,” Blurton recalls.
“She is just such a talented artist, and it was nice to remember that, at the end of the day, we're all human, and this is an awesome opportunity that we're in to tell the stories of the people we meet.”
It was also a chance for Blurton, who was raised in Western Australia, to revisit her own childhood memories and see the places she had visited as a child in a new light.
“I love being from WA and every time I get the chance to talk about Western Australia, I just get this little giddiness,” Blurton said.
“I had travelled through Tom Price when I was younger quite a bit, and my family and I would do occasional road trips up to Karratha, so when I was there with Jenna, I just had this flood of nostalgia.
“The smells, and the food, and the feeling that you have, it’s like, ‘Oh, I remember these streets.’”
Another of Blurton’s episodes sees her travel to the Red Centre and train alongside one of Australia’s most successful First Nations marathon runners, Charlie Maher. It’s an experience that stands out for Blurton as one of the most memorable moments from the series.
“(Charlie and I) obviously connected around that athlete sort of mentality,” she explains.
“I played footy for so many years and had to turn to running because my career doesn't allow me to have the time commitment to play. I looked at him for inspiration, and his story just really resonated with me and reminded me that people's struggle is what they make of it.
"I've been through some adversity over the years, and I've made a life for myself, but I'm always in the position of telling my story, so it was nice to be on the other side, hearing Charlie’s story and what he's trying to achieve in the world. It just really, really reminded me of how amazing people are.”
Blurton says she aspired to bring a new perspective to Going Places, offering younger viewers a relatable lens through which to experience the beauty and diversity of Australia.
"My goal was really to bring a younger generation and voice to the show, but also for previous viewers and audiences to understand that young people can also tell stories,” she said.
“My Dad says to me all the time that we're all students in life. As First Nations people, obviously, we've been telling stories culturally for such a long time. It’s ingrained in us, but we're also all still students, and we're all just wanting to meet new people, have new experiences and experience joy.”
Stepping into the role of presenter, particularly as part of a series that's focused on country and connection, has been an important moment for Blurton in her career.
“It all feels very full circle for me. Being part of the show just reminds me how far I've come in myself, how much growth I've done as a person, and also how much courage and bravery I've been able to show over the years to do the things that I do.”
As for what she will take away from her time presenting alongside Dingo, Blurton says it is his mentorship, both as a broadcasting icon and a pioneer in sharing First Nations culture through film and television, that has proved truly invaluable.
“I think for me, the biggest thing that I'll take away from him in terms of inspiration is that he has a way of connecting with people that you just can't really define.
“He's the most connected man, and I would love it if I could just transfer his brain into mine and understand what it’s like to know so many people and have those connections.”
Going Places with Ernie Dingo premieres on SBS and SBS On Demand on Friday February 20 at 7:30pm and on NITV on Thursday February 26 at 7:30pm.
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Going Places with Ernie Dingo
