Rotten Tomatoes has scored some new on-set pics of Nicole Kidman filming on location for Baz Luhrmann's long-overdue new feature, "Australia."

Set prior to World War II, "Australia" centres on an English aristocrat, Lady Sarah Ashley (Kidman), who finds herself unexpectedly fighting to save a cattle station the size of Belgium. When local cattle barons plot to take her land, she reluctantly joins forces with a rough-hewn cattle drover (Hugh Jackman) to drive 1500 head of cattle across northern Australia’s breathtaking landscape. Love ensues, but they must still face the bombing of Darwin by the Japanese forces that had attacked Pearl Harbor only months earlier.

Click here to see the pics. They show Kidman and Luhrmann on location in Darwin's waters, with the actress dressed in period finery for a boat ride. We've absolutely no idea exactly what happens in the scene, but if we had to speculate from the pics alone we'd suggest that mid-ride a giant-shark rises out of the water consuming the boat and forcing Kidman to bear arms to defeat the mighty beast, no doubt spitting out a witty one-liner as her machine gun smokes gently following the battle. Fortunately Baz Luhrmann is far cleverer than us and we're sure whatever he's come up with is more interesting.



At a press conference in Darwin on Monday, Luhrmann said shooting on location was important, and he hopes that it'll increase tourism to the region. "If a film moves people, the want to see where it was shot. In New Zealand, the popularity of the 'Lord of the Rings' has resulted in a huge rise in New Zealand tourism in the past 6 years. The film has to deliver, but if that happens, everyone benefits."

And locations probably don't get much more picturesque than Darwin. A four-hour hop from Singapore, the city is set on a peninsula with sea on three sides with natural attractions including three national parks, the Tiwi Islands and Arnhem Land. So start planning your holidays...



You can see our full gallery of Australia location shoot pics here, and be sure to visit Australia's Outback to learn more about Darwin.