Remember when Australian Survivor was all about crystal clear beaches and finding papayas in the trees? Those days are long-gone, my friends!
For the second season in a row, Australian Survivor has been filmed in our Queensland backyard, but unlike last season’s Cloncurry location, production has switched things up once again.
For Blood Vs. Water this season, the castaways have landed at Charter Towers, about eight hours east of Clonclurry.
The news of the Charter Towers location broke back in August of 2021, when town locals posted on social media that the whole town’s accommodation had been suddenly booked out.
Farm Weekly reported at the time: “Coopers and Friends Outback Adventure 2021 posted from the Pentland Hotel that ‘for some bizarre reason every single accommodation in Charters Towers was full so we ended up in the middle of freaking nowhere staying at this awesome little country pub’.
The news was then confirmed in October, so, let’s discuss!
Where is Charter Towers?
Charter Towers is in North Queensland, and has an estimated population of 11,731, as of the 2020 census.
It’s about 480km south of Cairns, 1,300km north of Brisbane, and it’s about a 90-minute drive from Townsville.
What’s the climate like?
This is what’s really important for the game, right? When such a huge part of Australian Survivor is literally just the parts in between challenges, where you have to live through brutal conditions with no bed, no blankets, it’s important we know what the contestants were up against.
Luckily, we got a chance to chat with two-time Survivor winner, Queen Sandra Diaz-Twine about what it was like, and she didn’t hold back!
Calling it “by far the most brutal” season she’s ever played, Sandra said that “the heat over there was so intense”.
READ: “Russell’s Gonna HATE IT!” Sandra Diaz-Twine on ‘Survivor’ and Her “One True Enemy”
“I could feel my arms burning, I could feel like, a sizzling of my skin,” she explained. Ouch!
Not only were the days scorching hot, but the nights were freezing cold, as well. Sandra described them as “the most brutal, cold nights” she’d ever experienced. And she lives in the Northern Hemisphere! Where it snows!
“You don’t have blankets, you don’t have all those layers that you need when you’re going out into the cold weather,” she said. “The ground just takes the heat right out. My nose would feel so cold, my feet would be so cold, and I would sleep with my two pairs of socks on, my shoes stayed on my feet, and I would still wake up just shivering.
“It was just so intense. I think the weather, the extreme environment there was even worse than the challenges, and the challenges were no joke.”
What’s Charter Towers like?
A regional town, Charter Towers boasts “amazingly rich and significant history and heritage” with all the modern comforts and services any tourists may want.
They have museums and galleries, guided tours, theatre and even ghost tours!
For the sporty spices out there, they also offer canoeing, kayaking and 4-wheel-drive trails.
The traditional owners of the land are the Gudjal people (pronounced Goodjal).
How does Charter Towers feel about Australian Survivor?
They’re excited about it! In fact, they’d been planning a big premiere screening at their local drive-in, but they’ve had to cancel due to Covid concerns.
Still, Mayor Frank Beveridge announced that he is “urging” the local community to tune in tonight and support the show.
“This series will showcase our unique natural landscapes, nationally and globally, so it will be particularly special to residents in our Region,” he said.
“Everyone in our community has made this production experience a positive one. We expect the benefits of this production will be felt for a very long time.”
Australian Survivor airs at 7.30pm, Monday-Wednesday, only on 10 and 10 Play on Demand.
Want more Australian Survivor? Read all of our stories here.
This article originally appeared on POPSUGAR Australia.