Oprah Winfrey hosts lavish Sydney party
Jonathon Moran and Elle Halliwell
The Sunday Telegraph December 12, 2010
OPRAH Winfrey mania hit Sydney last night when the American TV queen hosted a lavish party for 450 guests, business leaders and politicians at the Botanic Gardens.
Welcome to Sydney Australia !!!!!!!
Winfrey held an official Welcome To Australia party for her 300 travelling American audience members in a harbourside marquee, against a backdrop of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which had been specially lit up with a giant orange-red "O".
Winfrey, dressed in a multi-coloured Camilla Franks kaftan, beige chinos and embellished sandals, said Sydney had exceeded all her expectations.
"Everyone was saying 'Wait till you get to Sydney, wait till you get to Sydney'.
"Today we were coming in on the plane from Melbourne, me and my little mini team, my hairdresser and my assistant and we started singing Helloooo Sydney (to the tune of Hello Dolly)," Winfrey said.
"I will have to say it measures up to everything everybody has ever said; everything Hugh Jackman has said; everything Nicole Kidman has said; everything Keith Urban told me about it. John Travolta went on and on and on.
"I think it is not just breathtaking, but it sort of takes you in a way that you feel instantly that you want to be a part of it: a part of the people, a part of the lifestyle, the scene; it's really fantastic and I really love it.
"I was just at home having a VB and I was like 'Hello?' I will be back without all these cameras. I'll be back and you won't know it."
Speaking about her whirlwind tour of Australia - she visited Hamilton Island, Uluru and Melbourne, spending less than 24 hours in each place - Winfrey said her highlight has been meeting ordinary Australian families.
She popped in to the homes of two fans in Melbourne and a Lebanese family in Earlwood, Sydney, yesterday afternoon.
Winfrey said she had marvelled with her best friend Gayle King about just how "friendly" the Australians are.
"My highlight has been the people actually. As you all know, we've been in different places where people are not very friendly," she said.
"(Here) I feel absolutely embraced by the people, so much so that I said to the Prime Minister: 'Do you have friendly school you go to?' And I really mean that. Gayle and I were talking about it earlier today and she goes: 'But it seems to be genuine friendly'.
"I said: 'It's like everyone went to Disney class,' but it's not false."
As the sun set and the party kicked off, Winfrey posed for photos in front of the Opera House with her entourage. VIP guests included NSW Premier Kristina Keneally, Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson, NSW Tourism Minister Jodi McKay and US Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich.
A fireworks display to rival New Year's Eve lit the sky at 9.15pm, with the Black Eyed Peas' I Gotta Feeling and Temper Trap's Sweet Disposition blaring from the speakers, before singer Guy Sebastian took to the stage to perform five of his hits at the event, which was hosted by Sandra Sully.
Winfrey's speech during the night drew emotional tears from her audience, who were moved by the generosity of their host.
"I always knew I needed to be treated like this," said one audience member, to which Winfrey replied: "You go girl."
Koomurri indigenous dancers welcomed Winfrey on arrival with a smoke ceremony.
Celebrity chefs Justin North and Pete Evans then cooked up a storm using local produce.
The event, styled by MasterChef judge Donna Hay, featured a menu of duck and snow pea pancakes, cutlets of Mirrool Creek suckling lamb, mini-hamburgers, lime and lemongrass prawns and gelato.
Sworn to secrecy, Hay worked on the party for several weeks until last night's unveiling. Her aim was to showcase the best that NSW has to offer, dividing the party into distinct areas - City Glamour, Country Retreat and Coastal Chic.
Outside the marquee, a fake beach was set up, with Bondi lifeguards, sand, deckchairs, towels and striped beach umbrellas. Inside, an Australian country retreat area was decorated with rustic furniture, hay bales and vintage R. M. Williams saddles and stirrups.
"It's very much an event about Welcome To Sydney," Hay told The Sunday Telegraph. "This party has to be amazing. Every detail has to be amazing.
We're showcasing what Sydney and Australia is about; it's beautiful." Although Winfrey didn't have any specific food requirements, Hay said she had studied Winfrey's popular O Magazine for hints.
"The bar is in Oprah green, a lovely sea-foam, fresh apple green," Hay said. With that in mind, a green-apple-and-thyme martini was on offer as guests arrived, to wash down Sydney rock oysters, tuna sashimi, poached bug tails and king prawns.
Local wines included Cockfighter's Ghost Orange Pinot Chardonnay, De Bortoli Hunter Valley Shiraz and Nugan Estate Manuka Grove Riverina Durif, while beer was brought in from Port Macquarie's Little Brewing Company.
And, as the night came to an end, guests walked away with products from R. M. Williams, Byron Bay Cookies and Napoleon Perdis, as well as a Donna Hay cookbook and a Guy Sebastian album.
Earlier in the day, Winfrey, clad in an Akubra hat, was greeted on the tarmac at Sydney Airport and ushered into a waiting car by VIPs.
The American talkshow queen saw Sydney at its best - a perfect 27C summer's day - as she took in the view of Sydney Harbour from the balcony of the InterContinental Sydney, where she is staying.
Even before her arrival in Australia, Tourism Australia estimated her visit would generate more than $17 million.
Tourism operators expect many millions more when Oprah's Australian shows are broadcast to more than 44 million viewers next month.
Ms Keneally said Winfrey's visit to Sydney would be worth millions.
"It's a bloody big honour for us," she said. "The reality is that we spend a lot of money on tourism and advertising, and yet the thing that has been most successful in terms of generating bang for our buck has been this visit."
Today, Winfrey will climb the Harbour Bridge with her 300 guests, before visiting Bondi.
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