Quest under Capricorn

6 episodes · 26th April 1963

First transmitted in 1963, this is the first in a series of six programmes by David Attenborough on the Northern Territory of Australia.

Episodes

Episode 1

Desert Gods

First transmitted in 1963, this is the first in a series of six programmes by David Attenborough on the Northern Territory of Australia. David Attenborough, cameraman Eugene Carr and sound recordist Bob Saunders spent four months in the Northern Territory of Australia. Hoping to capture the essence of this vast territory they meet its people and explore its unique landscape and animals. Their journey starts in the south among the Aborigines of the desert, many of whom have abandoned their nomadic way of live, now living in mission stations and government settlements. But the desert holds an irresistible pull, and groups suddenly vanish to visit sacred water holes and mountains that have been the gods of the aborigines since time immemorial.

Episode 2

Hermits of Borroloola

David Attenborough reaches the middle of the Northern Territory of Australia and visits three people in the otherwise deserted area of Borroloola who have chosen to cut themselves off from the civilised world.

Episode 3

Buffalo, Geese and Men

David Attenborough continues his journey through Australia's Northern Territory. He looks at the hunting of local wildlife such as magpie geese and water buffalo. David Attenborough interviews Yorky Billy, an Australian whose family were originally from Yorkshire. Having lived all his life in the bush, Yorky Billy is an expert on the wild buffalo of the Northern Territory and imparts some useful advice on how to avoid annoying them. Back amongst an Aboriginal community David Attenborough explores burial traditions and witnesses a traditional dance that re-enacts a kangaroo hunt.

Episode 4

The Artists of Arnhem Land

David Attenborough looks at the aboriginal artists of Arnhem Land in Australia's Northern Territory. He discovers why they paint and in doing so, gets some insight into the very origins of art.

Episode 5

Bush Walkabout

David Attenborough ventures into the bush to discover the unique wild animals that inhabit the Northern Territory of Australia. The bush walk reveals a wealth of wildlife including bee eaters, radjah shelduck, rose crested cockatoos, termites, kangaroos, wallabies, possums, an Australian crane and several lizards including the goanna, the thorny devil and the frilled lizard. Attenborough also closely observes the extraordinary behaviour of a bowerbird, which collects a treasury of white objects to display to its mate during courtship.

Episode 6

The First Australians

David Attenborough joins the Gunavidji people on the coast of the Northern Territory to obtain a better understanding of their traditional way of life. He examines the efforts of the Australian government to move Aboriginal communities away from their nomadic tradition by building welfare settlements and training schools. This programme offers a unique insight into a difficult and complex period in Aboriginal history.