ABC debuts its big-budget period drama The Timeless Land. The eight-part series, said to cost $1 million — a substantial sum in 1980 — claimed to take a “realistic and earthy look at the early convict days of our country”, from 1788 to 1810. The series starred Michael Craig, Angela Punch-McGregor, Nicola Pagett, Patrick Dickson, Peter Cousens, Chris Haywood, Ray Barrett, Peter Collingwood, Vince Gil and Robin Stewart.

Source: TV Week, 30 August 1980. Sydney Morning Herald, 4 September 1980.

	ABN2	ATN7	TCN9	TEN10
6AM			6am Thunderbirds 6.55 Go Health
7AM			7am Woody Woodpecker 7.30 Space Ghost
8AM	8am Sesame Street	8am Magazine Seven	8am The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop 8.30 Cartoons
9AM	9am Close 9.10 For Schools: The Magic Bag 9.30 Play School	9am The Munsters (B&W) 9.30 Mister Ed (B&W)	9am Here’s Humphrey	9am With Joyful Praise 9.05 Battle Of The Planets 9.30 Rainbow
10AM	10am For Schools: Flip Slide Turn, Zlateh The Goat, Science About, Living Machines, Industrial Arts, Self-Incorporated	10am Romper Room	10am The Ed Allen Show 10.30 Another World	10am Fat Cat And Friends 10.30 The Bernard King Show 10.55 Skywatch
11AM		11am Eleven AM. Steve Liebmann	11.55 News	11am Good Morning Sydney
12PM		12pm Movie: Attila. 1958 [IMDB]	12pm The Mike Walsh Show	12pm Movie: Sweet November. 1965 [IMDB]
1PM	1pm ABC News 1.10 Weather 1.11 Wild, Wild World Of Animals 1.30 Movie: I’ll Get By. 1950 [IMDB]	1.45 Movie: The Yellow Cab Man. 1950 (B&W) [IMDB]	1.30 Days Of Our Lives
2PM	2.50 The Beachcombers		2.30 The Young And The Restless 2.55 News	2pm Movie: The Happy Thieves. 1962 (B&W) [IMDB]
3PM	3.10 Arthur! And The Square Knights Of The Round Table 3.35 Gentle Ben	3pm Space 1999	3pm General Hospital 3.30 Search For Tomorrow	3.30 Alice
4PM	4pm Alexander’s Afternoon. Includes Play School, Sesame Street	4pm Shirl’s Neighbourhood 4.30 The Tomorrow People	4pm Special: Ballet Shoes 4.30 Skippy The Bush Kangaroo	4pm Simon Townsend’s Wonder World 4.30 My Friend Flicka
5PM	5pm Horses Galore 5.30 Tom’s Midnight Garden	5pm The Road Runner Show 5.30 Get Smart	5pm Here’s Lucy 5.30 Family Feud. Daryl Somers	5pm Gilligan’s Island 5.30 Hogan’s Heroes
6PM	6pm Laff-A-Bits 6.05 The Ghost And Mrs Muir 6.30 Doctor Who	6pm Seven Sydney News. Steve Liebmann 6.30 Seven National News. Roger Climpson	6pm The Young Doctors 6.30 National Nine News. Brian Henderson	6pm Eyewitness News. Katrina Lee, John Bailey, John Cootes, David Ellyard
7PM	7pm ABC News 7.30 The Timeless Land PREMIERE (see advertisement below)	7pm Willesee At Seven 7.30 The World Around Us	7pm Sale Of The Century. Tony Barber, Victoria Nicolls 7.30 The Sullivans	7pm Animal World 7.30 The Dukes Of Hazzard
8PM		8.30 Cop Shop	8.30 Kaz	8.30 Movie: Dr Max. 1974 [IMDB]
9PM	9.15 ABC News, Weather 9.25 Nationwide. Clive Hale, Richard Carleton 9.55 Wilderness	9.30 Skyways	9.30 The Don Lane Show. Don Lane, Bert Newton.
10PM	10.30 New Scotland Yard	10.30 Newsnight		10.30 The John Singleton Show
11PM	11.20 Close	11.15 Movie: George White’s Scandals. 1945 (B&W) [IMDB]	11pm Gunsmoke
12AM			12am Movie: The Shepherd Of The Hills. 1941 [IMDB]	12am Number 96 (Rpt)
1AM		1.05am Close		1am Building A People 1.05 Close
2AM			2am Movie: The Daring Dobermans. 1973 [IMDB]
3AM			3.45 Movie: Wings Of The Hawk. 1953 [IMDB]
4AM
5AM			5.15 The Big Valley (Continues to 6am)