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.
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| 6AM | 6am Thunderbirds 6.55 Go Health |
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| 7AM | 7am Woody Woodpecker 7.30 Space Ghost |
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| 8AM | 8am Sesame Street | 8am Magazine Seven | 8am The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop 8.30 Cartoons |
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| 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 |
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| 2AM | 2am Movie: The Daring Dobermans. 1973 [IMDB] | |||
| 3AM | 3.45 Movie: Wings Of The Hawk. 1953 [IMDB] | |||
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| 5AM | 5.15 The Big Valley (Continues to 6am) |
