10th Birthday Special

In September 1997 'Burke's Backyard' clocked up a major achievement, 10 years on Australian television. The first program went to air on Channel 9 on 12 September, 1987.

Featured in each show are Amazing Facts: pieces of trivia, science and history that relate to segments. Over the past 10 years 'Burke's Backyard' has accumulated a number of amazing facts about the show itself:

'Burke's Backyard' has distributed some two million fact sheets in the past 10 years.

The most requested fact sheet has been the Italian tomato fact sheet, which along with packets of free Italian tomato seeds, was sent out to 100,000 viewers.

There have been 391 breeds of animal roadtested which includes: 198 dogs, 62 cats and 28 birds. As well as traditional pets we have also examined stick insects, rats, mice, ferrets, snakes, frogs, horses, cattle, axolotls, sheep, donkeys, pigs and many more.

Since its inception 'Burke's Backyard' has visited more than 400 celebrity gardens.

As well as in Australia, 'Burke's Backyard' has been shown in Canada, England, Ireland, New Guinea, New Zealand and the United States.

As well as breeding plants such as Grevillea 'Bush Carpet' and 'Jolly Swagman', Don Burke breeds paint horses, native cockroaches, wild budgies, black cockatoos, phasmids, miniature cattle, yabbies, native fish, peacocks, silver spangled hamburgs and araucanas (the last two are chook breeds).

During the 10 years on air Don and his crew have travelled about 1.2 million kilometres by road, air and sea.

Also in 1987

Other events that happened in 1987 were:

• 'Stars and Stripes' won back the America's Cup from Australia.
• Lindy and Michael Chamberlain were pardoned by the Northern Territory government over the disappearance of their baby Azaria.
• Former Liberal Party leader, Sir Billy Snedden, was found dead of a heart attack in the bed of a Sydney hotel.
• Australia's Pat Cash won at Wimbledon.

Copyright 2006 CTC Productions