Move over Lara Bingle, here comes the Baz Luhrmann Australian tourism machine!

To bring the country’s tattered advertising strategy back into line, big bad Bazza (not his nickname overseas, only in Australia) has created a series of ads aimed at showcasing Australia as a place to escape to from the hectic pace of modern life.

Two TVCs, one set in New York and one in Shanghai, depict people being harassed in their jobs and in their personal lives, but who are magically transported to some of Australia’s more obscure Outback locations.

Federal Tourism Minister Martin Ferguson, who launched the $40 million campaign, says “this campaign is different, its actually about our visitors, its about whats in it for them that end benefit if you like of an Australian holiday.”

The campaign has received mixed reactions here, but Baz has linked the ads to his soon to be released epic Australia – not a bad idea considering the success Hollywood had had in marketing its feature films. Well… most of them.