It’s fair to say Adam Eckersley and Brooke McClymont get around. As a married couple and country music duo they’ve spent decades moving from venue to venue around Australia for festivals and gigs, then in 2024 they joined The Amazing Race Australia: Celebrity Edition to visit Argentina, South Africa, Namibia and Thailand, eventually coming third in the competition.
Now, the husband and wife team are the latest addition to Travel Guides and they happily admit, once again they’re having the time of their lives.
“I wouldn’t say we’re seasoned travellers but the great part about our job in music is it has taken us to some pretty incredible places and then The Amazing Race was such an amazing experience and now Travel Guides? We pinch ourselves at how lucky we are!” Brooke, 45, tells TV WEEK.
Long-time fans of the adventure travel series that sends ordinary Australians around the globe, the pair said they were stunned when they got the call to join in the fun they’d been watching. As one third of country music band, the McClymonts, Brooke has multiple ARIA Awards and Golden Guitars to her name. But she was still stunned to join the TV WEEK Logie award-winning show.
“We couldn’t believe we got picked to be a part of this season,” Brooke says.
Adam, a musician and former vocalist of blues band Bluezone, echoes the sentiment.
“For the both of us the surprise is the best part, any adventure where you have no idea where you’re going or what you’re about to do is always fun, exciting and nerve-racking but we love how spontaneous Travel Guides is, you really don’t know what you’re doing until the day you go,” Adam, 44, says.
This season, the pair have already joined the other Guides on a trip to Chile and this week head to Africa for a dream balloon safari.
“Both were so different but fabulous all at the same time,” Brooke says.
“We saw all the animals in Africa… the funniest thing that happened in Tanzania was when we were in the safari looking at all the animals we had to literally stop the safari as zebras were crossing the road,” Adam says.
“Brooke yelled out, ‘It’s a zebra crossing!’ and we figured out why it’s called a zebra crossing back in Oz!”
But the pair are still hungry for more.
“We would love to do Ireland one day and Scotland,” Brooke says, “Adam loves castles! But really anywhere where we haven’t been to, we would love. We aren’t fussy!”
It’s all part of the fun of exploring and learning more about the world around them, Adam says.
“What surprised us the most was how different each place was from Australia, down to the food the culture the language the way everyone lives, we saw the good and not so good parts but that cemented how lucky we are to call Australia home”.
And how lucky they are to have each other, he adds.
“We get along so well, when you travel and work with your best friend not many bad things can really happen.”
Especially, when one part of the team is a neat-freak who makes sure everything is packed and ready to go.
“Adam is the neatest one out of the two of us so his bag is always tidy,” Brooke says.
“I need to take a leaf out of his booklet cos I’m hopeless at packing, and every time we travel we are always worried we are going to lose our passports so we are checking for them all the time.”
Which is why no matter where they go and what dreams they fulfil next, one thing won’t change.
“Adam’s in control of the passports,” Brook laughs. “He’s just more organised and then he always is double, triple-checking he still has them.
“I’d lose them for sure!”
Travel Guides airs Monday, 7.30pm on Nine Network and 9Now.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
