LIKE many children in post-war UK, David Bowie had a fascination with Australia. One spectacular icon held a particular intrigue. 
"The first time I saw Ayers Rock was on the cover of a Stravinsky album," he said in 2004. "And I bought that particular one - I was only about 12 - because of the picture on the front and I thought, what a fantastic looking mountain or whatever that is." Bowie kept an apartment in the Kincoppal block in Elizabeth Bay for his regular visits during the 1980s and early 1990s, using it as a base when recording and touring or for holidays to far North Queensland and the outback.
After filming Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence, which included New Zealand locations, Bowie kicked off another musical comeback with the wildly successful Let's Dance album.
The video of the title track was filmed around Sydney and the far north NSW town of Carinda with a strong focus on indigenous themes and the clash of urban and rural lifestyles. He felt strongly about the disenfranchisement of indigenous Australians and the racism he had witnessed. "As much as I love this country," he told Rolling Stone magazine in 1983, "it's probably one of the most racially intolerant in the world, well in line with South Africa."Despite his love of Australia, Bowie only brought four of his world tours here.