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Roger Mirams's second children's program for Pacific Film Productions had a strong element of fantasy: a teenage boy living on a sheep farm in Victoria finds a magic boomerang that, in flight, stops time for everyone but the thrower, allowing him to circumvent the nefarious plans of various villains.
According to Moran, in his Guide to Australian TV Series, this program contained similar elements to Mirams's earlier program: 'the self-contained world of children, a large element of fantasy, several of the same children acting in the lead roles and weekend location shooting (this time at Woodend). However, the series was more conscious in its deployment of universal symbols of Australia, and this undoubtedly helped its overseas marketing'. Don Storey, in his Classic Australian Television, also notes that the program was progressive in its treatment of gender roles, so that the protagonist's cousin Penny 'was portrayed as a resourceful girl making a positive contribution to whatever situations occurred.'
Of the second series, Storey notes that 'there was little relevance to the original series. The new series was produced in colour, and there were significant changes to the cast, characters and setting, with a shift in emphasis from adventure to a more light-hearted show with an element of comedy.'
Notes
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The Magic Boomerang ran to two distinct series, only the first of which is treated in Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series. The second series, which was filmed entirely in colour, had a completely different cast (though some similarity of crew). The program is treated here as one continuous program, with specific details given for both series where possible.
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The second series opening credits were accompanied by a voiceover: 'The Magic Boomerang. The ancient legend of the dreamtime people tells of a magic boomerang. When this strange boomerang flies in the sky, all time will stand still. Whoever has this boomerang has great power.'
