Engagement Jitters and Wedding Woes: Lisa Millar Navigates New Territory
Television presenter Lisa Millar is still getting used to the sparkle on her finger, confessing a touch of nerves about her newfound engagement. “I’m still so new to having a ring on my finger that I keep worrying that I’m going to lose it on a Back Roads shoot,” she admits over the phone from Western Australia. The reality of her engagement is so fresh that just days ago, she opted to leave her ring at the hotel while surfing, a stark reminder of her “new fiancée” status.
The proposal itself, a complete surprise, occurred on New Year’s Eve. Lisa’s partner, pilot Simon Carless, popped the question while they were watching fireworks from his houseboat at Murray Bridge in South Australia. “It was a total surprise,” Lisa recalls, “I was absolutely blindsided by it. And it’s lovely.”
The outpouring of public affection following the announcement has left both Lisa and Simon “blown away.” Initially, Lisa underestimated the interest. “I actually couldn’t fathom it,” she confesses. “Someone had said something about the reaction and I said, ‘Oh, no one’s going to be interested.’ And I looked on Instagram the other day, and Simon and I had put up a photo to just say thank you to everyone, because we’d already been overwhelmed, and that post alone has now got 20,000-something likes and thousands of comments!” She muses, “I think people are just really happy to see happy people.”
The Wedding Planning Conundrum
While the engagement has brought joy, the prospect of planning a wedding is proving to be a significant challenge. “I don’t know how people plan weddings,” Lisa sighs. Even attempting to organise an engagement party felt overwhelmingly complex. She’s even joked with friends Georgie Tunny and Rob Mills, who are yet to marry, “Now I understand why you two haven’t got married. This is really hard!”
The logistical hurdles are considerable, with Simon’s family based in South Australia, Lisa’s in Queensland, and a large circle of friends scattered across Melbourne and Sydney. This has led to some unconventional brainstorming. “Do we run away and do it overseas and elope?” Lisa wonders aloud. “But we both love a party. So do we have a huge party?”
Seeking inspiration, she reached out to her friend Hamish Macdonald, whose wedding she recently attended and described as “the most gorgeous wedding I’ve been to recently.” Lisa’s plea was direct: “Right, I think I need you to plan my wedding. I want one exactly like yours.”
Lifelong Friendships and Enduring Pacts
One certainty for the wedding day is a memorable speech from Lisa’s close friend and Australian Story host, Leigh Sales. Their connection to Simon dates back to 2007, the same year Lisa met him. “She met Simon in 2007 when I met him,” Lisa reveals. “So she’s just still shaking her head, going, ‘If someone had tapped us on the shoulder and said, ‘Hey, that guy there, in 20 years, is going to be your second husband,’ we would have rolled over laughing.’”
Despite knowing each other since 2007, Lisa and Simon have been a couple for just over two years. Their careers, both demanding and travel-heavy, require careful management to maintain their relationship. They’ve made a pact to never be apart for more than 14 days, a commitment they’ve successfully upheld for the past two years, navigating Simon’s international travel and Lisa’s extensive Back Roads filming schedule.
Exploring New Horizons on Back Roads
Currently, Lisa is immersed in filming the 13th season of the beloved ABC program Back Roads. The 12th season is set to premiere soon, with the opening episode taking viewers to Western Australia’s Shark Bay. A visually stunning shot features Lisa floating in turquoise water, captured by a drone. However, the serene image belies the reality of filming. “I’m just floating, floating, starting to picture all the things that might be swimming beneath me,” she recounts. “I look really peaceful but in fact I was having a little nervous attack – how far out do they want me to go here?”
During her time in Shark Bay, Lisa also tried her hand at stand-up paddleboarding, even taking an unplanned dip. She embraces a philosophy of happily being “mediocre at everything!” Lisa laughs, “I just love giving it a go.” She recently accepted an invitation to surf from an 18-year-old professional surfer featured in an upcoming story. “Yesterday I was with an 18-year-old female pro surfer who we’re featuring in our story and she said to me, ‘Do you want to go and have a surf?’ And I said, ‘Oh God, it’s 18 years since I took lessons at Bondi Beach just because I had a bit of a crush on a young surfie dude.’ She’s like, ‘Come on!’” Though she didn’t manage to stand up, the experience was thoroughly enjoyed.
Lisa, who recently celebrated her 57th birthday, hopes her willingness to try new things can inspire others. “I’m not young, and it’s like, ‘Yeah, whatever. Why not do it?’” she says. “But it is a weird experience, doing it for the first time in front of a camera. If I’m going to screw up here, it’s going to be absolutely recorded – and probably used!”
For Lisa, who grew up in regional Queensland and spent years as an ABC foreign correspondent in Washington and London, Back Roads holds a deep personal significance. “I had such a sentimental attachment to it,” she explains. “Because all the years that I was overseas, I would come home to see my elderly parents and Mum and I would sit down and watch Back Roads together. Mum’s no longer alive and I often think, ‘Oh, if only she could see me hosting Back Roads now, she would be so thrilled!’”
The opportunity to narrate Muster Dogs alongside hosting Back Roads fills Lisa with immense gratitude. “I’m working on shows that bring happiness… and my own engagement brings happiness to people, and that makes me happy,” she reflects. “So it’s just happiness all round!”
