LOS Angeles is bracing for a full-on assault by all things Aussie, with INXS, crocodile hunter Steve Irwin and Olivia Newton- Johnleading efforts to lift the nation’s profile in Tinseltown.

There will be snags on the barbie, Wolf Blass wines and a festival of Australia’s finest films in Hollywood, home of movies.

And there’s no telling what Americans will make of an AFL match, with the Kangaroos taking on the Swans as part of the G’Day LA: Australia Week 2006 campaign, to start in January.

The program of events, launched in Sydney yesterday by former South Australian premier John Olsen, now consul-general in Los Angeles, includes a black-tie gala at which Newton-John will be presented with a lifetime achievement award by her old dancing partner John Travolta.

Also on offer are a golf tournament hosted by one-time British Open winner Ian Baker-Finch, a seminar onthebenefits of filming in Australia and briefings ontheAustralia-US free trade agreement.    

Mr Olsen said the campaign followed in the footsteps of others that had resulted in a more than 40per cent increase in traffic to Tourism Australia’s consumer website, and a 21per cent jump in Qantas bookings.

“The US is the most lucrative market in the world,” he said. “To be able to pitch this country in the mass consumer US market is one of the greatest jobs in the world.”

Chairman of Tourism Australia Tim Fischer said he hopedthecampaign would convert desire to travel to Australia intothepurchase of tickets.    

“Australia tops the polls all the time as the country people most want to visit, but unfortunately getting them to buy the tickets is more difficult,” he said.

“G’Day LA is about closing that gap between aspiration and actually coming out to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge climb.”

* Next Friday The Australian publishes a 32-page supplement, Exporting 2005, highlighting Australian-made champions.