Catriona Rowntree is ‘Australia’s Most Travelled Woman’ after leading Australia’s favourite and longest-running travel and lifestyle program, Getaway, for more than 27 years triumphantly also becoming one of the longest-running presenters for a single program.
Making a start in community radio, Catriona put news to air and hosted an interview show on FM 915 (Rhythm and Jazz) and eventually landed a gig Triple J’s Weekend Request Show.
With a few years of television experience also behind her, Catriona was then offered her prize spot on Getaway where she has spent her life discovering and sharing the world’s most relaxing, inspiring and out-of-the ordinary holiday destinations.
Catriona has lent her grace and entertaining humour to many other TV programs and events including Australia’s Funniest Home Videos and the TV Week Logie Awards and has recently become a host on Country House Hunters. A lover of a good holiday read, Catriona is not just book obsessed but an author herself. In 2006, Catriona celebrated her 10 years on Getaway by publishing her first book Catriona’s Australia: 100 of ‘My Favourite Aussie Locations’. Her second book, A Grandmother’s Wisdom, was released in 2013 and in 2019 she was proud to launch ‘The Best of World Cruising’.
A self-confessed chatterbox, Catriona has dazzled audiences of all sizes as an MC and guest speaker with clients such as Mitre 10, Clarins. A passionate advocate for many charities and foundations, Catriona has also used her powerful and uplifting voice to support many organisations including The Arnott’s Foundation, Mission Australia and the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation.
In 2008, Catriona swapped her Jimmy Choos for R.M. Williams and married Victorian farmer, James Petit. Based in rural Victoria, they live with their two boys, Andrew and Charles, in an historic bluestone homestead atop a sheep station. Sourcing inspiration from her lifestyle, Catriona works with iconic clothing labels, Iris & Wool and Blue Illusion, using her expertise to collaborate on designer wool clothing ranges.
As if she was not already experienced enough, Catriona is also studying French with Alliance Francais and has recently become a fully licensed Pilot!
Talking Points
Success is Positively Attractive
Success is Positively Attractive
Host and Compere
Host and Compere
Video
Catriona Rowntree hosts the Saxton Ultimate Event Experience AIME 2010
In March 2010, Saxton Speakers Bureau presented the Saxton Ultimate Event Experience at AIME 2010. Catriona Rowntree hosted the event, designed to inspire, inform, entertain delegates at AIME. The program also included female accapella group Vocal Folds 4, amusing business speaker John Lees, psyhcologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, entrepreneur Matthew Michalewicz, piano prodigy Tian Tian Lan, speed painter Brad Blaze, human lie detector Stephen Van Aperan and concluded with Human Rhythms.Catriona was great in getting into the audience and making the night her own. ... keep reading JR Events
Catriona was amazing! She is such a beautiful speaker - so much life and spontaneity. She mingled so beautifully with our guests and everyone was just mesmerised by her.
Catriona was a sensation and perfectly prepared and dressed for the 70's theme of this year's 10th Annual ALIA - Australian Liquor Industry Awards. There were close to 800 people in attendance and the attendees were very loud and in a celebratory mood, to say the least. Catriona handled them very well as it would have been a difficult room to work. They really loved her and here at NPG she is very much our favourite. 100% entertaining, 100% professional and 100% gorgeous. We couldn't recommend her more.
Catriona was a sensation as an MC. She brought the HM awards alive and embraced the event and the audience with such enthusiasm and fresh vitality. A truly professional and motivating performance - but then I expected nothing less from her! We would welcome an encore performance from Catriona next year.
Ms Catriona Rowntree was sensational. Our audience loved her; they said she was the BEST MC they have ever had. She was easy to work with, a total professional, flexible and interested in the evening. Everyone had a great time and she made our lives very pleasurable.
Holding the National Travel Industry Awards on the day Ansett stopped flying was a testing day for all involved. Catriona's performance was outstanding given the last-minute script changes we were faced with. Her personality certainly shone through and she was a major factor in lifting the mood of the audience from subdued to 'party'.
Extremely professional, wonderful freshness, just what we were after. Catriona lived up to our expectations and more.
Identified with audience, created immediate rapport, they loved her. Very professional, slick, yet light when needed to be. I would definitely use her services again.
Catriona was great in getting into the audience and making the night her own.
Catriona was engaging, intriguing, charismatic, charming, insightful, hilarious and most importantly related to everyone in the audience in some manner. We have overwhelmingly positive feedback from everyone at the event. She was humble, polite, accommodating and was just such a pleasure to have.
From the moment Catriona stepped into town she was accommodating, polite and easy to deal with. She was open and willing to talk to anyone, mingle, get photos etc. Her speech at the event was insightful, intriguing, motivating, humorous and most importantly she was very 'real'. Everyone in the audience could relate to her in some way. We would highly recommend her as a speaker to anyone of any age, any gender and any industry.
Catriona was a delight and engaged with everyone in the room to make ours a fantastic awards night. Catriona treated our awards with respect but still made it a fun and entertaining event for all who attended.
