“Australia’s most travelled woman” is a title held by none other than Catriona Rowntree after more than 30 years criss-crossing the globe on Getaway.
While the 54-year-old has always shared her travels with us, there are some parts of her life that she’s kept more quiet.
From getting fired from her first media job to her heartbreaking split from now-husband James Pettit and an unlikely meeting with President Donald Trump, here’s a look back at the most defining moments of Catriona’s career and personal life:
There’s more to Catriona Rowntree than you might know! (Instagram @catrionarowntree)
Catriona was born in 1971 to mum Heather and dad Stephen and grew up on Sydney’s North Shore with her three older siblings Andrew, Lucinda and Marissa.
She recalled the best piece of advice her late father ever shared: there are two types of people in life: the “gunnas” and the “doers”.
Catriona set out to always be a “doer”…
This little girl was always gunna be a doer! (Instagram)
With the illustrious career she has, it’s hard to ever imagine Catriona getting fired but the presenter explained she got booted from a public relations office job because of her “constant singing in the office”.
Catriona didn’t let that deflate her spirits. She auditioned with 12,000 other hopefuls to host Phil Tanner’s new TV show Wonder World. She made it to the final five but was beaten by a model.
We peep a young Catriona and a young Sonia Kruger back there too! (Instagram @catrionarowntree)
Persistence paid off when Catriona was eventually taken on as a researcher for the show in 1993. After much begging, Catriona convinced Phil Tanner to let her film one story for the show.
“Phil gave me one shot, ‘you can do a story on putt putt golf and we’ll see how you go’. Not only did I win the putt putt golf (I don’t think I’ve ever won anything else), I’ve been on your TV screens for the last 30 years!” Catriona reflected on Instagram.
What came next was a hosting gig on What’s Up Doc, a presenter role on Triple J radio and by 1994, Catriona had stepped into the host’s seat on Wonder World!
Catriona has worked on many TV projects since, including the National IQ Test, Funniest Home Videos, Logies Red Carpet Arrivals and The Chopping Block.
A fresh-faced Catriona Rowntree on Australia’s Funniest Home Videos. (Nine)
Catriona’s hard work paid off when a golden opportunity came knocking at her door in 1996…
The 54-year-old’s very first Getaway segment in 1996 was filmed right here in Australia on the Gold Coast.
Although checking out Movie World and Sea World wasn’t exactly what Catriona was expecting.
“I always thought that for my first Getaway story I’d be cycling through France, maybe I’d be sipping a cocktail somewhere looking elegant and beautiful,” she told 9Entertainment.
Despite a lot of screams, there were also a lot of smiles on board the rollercoasters. (Nine)
“Oh no, I was hired because they were looking for a young girl up on the Gold Coast and they were determined to make me ride every single rollercoaster. They wanted someone who could just go out and have fun.”
Catriona met her now husband, Victorian farmer James Pettit after they were set up by a mutual friend at a party in 1999.
“My best friend gives me a call and she says, ‘Catriona, I’ve met the one. His friend is having a birthday party for him and I want you to come,’” Catriona previously told 9Entertainment.
While Catriona was expecting a party at a hotel bar, she found herself instead on a farm in Victoria and there was chemistry from the moment she laid eyes on James.
“I just nudged my girlfriend and went, ‘I approve’,” she said.
A baby-faced Catriona and James on their very first date. (Instagram @catrionarowntree)
With James working on the farm in Victoria and Catriona based in Sydney and flying around the globe, the pair were together and did long distance for six years before splitting in 2005.
Fate had other plans however, as 12 months later James accidentally pocket-dialled Catriona’s number.
That phone call sparked a reconciliation between the pair with Catriona and James announcing their engagement in 2007.
Although Catriona didn’t initially say ‘yes’ when James popped the question.
Catriona and James tied the knot on April 5, 2008 at James’ old school Geelong Grammar. (Instagram @catrionarowntree)
Sharing a tribute to her Getaway boss John Walsh in 2024, Catriona wrote: “I can thank [John] for my children and the life I have today! When my farmer asked me to marry him, I didn’t say yes, I went to ask John’s permission. I feared I’d lose everything I’d built by leaving my home and head office.”
Luckily John had some sage advice for Catriona: “John said ‘Treens, as long as you can get to an airport, I don’t care where you live!’”
With the tick of approval from the boss, Catriona officially switched from Sydney city slicker to Victorian farmer wife.
“I had to change states, I had to give up everything to marry this guy,” she said. “The moment I married, I became a part of this team.”
Catriona and James tied the knot on April 5, 2008 at James’ old school Geelong Grammar, followed by a reception on the grounds of their family home.
Safe to say Catriona and James never have a dull moment. (Instagram @catrionarowntree)
Not long after they married, Catriona and James became parents when they welcomed their first son Andrew in August, 2009.
Then at 38, Catriona fell pregnant just nine months after Andrew’s birth. In March 2011, another baby boy, Charles, arrived.
While the boys are now 16 and 14, in the early stages of their lives Catriona loved that she could still be flexible with her Getaway gig.
She recalled doing voiceovers on her kitchen bench and explained that having the show go from one-hour long to half-an-hour episodes certainly made managing motherhood a little easier!
Catriona and her boys circa Christmas 2021. (Instagram @catrionarowntree)
Getaway is a job that has taken Catriona to the furthest corners of the globe and to meetings with the most unlikely people.
In 2006, Catriona interviewed President Donald Trump, who at the time was yet to even consider a tilt at the White House.
Catriona spoke to Trump about his hotel and tourism empire, but in a 2021 interview with 9Entertainment revealed she was reluctant to talk about meeting him because people didn’t want to hear a positive anecdote.
In an unlikely turn of events, Catriona interviewed President Trump (before he ventured into politics) in 2006. (Nine)
“I met him under the best circumstances where I was going to interview him about an award that one of his hotels had won. We shared an interest in travel and tourism, we discovered a shared interest in feng shui, which I had learned about on my travels through Asia, and that he applied to the hotels that he created,” she said.
“He was as charming to me as he was to my sound operator, he was generous with his time, and the person that was later depicted was not the person that I met.”
She also spent time with business magnate Richard Branson and his family at his home on Necker Island. Footage from this trip featured in the 30th anniversary Getaway episode.
“We’re both Cancerians, I think we’re a day different with our birthdays, and we just clicked straight away, and definitely and he was very generous with his time and unbelievably kind,” Catriona recalled, adding that he made her a cup of tea while she swam in his pool.
Catriona hung out with Richard Branson in the British Virgin Islands on Getaway in 2005. (Nine)
With all the accomplishments she already had under her belt, Catriona found time to train to become a pilot.
In 2023, she confirmed she’d smashed her theory and flight test and had achieved her life-long goal.
“Guess what? We did it! I’m a pilot!” she wrote to Instagram.
“I finally went solo (euphoric), backed it up with five hours flying on my own along Bribie Island, smashed my theory exams, then passed my flight test.”
Catriona hoped that becoming a pilot would make other women see “anything is possible”, and went on to ask her followers if there was anything they’d like to “roll the dice” with, “despite all odds.”
Catriona gave a thumbs up to the camera after passing her test. (Instagram)
Catriona shared pictures of herself flying alongside her big announcement. (Instagram)
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest news from your favourite shows via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.
Stream the latest Getaway episodes for free on 9Now.
