Kiwi actors front Australian domestic tourism campaign

Kiwi actors Craig Hall and Sara Wiseman are selling Australia. Photo / Norrie Montgomery

Australia has called on Kiwi talent to sell Australia - to Australia.

Well-known New Zealand actors Craig Hall and Sara Wiseman have been recruited by Tourism Western Australia in a domestic marketing campaign to promote the region to the rest of the country.

The real-life married couple star as the faces of the latest campaign - a series designed to lure eastern states travellers to the area.

Wiseman and Hall, who both starred in The Almighty Johnstons and Outrageous Fortune, feature in the film-like clip as a loved-up couple enjoying blissful moments at Margaret River vineyards, swimming in waterholes, in awe of the dusty outback and Stirling Ranges.

The pair were unavailable for comment but Wiseman raves about the area on her Facebook page and refers to her "tourism gig" saying: "A blessed gift of a job - highly recommend this part of Australia to visit. 4WD adventures!!"

The government-funded Tourism WA spent $3.6million on the television and cinema advertisements that screened in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne late last year.

Executive director of marketing Simon Burley said Wiseman and Hall were picked because they were a real-life couple and it was hoped they would inspire people to travel to Western Australia.

"The ads aim to create an emotional connection with people by focusing on getting away from everyday life and reconnecting with those who matter the most, while experiencing the magic and beauty of extraordinary WA," he said.

Burley said the couple saw the experience as less of a job and more of a holiday.

Wiseman and Hall are known in Australia for their roles in the hit drama, A Place To Call Home, however, the use of Kiwis to sell Australia has been criticised in Australian blogs.

But New Zealand comedian and Edge radio host Guy Williams said the casting made perfect sense.

"I don't think there's any Australians living in Western Australia anymore. Every Kiwi I know has moved to Perth to work in the mines," he quipped.

"The last Australian tourism campaign I can remember had a swear word in it so they had to hire some Kiwis to lift the standards a little bit."