4/5 Immigrants affect small Australian town
  by S. Ellingsworth (Tulsa, OK United States)
When an English "Pom" arrives in Silkwood Australia in 1939 he is judged harshly by the local men who make their living cutting sugar cane, a hard but well paying job. He sticks it and finally begins to fit in when one group including him volunteer for World War 2. There is tension between a growing contingent of Italian families buying sugar cane farms and the locals who are a somewhat insular group. Over time, relationships grow and at the center of the store is Else, the local pub owner who was abandoned by her husband years before. She is a friend to everyone and has two attractive adult daughters. It runs 600 minutes so you get your money's worth. I didn't feel the budget detracted in any way from the story. It was not "A Town Called Alice" but it was a very pleasant 3 evenings for me.

3/5 A Good Australian Mini Series
  by Ben (Australia)
This package also includes Fields of Fire II & III which almost makes the price justified.
Set in the Australian Sugar Cane Fields during the 1940s, this series follows the lives of a group of seasonal cane cutters. Being a TV mini series with a limited budget, the acting, props and special effects are not that great, but the setting and storyline help to make up for these shortfalls. Fields of Fire I is by far the best, with the quality of the others dimishing as the amount of subject matter available reduces. On the positive side, the actors seem to improve as they gain experience (Although, I am not aware of any that have made it to mainstream Australian TV or film). Australian coloquialisms are smeared on thick, and although most of the themes are partly accurate of the times, they should be taken with a grain of salt.
In summary, if you are going to purchase an Australian TV mini-series, then this is one of the better ones.