When Catriona Rowntree's husband proposed, she didn't answer. She needed to ask her boss first.

For 29 years, Getaway's Catriona Rowntree has taken us to places most of us could only have dreamed about. From wild Tahitian waterfalls to Croatia's crystal clear waters, "Australia's most-travelled woman" has seen it all.

But life hasn't always been this glamorous. It's been a long road to get here.

As a child, she dreamed of being the next Jana Wendt, a news and current affairs stalwart.

But some people tried to get in her way.

"[At school] I had a headmistress who said I wasn't pretty enough to be a model and I wasn't smart enough to get into uni, so I'd never amount to anything," she told Who in 2023. "I was constantly in trouble and was kicked out when I was 14 and had to change schools."

Rejection ended up being redirection, and Catriona's new school played a key role in her career path, with the teen able to channel her excessive energy into drama and performing.

Watch: Catriona Rowntree explores Spain. Post continues below.

She graduated from Macleay College in Sydney with a diploma in journalism but struggled to land a full-time job.

When she finally landed a role, it didn't quite go to plan. Catriona actually ended up getting fired from her PA job with publicist Max Markson for "talking too much" in the office — it's something the pair laugh about today.

She didn't let the knock keep her down and auditioned with 12,000 other hopefuls to land one of three hosting roles on Phil Tanner's new show Wonder World!. While she made it to the top five, she was ultimately beaten by a model.

Catriona managed to snag a role as a researcher for the show in 1993, and, after much begging, convinced Phil to give her a chance on-screen.

"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 wrote on Instagram.

"I wasn't even nervous because I knew I had one shot and this was it so I gave it everything I had," she told Who of the big moment.

She went on to become a reporter. At the same time, she landed a hosting gig on What's Up Doc and a presenter role on Triple J radio, which meant each week she was working out of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Catriona in Bora Bora. Image: Instagram/catrionarowntree.

By 1994, Catriona had become the host of Wonder World! and in 1996, she joined the Getaway team as a reporter — and she never left.

Her first Getaway segment wasn't quite what she expected.

"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 in 2022.

"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."

She's interviewed Donald Trump before he had his sights set on the White House, swum with sharks in Bora Bora and explored a safari in Sri Lanka — and that's just to name a few.

When COVID lockdowns meant travel was a no-go, Catriona pivoted, helping others find their rural escape on Country House Hunters in 2020. She said the show was meant to last for 10 episodes, but in 2025, it's still going strong.

Catriona in Zagreb, Croatia. Image: Instagram/catrionarowntree.

Finding love.

In 1999, Catriona accepted an invitation that would change her life forever.

"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'," she previously told 9Entertainment.

It wasn't the city party she was expecting. Oh no, this was a huge country party on a farm.

"I turn up looking amazing," she said. "Then out onto the verandah comes this guy and he's got the dirt across the face, he's got the hair going everywhere. I've never seen anything like him in my life... and I just nudged my girlfriend and went, 'I approve'".

"She said, 'Oh no, no, no, that's the friend.'"

Instantly, Catriona knew she was in trouble. Farmer James Pettit had won her heart.

At the time, she never imagined she'd leave her life in Sydney for a farm in Victoria. But life never turns out as we expect.

From the first meeting, Catriona knew James had captured her heart. Image: Instagram/catrionarowntree.

The pair spent six years doing long-distance between Sydney and the farm before they split in 2005.

But they found their way back to one another when James accidentally pocket-dialled Catriona a year later.

The pair reconciled and in 2007, announced their engagement — although it wasn't a resounding, "Yes" when James first asked.

Instead, she turned to her boss, Getaway producer Josh Walsh.

"I can thank [Josh] 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," she wrote in 2024.

"I feared I'd lose everything I'd built by leaving my home and head office."

Despite her concerns, Catriona found Josh was supportive of her new life.

"John said 'Treens, as long as you can get to an airport, I don't care where you live!'"

So, Catriona packed up her life and traded the big city for the Victorian farmer wife life.

The couple celebrated 17 years of marriage in April. Image: Instagram/catrionarowntree.

The couple tied the knot on April 5, 2008 at James' old school, Geelong Grammar, and held their reception on the grounds of their family home.

The following year, they welcomed their first son, Andrew, in August 2009. In March 2011, the couple had their second boy, Charles.

As if motherhood, farm life and jetsetting around the world weren't already enough on her plate, Catriona found time to take to the skies as a student.

In 2023, she shared she'd achieved her lifelong goal of becoming a pilot.

"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," she wrote on Instagram.

She said she hoped her taking on the challenge could inspire others.

"I hope in some way this has allowed you see that anything is possible, is there something you'd like to roll the dice with despite all odds?"

Today, Catriona hosts both Getaway and Find My Country House Australia.

It's a job she feels lucky to have.

"I love my job, I hope I never retire," Catriona wrote on Instagram.

Feature image: Instagram/catrionarowntree.