Winfrey surprises audience with trip to Australia as gift

Winfrey, known for doling out lavish gifts like the 1994 trip to Philadelphia or free Pontiac cars in 2004 to her audience wanted to make the 25th season end "bigger", since it is also the last one.

"This is really my last chance to do something big. I thought would it be another trip to Philly? Or maybe New York or Los Angeles. Maybe I should take all of you with me to the other side of the world. You're going to Australia!" said Winfrey, as the audience applauded and screamed.

The audience for the show Monday comprised "300 of her biggest fans" who have been "so loyal, we call you the ultimate. You have all been on this wild ride with me every step of the way, and for that I have deep, heartfelt gratitude to you all," said Winfrey.

"We have been secretly plotting and planning this trip of a lifetime for almost a year with everyone at Tourism Australia. They are ready to roll out the red carpet for all 300 of us," she added.

The eight-day trip includes visits to beaches, vineyards, the Great Barrier Reef and the Sydney Harbour. At the end of the tour, an Oprah Show would be taped at the Sydney Opera House. For the occasion, Tourism Australia is renaming it as the 'Sydney Oprah House.'

As Winfrey made the announcement, the nose of a plane drove onto the stage and Hollywood star John Travolta walked out of the cockpit dressed as a captain.

Earlier when the show began, Travolta told Winfrey "there's only one of you, and there will never be another one." The actor has appeared on the show 11 times and says that being on Winfrey's stage feels like coming home.

"If I may be so bold as to speak for the public, speak for the world, you have this rare ability to inject knowledge, help, hope, love and art into the culture," he said.

This season will be the last as the 55-year-old talk show queen is preparing to launch her cable channel OWN - The Oprah Winfrey Network next year.

The Oprah Winfrey Show will end in September 2011. It was first aired 24 years ago on September 8, 1986 featuring over 28,000 guests.