In a career spanning decades, Rove McManus has experienced the highest peaks of Australian television success – three Gold Logies, a top-rating national program, and even his own Los Angeles talk show. Yet today, the beloved entertainer finds equal wonder in watching tadpoles transform into frogs near his Perth home.
A Homecoming to Western Australia
The McManus family – Rove, wife Tasma Walton, and their daughter Ruby – made the permanent move back to Perth in 2021 after years based in Sydney and Los Angeles. For McManus, this homecoming represented an opportunity to embrace his long-held philosophy of appreciating life's small moments.
The shift marked the longest period the family has lived in one place since Ruby's birth in 2013, allowing them to finally put down proper roots. McManus describes the return to Western Australia as coming at exactly the right time, following Sydney's difficult lockdown period that left them feeling like "birds in a gilded cage" in their beautifully renovated harbour city home.
"We needed that freedom of being back here," McManus reflects. "To have everything open, plus family just up the road when we were craving that connection – it's wonderful."
Finding Wonder in Everyday Moments
At his core, McManus remains a joy-seeker and irrepressible optimist who finds miracles in the mundane. He speaks with genuine delight about simple pleasures: a shady bench in a sunny park, walking the dog and greeting birds, or the gift of a chrysalis that transformed into a butterfly before his eyes.
"We took some tadpoles home from a friend's neglected pool and when they turned into frogs, we released them into a lake near our house," he recalls, the wonder still evident in his voice. "You just think, they've gone from a little egg to a head with a tail, then into a frog. I think that's marvellous."
This focus on life's small wonders provides balance against what McManus describes as the "quite alarming" macro view of world events. He believes in giving yourself moments to appreciate the immediate world without becoming completely myopic about broader issues.
Balancing Family and a Busy Career
Despite stepping back from constant television appearances, McManus maintains a dizzying schedule that requires careful coordination with his actor wife. The past year alone has seen him host the Steve Irwin gala in Las Vegas, voice a character on global phenomenon Bluey, raise money for Free The Bears by spending a night in a cage in Tasmania, and even share a comedic kiss with Robbie Williams on a Gold Coast red carpet.
The couple manages their dual careers with what McManus describes as a "very old-school" approach. "We have a physical calendar of who is going where, who's doing what; each of us have a column, even the dog has a column," he explains.
This careful balancing act allows them to "ebb and flow" between work commitments and family time. "It's a juggle, but it's one of the prices we pay for wanting to be here," McManus acknowledges.
Professional Legacy and Future Projects
McManus remains at the helm of Roving Enterprises, the production company he founded in 1999 that created his iconic shows Rove and Rove Live. Under his leadership with business partner Craig Campbell, the company has been responsible for more than 4000 hours of broadcast television, including The Project, which concluded in June after 16 years on air.
The company has multiple projects in development, though McManus isn't yet able to share details. He's also planning another live stand-up tour for next year, occasionally honing material through surprise appearances at local comedy clubs.
"I do love doing it," he admits. "It is nice when you can surprise everybody. It does feel like cheating a little bit though, because you get that grace period just courtesy of the fact you showed up when they weren't expecting you."
Reflecting on a Remarkable Journey
McManus recently returned to the spotlight for STM magazine's 21st anniversary, more than two decades after appearing on the publication's first cover in February 2004. At that time, he was five years into presenting Rove Live and had just won his first Gold Logie. Within months of that cover, he'd secure his second, followed by a third in 2005.
When asked what advice he'd give his younger self, McManus – a self-professed Doctor Who and Back to the Future fan – jokes that he knows time travel is fraught with danger. But his message would be simple: trust your instincts and don't change a thing.
"Because I look at where I'm at now and I'm happy. I'm content," he says. "Life is good. This timeline's a really good one."
From the bright lights of television studios to the quiet beauty of a Perth park, Rove McManus has discovered that sometimes the biggest joys come in the smallest packages.
