(CNN) -- Oprah Winfrey opened her talk show's 25th and final season Monday with the surprise of a lifetime for her audience, a favorite tactic for the media maven. The 300 audience members will travel to Australia in December -- courtesy of Winfrey -- on an eight-day, seven-night trip that has been in the making for nearly a year, according to her production company, Harpo Productions. While there, the Sydney Opera House will be the site of a special "Oprah Winfrey Show" taping before thousands of Australian fans. Monday's surprise trip rivals one of Winfrey's most famous episodes, when she gave away cars to each of her audience members to open her 19th season in 2004. She's also known for giving away thousands of dollars in gifts to the lucky audience members who attend her annual "Favorite Things" show.
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NEW: 300 audience members will travel to Australia in December
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Winfrey is preparing for the final season of her longtime talk show
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The show's first episode aired on September 8, 1986
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Her new network, OWN, launches on January 1
But leaving behind "The @placeholder" won't be the end of her entertainment career.