Okay, Australia (the movie) - underrated or just...long?

Alright, so I finally got around to watching "Australia" (2008). I know, I know, super late to the party. But hear me out. Visually? Stunning. Like, Baz Luhrmann could never, even without knowing who actually directed this lol. The outback looks incredible, and the costumes? Chef's kiss. Hugh Jackman looking all rugged and Nicole Kidman being all... Nicole Kidman-y? Solid casting choices, for sure. But, and this is a big but, did anyone else feel like it was just...so damn long? Like, epic is one thing, but I started feeling like it was trying to cram in, like, three different movies? The whole cattle drive thing was cool, but then the whole Pearl Harbor bombing felt kind of tacked on? And the kid, Nullah, was adorable, but sometimes I felt like the film was spending too much time focused on his journey. Did it need to be almost 3 hours long? I'm not so sure. I'm not saying it's bad, because there were definitely moments that gave me chills. The whole, like, 'protecting the land' theme resonated. But I can't help but wonder if it's underrated because people just don't want to sit through that running time, or if it just didn't quite hit the mark thematically? Am I missing something? What are your thoughts, film fanatics? I'm genuinely curious! Maybe I'm just nitpicking, idk.