Australian Histories Podcast

In the 1950s Australia hosted a number of British nuclear weapons tests.  The very first one took place on the Montebello Islands, off Australia's north west coast.  This episode we will explore 'Oper...

30 Dec 20231h 14min

Maria Island is a UNESCO World Heritage listed Tasmanian convict site, with a long and varied history, and a number of spectacular natural and geological places of interest.  From its original indigen...

18 Sep 20231h 15min

From a land with no native domesticated dogs, nearly 230 years after colonists’ brought their first pets & hunting dogs on the first fleet, Australia now has one of the highest rates of dog ownership ...

27 Juni 202345min

Presbyterian Minister John Flynn had a desire to bring "a mantle of safety" to those living in the remote areas of Australia.  WWI Australian fighter pilot John Clifford Peel suggested a blueprint for...

29 Apr 202357min

In this final episode on Buckley & the Wathawurrung, we hear about what happened after Buckley made contact with Batman's party from the Port Phillip Association. Moving back into his original society...

31 Jan 20231h 6min

In Part 2 of William Buckley's story, living amongst the Wathawurrung people who adopted him, we hear how he adapted and learned a great many skills.  He was able to record many of the practices that ...

11 Dec 20221h 2min

William Buckley was an escaped convict who lived amongst the Wathawurrung people for more than 30 years.  Adopted as Murrangurk, he had the opportunity to participate in, witness and later record some...

12 Nov 20221h 3min

We talk about 'Telegraph Todd' and the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line, built through the largely unsurveyed and vast centre of Australia.  Only one group of British explorers had, to date...

22 Aug 20221h 45min