All The Best

The thing about op shops is that they're filled with stories. In this week's episode to mark National Volunteer Week, Ramon Briant joins us in the studio to share his tale of the op-shop thief, The Second Hand Bandit.   The Second Hand Bandit  When a local op shop becomes the target of a string of mysterious burglaries, the shop’s community is pushed to its limits in the face of ad...

Content Warning: This week's stories contain references to a war zone and to gambling. This week, stories that explore how we find joy in dark and challenging times. Acidic Cuts During her trip to Ukraine, Kiera searches for the harmony of the tradition,  and tries to avoid the discordance of fear and air raid sirens. Written and performed by Kiera Brew Kurec. This piece featured recordings c...

There is nothing that compares to making that decision to leave everything you know behind. To choose to make a home in a foreign place.  And while you might have some pre-conceived ideas … you might even have done your research…none of it will quite compare to the experience itself.  In our story this week, Michael’s journey is more than about moving from place to pl...

This week, stories of democracy, dreams, and things happening in and out of the ballot box. Elections Elsewhere by Phoebe Adler-Ryan Have you ever wondered how elections operate in other corners around the world? In our first story, ATB takes you on a ‘election tour’ of different countries as our volunteers - from China, Vietnam, some with connections to the US - gather to talk about w...

To mark Earthday we’re playing two stories that explore how we can use disruption to effect change and save the environment around us.  In our first story, Meagan takes us journey on the Murray-Baaka River that led to the Menindee fish kill in 2019. In Murky Waters Produced by Megan Williams (they/them). The supervising producer was Richard Dinnen.  It was produced as part of the N...

What does heartbreak sound like to you? This week’s stories are about heartbreak… whether it’s the loss of a loved one, the loss of who you once were…or a relationship that didn’t work out. Sounds of Heartbreak In our first story, Lee explores the sounds of different kinds of heartbreak and whether they can become sounds of healing. Produced by Lee Chan. The Supervi...

Can you think of a moment when things fell short of your expectations? A book or a movie you’ve been looking forward to. Maybe you’ve met one of your idols … and … wish you hadn’t.  Maybe it was something bigger … maybe it’s your own country … a conflict of values around democracy and justice. In this episode, we explore the gap between a ci...

In this episode, the artist collective Small Audio Art founded by Phoebe McIndoe invites us to contemplate the possibilities of windows… Interview with Phoebe McIndoe Are you creatively stuck, a worried novice audio-maker, or just feeling a little lonely? Don’t worry, Phoebe McIndoe feels you. Establishing Small Audio Art—a 6-month playful, low-stakes project inviting creators t...

This week's stories call on us to humble ourselves before nature…and consider whether maybe …there are some things that animals know that we don’t.   The Great Dingo Debate by Andrea Dixon In our first story, Andrea shares her love for Taz, a rescued dingo living on her family’s property in Hawkesbury, Darug country. As tensions rise between farmers, conservationists...

The experience of exploring childhood memories can vary greatly from person to person. Sometimes, this emotional excavation can be painful, bringing up unwanted memories that you might not be ready to face. But it can also be a beautiful experience, allowing you to rediscover with fresh eyes the places or people you knew ... or thought you knew ... as a child.    In this episode, we...

  This episode features voices from the story collection Povo edited by Adam Novaldy Anderson and produced by the Sweatshop Literacy Movement. Australia is often referred to as The Lucky Country — a land of economic opportunity and vast natural resources. But how does this myth square up against the true experiences of Indigenous and culturally diverse Australians living in our nation&r...

This week, three stories about connection: connection to the land and the sea, connection to history, connection to the divine and to ourselves.   Weaving Ancestral Voices by Shareeka Helaluddin In our first story, Shareeka reconnects to faith and identity through the voice of the singer Sheila Chandra. Growing up in an interfaith household, Shareeka was immersed in a diverse sonic landscape...

This week, two evocative stories exploring the notion of divinity through history and poetry. These stories were commissioned by guest editors Hasib Hourani and Adalya Nash for Issue 04: Illuminated Manuscript of Debris Magazine .   The Crystal World by Bella Li There was, on the island of St John, a commonly sighted mirage, appearing to those afflicted by an excess of light: a sea of glass l...

"That’s the nature of movement, isn’t it? We are pulled from one thing to another and these things themselves transform into something else. In that vein, I’m once again moving on from something I love dearly to somewhere else my passions lie. It’s time for me to say goodbye to hosting All The Best and to you all." - Madhuraa Prakash This week, a farewell to our multi-talen...

  This week, stories about how ADHD can impact a person’s life, relationships and identity.   Partners In Time by Felicity Weaver    Are you a Type A, always-on-time kinda person? Or are you the one who is always last to arrive at a social gathering?   In our first story, often-late Felicity speaks to her slightly frustrated husband about how ADHD has impacted their...

This week, a specifically Australian take on magical realism weaving a mystery involving a baby, a potentially poisonous mushroom, and the mysterious disappearance of a friend, Chia. Through rich symbolisms and tension, this episode explores truth, lies, friendship, and vulnerability. Shhh…Listen. Banksia’s tell two truths, one lie. The game starts now. Written and read by Leo Alder....

This week, we're sharing stories performed at our live storytelling night (Un)Intended Consequences last October with live music composed and performed by Matthew Forbes. Explore influential encounters, moments and ideas - and if you're eager for more, you can find three more stories in our 'Part I' Episode . Highly Strung - 'Neverland' Emily Suine and Oliver Durbidge are part of the lively puppet...

This week, words by First Nations people on January 26, Sovereignty and Identity.  'Australia Day' In our first story, people at the 2012 Yabun festival speak about what so-called ‘Australia day’ means to them.  That story was produced by Lauren Carroll Harris, with interviews gathered by Lauren Carroll Harris, Carly Anne Kenneally & Jesse Cox. Unwelcome to Country by Dom...

This week, stories that delve beneath the surface of the summer heat. Sunburned First up, Phoebe heads back to school to learn about workshops educating teens on sun safety and the lifelong risks of skin cancer - which affects two in three Australians. Through stories from survivors, students, and insights from experts and volunteers, she highlights the urgent need for prevention, behaviour change...

In the final instalment of Sink or Swim, we look to the future and explore how we can survive the hotter summers that lie ahead for all of us. Blacktown is facing increasingly extreme urban heat, but locals are coming up with their own solutions. We visit two cool refuges where we discover ordinary citizens and local leaders who are shaping the communities they want in the places where they live....

Angelica has decided: this is the summer she finally takes the plunge. Go with her as she joins an adult swim class for beginners, and realises that there are plenty of other adults who share both her trepidation and her determination. Angelica’s home of Western Sydney is heating up faster than nearly anywhere else, making swimming an essential survival skill – not just for staying afl...

Sydney holds a strong identity as the capital of sandy shores, ripper waves and the finest swimmers in the world. But this idealistic depiction of a devoted swimming culture doesn’t connect to many locals like Angelica who has never learned how to swim. Come and join Angelica on her personal quest to overcome the deep blue waters. Along the way, she talks with her local community of Blacktow...

This week we journey back in time to look at Sydney’s music scene through the eyes of three different women.  You can hit it as loud as you can First up, we hear from musician and music mentor turned academic, Hannah Fairlamb, about rock boot camps and gender equity. Produced by Mel Bakewell, with music by Ferus Cut Blue Dot Sessions . You can learn more about Rock Camp here . What Abou...

This week, we’re playing stories from our 24 hour radio challenge, in which producers are tasked with creating audio stories from scratch in a day! This year we had people participating in Sydney here at fbi but also down in Naarm and even overseas as far as Italy and the UK. 1 - Cristina Marras takes us into a recurring dream.  2 - Keyari Page constructs a radio drama about the ro...

This week we’re diving deep into the world of lost media, and in particular the mystery of - Australia's most intriguing missing song - which you might just be able to help solve!    The Most Mysterious Song in Australia: A Lostwave Story by Strange Australian   In January 2024, Strange Australian was browsing Reddit looking for some obscure lost media, when he came across a thread about something...