Australian Histories Podcast

When the Japanese entered the Second World War at the end of 1941, the impact on Australia was almost immediate.  Singapore fell and a great many Australians were taken prisoner.  Darwin & later other northern centres were bombed, and at the end of May Japanese midget Submarines made their way into Sydney Harbour.  This episode looks at how that attack unfolded. (77 mins) ---------------------...

In this final episode of the series we follow Flinders as he attempts his return to England in the hope of acquiring a better ship to more thoroughly complete his valuable explorations around the newly circumnavigated Australian coast. But on the way the Great Barrier Reef gives him one last lesson, and then he makes the mistake of insulting a Frenchman! (68 mins)    ------------------------------...

After a quick resupply in Port Jackson Flinders again heads out to undertake the second leg of his circumnavigation.  This time they began by traveling north, through the Great Barrier Reef and into the tropical north.  This journey would prove to be much more challenging for Flinders and his crew. (56 mins)    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B...

This episode we see Bass undertake his speculative business ventures, no longer in the company of Flinders, but his timing meant his returns were not as lucrative as he'd hoped. Flinders set off on the mammoth task of circumnavigating the New Holland-New South Wales.  This first leg of his mission was very rewarding and successful, and Flinders had the experience of meeting one of the ships involv...

George Bass and Matthew Flinders undertake an important mapping journey to confirm the existence of what will soon afterwards become known as Bass Strait, a body of water between the mainland of 'New South Wales' and the newly recognized island of Van Diemens Land. But afterwards their future aspirations diverge, and we follow them as they prepare for the next phases of their lives, Bass undertaki...

George Bass and Matthew Flinders arrived in New South Wales in September of 1795, with grand plans to "explore more of the country than any of [our] predecessors in the colony".  In part 2 we look at how their plans progressed. As naval men, they had work to do when they arrived in the young colony, but to their delight, they soon began doing some of the discovery and exploration they desired, aro...

Naval men who arrived in NSW in September 1795, Bass & Flinders were both intent on undertaking exploration and charting sections of New Holland, still largely unknown to the British.  They became well known as navigators, explorers and map makers, charting the Australian coasts and enhancing the then limited knowledge of the new colony.  In this Part 1 episode we take a look at the background...

Waltzing Matilda is described as 'the people's song'.  More well known than the real Australian National Anthem around the world, Banjo Paterson's jaunty little ditty actually contains clues to some turbulent times he witnessed in Australian history.  This episode shares a little background about the much loved song. (40mins) ------------------------------------------------------------------------...

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 'Operation Hurricane' on the Montebellos. (75 mins) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Brilliant stories from Australia’s past  Enjoying the podcast?  Help support the show wi...

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 indigenous use, soon after aboriginal people made their way to Tasmania, around 30,000 years ago, through it’s early colonial use as penal outposts and then for agricultural and industrial uses, many histori...

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 in the world.  Almost half of Australian households kept at least one dog in 2022, but lets take a look at the history & development of the uniquely Australian dogs we created along the way.  (45 mins...

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 such a service.  Alf Traeger tested and designed equipment that would allow communication across the outback and Hudson Fysh acquired the planes that could be used by an Aerial Medical Service.  The...

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, he later records his recollections of living amongst the Wathawurrung. (66 mins) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brilliant stories from Aust...

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 allowed his mob to live so successfully, in country that almost killed him.  And we learn of tragedies that deeply disturbed him.  (62mins) Brilliant stories from Australia’s past  Enjoying the podcas...

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 of the lifestyle and cultural practices of these First Nations people, at a time before they had substantial contact with colonial newcomers, when their way of life was altered.  Buckley's story is a...

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, survived a trek all the way from the south to the north and returned, but using the information they recorded, Todd was sure he could supervise the construction of a more than 3200km Telegraph Line,...

In this final episode on Alexander Pearce we hear about his second escape attempt from Macquarie Harbour, with fellow convict Thomas Cox.  They planned a less difficult route for their escape but again, their scheme didn't proceed as they had planned.  This time the authorities took the situation more seriously and we learn how it all ended for Cox & Pearce. (40 mins) -----------------------------...

We continue the story of Alexander Pearce as he and his fellow convicts continue their escape from Port Macquarie.  They have found themselves in the wild west country, exhausted mentally & physically, and starving with no provisions remaining.  Talk turns to cannibalism, and the horror soon begins.... -------------------------------------------------------------------- Enjoying the podcast?  Help...

Alexander Pearce was one of our more notorious convicts, and one of very few convict escapees from Macquarie Harbour, who survived attempting to reach the settled districts.   As the last man standing from the eight that absconded together, his survival was only possible because he resorted to cannibalism. In Part 1 we look at his background, and what lead him to be shipped to Sarah Island, a plac...

John Macarthur was a divisive character in the first decades of the New South Wales penal colony and he was instrumental in the overthrow of Governor Bligh (see the Bligh series Eps 52-55), along with the discomfort and early recall of a number of other Governors. But he and his family did manage to build a farming dynasty in NSW and he was often later promoted as the 'founder' of the Australian W...

The 'Great Ocean Road' is it one of Victoria’s, indeed Australia’s, most well known international tourist attractions, and a favoured coastal town drive for locals, dotted as it is with beautiful surf & swimming beaches, but you may be surprised to know, the road itself constitutes Australia’s longest War Memorial. This episode we talk about how the construction came about. The Great Ocean Road’s...

This episode is the final in the Bligh-Rum Rebellion series, and we take a closer look at how the day developed, how the arrest of Bligh unfolded at Government House, and what followed on from the revolt by the New South Wales ‘Rum’ Corp.  The British Government was slow to act, but inquiries were made, and the protagonists were expected to stand trial for mutiny, so we take a look at how that all...

We reflect on the reforms Bligh had introduced and note the rising aggravation amongst the 'trading group', who were beginning to lose some of their previous dodgy income streams and privileged arrangements.  Many were challenging Bligh's authority, particularity through the courts and with appeals directly to England, and as tensions escalate, we begin to see the path to rebellion opening up.  Ma...

This episode looks at William Bligh's background and his reputation as a Naval Captain.  He had some very difficult tasks ahead of him as Governor of the troubled NSW colony, and we need to consider if he had the requisite personality and abilities to introduce the reforms required.  The English were already aware there was a lot of resistance to the changes required, mainly from the members, ex-m...

William Bligh, the very same Captain probably best known for the mutiny on the Bounty, was to be recruited in his later life, as the Governor of the Colony of New South Wales. But it seems his days of attracting mutinous behaviour were not over.  Bligh would find himself again at the mercy of military men who felt they could do a better job. So we’ll talk in this series, about the New South Wales...