John Ruddick

Political History of Australia

History EN ↓ 34 episodes

Welcome to the story of Australia. This podcast series by John Ruddick tells the political and geopolitical history of Australia, starting with the fabled "terra Australis" and then tracking the journey from British penal colony to a young federation, a country at war, and today one of the world’s great nations. Episodes released weekly. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author

John Ruddick

Category

History

Podcast website

shows.acast.com

Latest episode

Jul 8, 2026

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Episodes

E8: First Fleet Arrives 29.10.2025

The First Fleet departs England and eight months later all 11 ships arrive safely in Botany Bay. Mid way through the First Fleet’s voyage, Captain Laperouse of France is ordered by Paris to sail directly for Botany Bay and to try and beat the British. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

E7: Captain Arthur Phillip 22.10.2025

The British have decided to colonise New South Wales and First Fleet fever grips England.  The East India Company tries unsuccessfully to scuttle the project. Captain Arthur Phillip had had only a middling career in the Royal Navy but he was then appointed as the supremo of the big bet on Botany Bay. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

E6: The Decision 15.10.2025

Following the relentless lobbying of Jospeh Banks and an unwitting contribution from American Thomas Jefferson, in 1786 the British Government makes an abrupt and dramatic decision to send the First Fleet to Botany Bay. Listen and subscribe at:  Apple and Spotify - http://bit.ly/4mH2zEE  Rumble and YouTube - @PoliticalHistoryOfAustralia Please tune in and share. The Hon. John Ruddick MLC...

E5: The Unofficial Minister for New South Wales 08.10.2025

James Cook continues his exploration of the Pacific, while Joseph Banks stays back in England to campaign for the settlement of New South Wales as a British colony. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

E4: New South Wales 02.10.2025

In 1770 Cook & Banks become the first Europeans to land on the fertile east coast of "New Holland", which they rename "New South Wales" and claim for Britain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

E3: Cook and Banks 02.10.2025

The crucial partnership between softly-spoken James Cook and the effervescent Joseph Banks as they set out on The Endeavour in the search for Terra Australis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

E2: Britain vs France 02.10.2025

Tracing the centuries long enmity between Britain and France, and how that imperial rivalry played out in the South Pacific as the race for Terra Australis intensified. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

E1: Terra Australis 02.10.2025

For most of the world, the story of Australia started as a fable about a great south land that must exist to keep the world in balance. The myth came from a joint venture between an Egyptian pharaoh and some Phoenician sailors around 600BC, and motivated future European explorers during the age of imperialism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Teaser - A Day at the Cricket with Edmund Barton 26.09.2025

This pre-release sample episode tells the largely unknown story of how Australia's first Prime Minister, Edmund Barton first entered the public's imagination. His career as a lawyer had been unremarkable, but his astute management of a cricket crisis in 1879 set him up as a leading figure in the Sydney establishment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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