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) ------------------------------------------…

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 …

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 …

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 o…

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 Par…

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 …

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 f…

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 Au…

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 c…

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) -------------------------------------------------------------------…

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 sto…

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 the…

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 c…

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 &…

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.... ------------------------------------------------…

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 wha…

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 l…

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 th…

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 tr…

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 b…

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…

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’l…

Australian Rules Football and the earliest clubs formed to compete, are said to be the oldest established football clubs in the world. Started in the late 1850s, initially based loosely on the Rugby School game, within 20 years it had evolved to become the basis of Australia’s very own, different & distinctive code; Aussie Rules Footy. (62 mins) --…

Early in World War 2, German Raiders were laying sea mines around Australian & New Zealand coastal waters. Here we tell the story of one ship that was sunk by those mines, and the exceptional salvage operation that was undertaken to recover precious cargo that had gone down with the ship. (65 mins) --------------------------------------------------…

In Part 2 we will follow William Swallow and his fellow mutineer convicts on the commandeered ship, the Cyprus. Swallow and his men were delighted to be heading into the Pacific, away from the dreaded Macquarie Harbour, and his sailing skills were put to the test as they made their way across the ocean. But they ran in to unexpected trouble around …

In part one of Convict Mutineers, we learn about a felon who just could not bear the idea of a life in exile, willing to take all necessary risks to try to return to England. And his efforts were extraordinary. I think you will enjoy hearing about this Houdini like convict, a man the authorities had trouble keeping hold of. Today we look at what br…

As an appendix to Episode 44, Henry Lawson, today's episode presents two final readings, two more humorous offerings. We read a Banjo Paterson poem, called 'The Man from Ironbark' which I mentioned in Ep 44, and then a short story by Henry Lawson, titled 'The Loaded Dog'. (23 mins)Autor: Australian History retold by AHP

This episode is an appendix to Episode 44- Henry Lawson. We read poems that contributed to the 'Bulletin Debate', discussed in the earlier episode. We include Banjo Paterson's 'Clancy of the Overflow', 'In Defense of the Bush' & 'An answer to various Bards', as well as Henry Lawson's 'Up the Country' & 'The City Bushman'. (26 mins)…

Following Ep 44 on Henry Lawson, this episode will be a reading of Henry Lawson's short story (or sketch), The Drover's Wife, published in the Bulletin, July 1892. Please listen to Ep 44 first, for the life & times of Henry Lawson. (20 mins)Autor: Australian History retold by AHP

Henry Lawson was a 'bush poet' and writer from the 1880s-1890s. One of a number of writers that were focusing on the Australian experience and fostering a pride and understanding of the emerging Australian identity. Today's episode looks at Henry's complicated life, and the times in which he was writing. (62 mins) Enjoying the podcast? Help support…

In 1796, the Calcutta merchants Campbell & Clark, sent a boat load of attractive goods, including much needed home and personal wares, and much desired rum, to sell to the isolated people in the new penal colony at Port Jackson (now current day Sydney). The Sydney Cove foundered and the men were obliged to take refuge on Preservation Island. Some o…

This episode concludes the series exploring the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme; the vast hydro electric, and irrigation project, that began in 1949 and was under construction for 25 years. As well as providing much needed electricity and irrigation water to a soon to be booming Australia, the international workforce helped usher in the era o…

Today we turn our attention the workers' arrangements. At the peak of construction, over 1959/60, there were 7300 people employed on the project. So that’s a lot of people to keep fed & watered, and entertained. But it was hard and sometimes dangerous work, so we consider some of the human costs on the project too. (56 mins) Brilliant stories from …

The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme began construction at Guthega, with a Norwegian contractor, and before too long, power was being delivered to the people. Workers and families got used to the new environment and the working conditions as the construction projects multiplied across the project sites, while others had to get used to their re…

The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme was underway. Now they Authority had to acquire the land across the Alps, and recruit a workforce, to survey, plan and construct the many parts of the project; not an easy thing to do in booming post war Australia. Part 2 gives an overview of the recruitment of workers, the majority coming from various work…

The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, took nearly 30 years to complete in the post war period, and was an astounding engineering feat. It remains one of the “engineering wonders of the world”. It created thousands of jobs and drove the development of increased home-grown Engineering expertise in large civil projects. Not without social & envir…

Lady Jane Franklin was an unusual woman. In the late 1830s, as the wife of Van Diemen's Land Governor Sir John Franklin, she took the opportunity to explore the new settlements and wilds of Tasmania, undertook an overland trek from Melbourne to Sydney, astounding the public with her drive & resilience. One source suggested, her “unfeminine curiosit…

PART 2: Jandamarra was a Bunuba man, from the Kimberly region in Western Australia, who has been called both an outlaw and a hero. It’s a story of conflict between the indigenous peoples, and the new comers to Australia; a chapter in what we more lately call the Frontier Wars. In the late 1880s Jandamarra lead his people in resisting the takeover o…

Jandamarra was a Bunuba man, from the Kimberly region in Western Australia, who has been called both an outlaw and a hero. It’s a story of conflict between the indigenous peoples, and the new comers to Australia; a chapter in what we more lately call the Frontier Wars. In the late 1880s Jandamarra lead his people in resisting the takeover of their …

In the early 1930s the post WW1 Soldier Settlers in Western Australia were doing it hard, trying to make a living growing wheat in a tough economic climate. When the native Emus descended on their crops on mass, they called on the Commonwealth Minister of Defense to come to their rescue. And so began the Emu War in the west..... (45 mins) www.austr…

With the rebellion at the Eureka Stockade ended, the authorities moved the main players to Melbourne to be tried for treason. In the days immediately following, the people of Victoria were at first apprehensive that there may be further outbreaks of violence and rioting, but as more information about exactly what happened at Ballarat was known, the…

With no positive response to their delegations, pleading & petitions, the Ballarat miners determined they must boycott the corrupt system all together and physically resist when the troopers came to arrest them. Under the leadership of Peter Lalor, the men swore under their Southern Cross flag, to stand together united in their resistance, and to p…

Relations between the authorities and the diggers on the Ballarat goldfield continued to deteriorate, and despite the reports of corruption and violent behaviour being reported to the senior government officials, no action was being taken. Following a murder on the goldfield, the miners meeting protesting the corrupt investigation that took place a…

We turn our attention to the Ballarat Goldfield. The road to the Eureka Rebellion here was actually quite long, and contained a myriad of grievances & triggers, which finally came to an unhappy clash on December 3rd 1854 at the Eureka Stockade. But we are not quite there yet. This episode we look at the early days under La Trobe, and the frustratio…

Gold miners built the Eureka Stockade at the Ballarat goldfields in December 1854, but trouble between the miners and the authorities had started pretty much with the gold rush in 1851. Before we start looking at the Eureka uprising itself, Ep 29 will begin with some background to the story. The discovery of gold and the chance to dig & make ones f…

Australia has a number of massive continuous barrier fences, built by farmers and pastorlists from the late 1800's, to try and control the movement of native and introduced pests that were threatening their land and stock. We’re going to look at the development & operation of the massive Dingo Fence, the longest wild dog exclusion barrier, now runn…

We’re continuing our look at the convict era, in particular, the experiences of women convicts who passed through the Cascades Female Factory, in Hobart, Tasmania. After serving their sentences, many became successful members of their communities, and they are representative of the convict women who can be regarded as the literal mothers of the ear…

We’re going to look at the female convicts who passed through the Cascades Female Factory, in Hobart, Tasmania, and reflect on the different experience the women convicts may have had, to those of the male convicts. There are both harrowing and hilarious stories to be told about the institution and it’s inmates. So we’ll focus on the women in that …

Douglas Mawson’s Australasian Antarctic Expedition concluded, and the last of the expeditioners arrived back in Adelaide in February, 1914. A lot had happened, both on the frozen continent and across the world, in the years they had been away. We wrap up the “Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration” in this episode, by reflecting on the AAE, on Mawson’…