Back Roads

Myf Warhurst continues her van life odyssey in northern New South Wales and Western Australia. Setting out to discover when van life became a 'thing', she wonders if there comes a time when this nomadic life loses its appeal?

These days, thousands of Australians are swapping four walls for four wheels and taking to life on the road. Myf Warhurst hits the bitumen in Far North Queensland to meet some of the people who've chosen van life.

Lisa Millar visits Harvey in Western Australia's south-west and discovers how successive waves of migrants have put their stamp on this town, and in doing so have built a thriving multicultural community.

Guest presenter Paul West ditches his car for a bicycle when he arrives in Forrest nestled in Victoria's Otway Ranges. It's here Paul discovers a former logging town that's now more famous for mountain biking than sawmills.

Kristy O'Brien dives into the nostalgia and untold stories of the Never Never - exploring the town of Mataranka in the Top End, where the 1908 classic 'We of the Never Never' book was set.

Gold Logie nominee and the new host of Back Roads, Lisa Millar straps herself in for an adventure exploring the legendary Snowy River. Most of us know the name, but how much do we really know about this iconic river?

After ten fun-filled years of hitting the Back Roads, Heather Ewart is saying goodbye. In her final episode, Heather relives some of the unforgettable moments from her time on the road and returns to her hometown of Murchison in Victoria.

Heather Ewart is almost blown away by the "Roaring Forties" winds when she visits the North East of Tasmania - an area rich in history, culture and crayfish.

Back Roads is off to a wedding, as Heather Ewart discovers the world of made-to-measure couture dressmaking in outback New South Wales.

Back Roads explores Western Australia's beloved Bibbulmun Track - a 1000 kilometre walk through mighty forests and a rugged coastline. Guest Presenter Rae Johnston meets people transformed by the experience.

Back Roads follows the Wheelbarrow Way from Mareeba to Chillagoe in Far North Queensland, where home town boy and ABC News presenter, Joe O'Brien, meets teams competing in the Great Wheelbarrow Race.

Back Roads presenter Lisa Millar heads to the Hilltops Region of New South Wales for the "shear" excitement and chaos of The Running of the Sheep - a unique event that could only happen in rural Australia.

Back Roads heads to Queensland's Great Keppel Island. Once a paradise for partygoers, Heather Ewart meets the locals looking for a better way to share their pristine backyard with the rest of the world.

Back Roads goes in search of all creatures great and small on Kangaroo Island. Guest Presenter Paul West checks in to see how the island is faring after the devastating Black Summer fires of 2020.

Back Roads continues its epic trip on The Outback Way. Lisa Millar soaks up spectacular natural wonders and meets people making a big difference educating kids, before hitching a ride with a couple of "Warrior Princesses".

In the first of a two-part special, Back Roads takes a trip on The Outback Way, also known as Australia's longest shortcut, where Lisa Millar finds remote communities reaching out to the world in surprising ways.

Back Roads journeys to Kandos, on the edge of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales. This is a town famous for making cement, where Heather Ewart finds an unlikely arts festival is reshaping the community.

Back Roads guest presenter Anna Daniels heads to the central Queensland town of Theodore for its 100th birthday. She finds a town honouring its past, but also safeguarding its future, proving anything is possible in the bush.

Camperdown in Southwest Victoria is a town nestled between dormant volcanoes and majestic crater lakes. Kerry Staight discovers a community that embraces its Scottish heritage while also supporting locals going their own way.

Backroads heads to the South Australian outback to check out two mining towns that are chalk and cheese - Roxby Downs and its unruly cousin, Andamooka.

Back Roads travels to Charlton in north-west Victoria, for an event like no other. A festival that brings locals and blow-ins together, creating lasting friendships, in one big weekend of live music and country hospitality.

Back Roads travels to Ongerup in Western Australia's south-eastern wheatbelt country, where the younger generation are rebooting this once dying town in some unexpected ways. Presenter Heather Ewart helps celebrate its revival at the reopening of its only pub.

When Queensland's South Burnett rail line closed after a century of servicing communities in the region, it seemed the beginning of the end. But presenter Lisa Millar discovers new life and prosperity is coming down the same corridor in the form of cyclists, tourists and runners.

Dive into Australia's iconic surf lifesaving culture in Victoria. Heather Ewart visits 90 Mile Beach in Gippsland, meeting the people who keep beachgoers safe on this dangerous coastline, and the next generation of Nippers.

Back Roads tackles the longest walking track in Australia, the Heysen Trail. Presenter Paul West discovers the intrepid folk who traverse the 1,200 km trail in big groups and those brave souls that go it alone.

Back Roads visits the wild Bass Coast in Southeast Victoria. Uncovering the coastline's ancient secrets, Heather Ewart discovers why the locals aren't afraid to do things a bit differently and break new ground.

Lisa Millar travels to an old mining town in eastern NSW. In the face of change, the town is fighting to hang onto its identity, but Lisa discovers that a much-maligned haircut is helping Kurri Kurri stand out from the crowd.

Tasmania's north-west embraces one of the oldest and most spectacular areas in the world. Actress Marta Dusseldorp joins Back Roads for a journey of discovery through one of the most magical places on earth, the Tarkine.

While it's assumed men run things in the Outback, Heather arrives in the Queensland town of Julia Creek to discover the local women ROAR...running everything from cattle stations to the famous outback Dirt n Dust festival.

Back Roads visits the heritage-listed NSW town of Braidwood. Heather discovers what inspires the town's many artists and how their creative spirit helps the community pull together in challenging times.

Joe O'Brien travels to the Tasman Peninsula, an hour's drive from Hobart. With rolling hills and tranquil bays, towering cliffs and roaring seas, the beauty and dangers of this coastline stirs people's passion for the wild.

Back Roads meanders the mighty Murray River as it criss-crosses the towns of Gunbower and Torrumbarry, in north central Victoria. Heather finds the communities share a passion for protecting and nurturing the most vulnerable.

Rae Johnston continues her journey to East Arnhem Land and two very remote communities we rarely see - Gapuwiyak and Galiwin'ku - where the Yolngu people's lives are deeply connected to their culture, the land and each other.

Rae Johnston discovers a remote and tiny community that punches above its weight on the international stage, in music, art, science, politics and culture - all while tackling a growing environmental and ecological crisis.

We return to Eugowra, one of the first towns Back Roads visited when the pandemic hit in 2020. Two years later, it was almost wiped out by a flash flood. Heather discovers how they survived and what's driving their recovery.

Guest presenter Lisa Millar goes fossicking on the central Queensland Gemfields, where anyone can strike it lucky. Lisa discovers a unique way of life and meets the miners who are keeping a slice of Australian history alive.

Back Roads sets out to discover the wildlife carers of Western Australia's Northern Wheatbelt. Presenter Heather Ewart meets the fascinating people who have dedicated their lives to helping animals.

Back Roads heads to Timber Creek in the Top End where guest presenter Kristy O'Brien finds an unlikely partnership is creating positive spin offs for the town and meets locals who've found love in the most unexpected places.

Back Roads heads to north Queensland sugar cane country and the town of Home Hill. Presenter Heather Ewart discovers the heartwarming, and at times heartbreaking, stories of the families that first came here to cut cane.

Heather Ewart heads to the New England region in NSW and the former gold town of Uralla. Now the locals are uncovering a different kind of treasure, finding riches everywhere and using that to invest in a sustainable future.

Join 'Back Roads' on a journey to Naracoorte on SA's Limestone Coast. Guest presenter, Amanda Shalala discovers a heartwarming community that's welcoming newcomers, changing lives and inspiring its young people to dream big.

Presenter Heather Ewart starts the summer season in the idyllic beachside village of Brunswick Heads in northern New South Wales and discovers the surprising joys of life in a holiday town.

Heather visits the sleepy Victorian mountainside town of Walhalla, on the historic Goldfields Railway. Frozen in time, with movie-set looks, a cricket pitch that defies logic, and nearby creatures straight from the Dreamtime.

Guest presenter Lisa Millar takes us on a journey along Victoria's spectacular Great South West Walk. Hiking the 250km trail is a chance to connect with nature but, as Lisa discovers, the experience can also be life changing.

Back Roads continues the journey on the challenging Strzelecki Track, heading up to Innamincka in the top corner of South Australia. Heather Ewart finds out what it takes to survive a job on this remote and historic track.

Back Roads returns with a journey on the Strzelecki Track, starting near Lyndhurst in SA and heading into the Strzelecki Desert. Heather Ewart witnesses a way of life on this historic track that's been unchanged for decades.

Heather Ewart hitches a ride with singer-songwriter Josh Arnold across western Queensland as he makes stars of local kids, teaching them how to celebrate their community by writing their own town anthem.

Champion Paralympian Kurt Fearnley finds a heart of gold shining brightly amongst the townsfolk of Tennant Creek. Locals are overcoming intergenerational trauma by nourishing residents with great education, art and religion.

Nhill and Pyramid Hill lie 260km apart but are connected in the most surprising ways. These two old farming towns offer newcomers a fresh start and a fair go. Heather discovers the spin offs were surprising and unexpected.

Wiradjuri woman and journalist, Rae Johnston, takes Back Roads on a water fuelled odyssey to the East Kimberley region, at the very top of WA, where the mighty Ord River is the lifeblood of the community.

Heather Ewart visits the Quilpie shire in outback Queensland. With an average age of under 40, residents have transformed this former Opalopolis into a vibrant community, with a little help from Australia's biggest dinosaur.

Foodie and farmer Paul West packs his surfboard for a Back Roads visit to tiny Marrawah in northwest Tasmania for the legendary West Coast Classic: three days of big swells, blowing gales and woolly beanies.

Back Roads heads to one of the country's largest cattle stations, Brunette Downs in the NT. Heather Ewart discovers what makes life on this remote and rugged property so attractive and arrives in time for the Brunette Races.

In this special 100th episode of Back Roads, Heather Ewart looks at The Great Australian Pub. Our very own unique style of watering hole, the humble pub sits at the heart of many communities.

The Snowy Valleys come alive to the sound of music and traditions, old and new, bring a community together and heal the wounds of the past.

Heather Ewart travels to the border town of Hebel in south-west Queensland, a little place with a big heart, where folk look for a silver lining in the toughest of times.

A unique insight into the NT town of Katherine, where blakfella and whitefella walk together. With Bardi-Kidja guest presenter Albert Wiggan.

Back Roads kicks off its Winter series in the vibrant multicultural town of Leeton, in NSW's Riverina region.

Back Roads host Heather Ewart takes an adventurous trip through Longford in Tasmania to find out if keeping an old world alive can still offer some surprises.

Guest presenter Kristy O'Brien heads to the outback town of Charleville in south-west Queensland, where she discovers a place that offers second chances and a community that always finds the silver linings.

Heather Ewart sets course for Port Campbell on Victoria's Shipwreck Coast, known for its wild weather and dangerous seas.

In South Australia, guest presenter Paul West goes on a wild ride along the Eyre Peninsula's rugged west coast, finding a place with an untamed spirit and a fierce self-reliance.

Heather Ewart finds there are many surprises in the tiny town of Boulia on the edge of the Simpson Desert about 1700km from Brisbane.

Guest presenter Joe O'Brien taps into his inner Bear Grylls in this Back Roads adventure to Cradle Mountain in the wilds of the Tasmanian Highlands.

There are unexpected encounters when colourful South Pacific and traditional cultures kick up the red dust of the Pilbara as Back Roads heads to the town of Tom Price in Western Australia.

As the ABC celebrates its 90th year, Heather Ewart takes a look at the evolution of the great Australian road trip, and revisits some of the very best she's taken on Back Roads.

Guest presenter Lisa Millar heads to the 'land of a thousand lakes' in the wild beating heart of Tassie. The Central Highlands is a harsh, beautiful and isolated place regarded as one of the world's best fly-fishing spots.

Heather Ewart takes a walk on the wild side of the Top End. In Adelaide River, she joins the Fawcett sisters on a buffalo muster, a rollercoaster ride which has her literally on the edge of her seat.

Heather travels through time in historic Tenterfield, a town drawing on its past to try and preserve its future. Tenterfield suffered major drought, fires and COVID. Heather meets the characters who are making a difference.

Cooktown is a place heaving with history. Guest presenter Craig Quartermaine discovers what locals make of Captain Cook and how the community is making sense of its past in a story of connections, friendships and forgiveness.

Heather Ewart returns to Mallacoota after the New Year's Eve 2019 firestorm engulfed the town. Heather catches up with some old friends to find out how they've dealt with the impact of the bushfires, then a global pandemic.

Heather Ewart reconnects with some of our favourite characters - remarkable local heroes who live on the back roads. From the parched red dirt of Roebourne in WA to the rolling green hills of Corryong in Victoria.

Join guest presenter Paul West as he discovers the heart and soul of the twin towns Agnes Water and 1770 in Queensland, where science is harnessing the 'power of people'.

Heather Ewart visits a town at the centre of the richest gold escort heist in Australian history and discovers where Eugowra's real treasure lies. She has a crack at driving a horse-drawn plough in this rich, farming country.

On a wild ride through remote country we discover people need resilience, a sense of humour and creativity to make isolation work. Heather Ewart brings together the inspiring characters she's met and shares their latest news.

Guest presenter Poh Ling Yeow explores a remote outpost connected by their love of opal but also each other. Coober Pedy in SA has dust, tumbleweeds, no trees and a lunar-like landscape but it attracts people from everywhere.

Heather Ewart visits Kyogle in northern NSW. The traditional farming town is growing and changing as it welcomes newcomers from all walks of life. Heather discovers a town that dreams big and doesn't take no for an answer.

Heather Ewart visits Cobar, NSW, where she meets the stoic locals who want to keep the community together, trying to discover what it is that makes people fight so hard for Cobar.

The Central Queensland town of Biloela hit the headlines in its bid to stop a Sri Lankan Tamil family being deported. The town, traditionally conservative, is now welcoming and full of opportunity.

Guest presenter Lisa Millar presents a COVID-19 special program about how the Rokewood-Corindhap community has come together when the heart of the town is not able to beat.

Heather Ewart resumes her Nullarbor Plain odyssey, this time from the South Australian border travelling west across Western Australia. It is a very special tale of time travel, outer space and underground secrets.

Back Roads returns this winter to take you to some of the widest open spaces on Earth. Join Heather Ewart on a journey across the Nullarbor Plain, discovering why people are drawn to this remote landscape and why they stay.

Heather Ewart visits the preserved gold rush town of Clunes, in the Victorian Central Goldfields. Its golden days might be long gone, but a wave of newcomers is putting its untouched 19th century main street back on the map.

Guest presenter Joe O'Brien leaves the ABC newsroom for the wilds of Wynyard in north west Tasmania.

Heather Ewart catches a ride to the Bulloo Shire in south-west Queensland, a community that thrives despite its isolation.

Heather Ewart discovers a very different type of community on the roof of Australia as she visits the peaks of Victoria and New South Wales' snow country.

Heather visits one of the flattest places on earth, the dusty Hay Plains. Home to a fascinating bunch with a dry sense of humour, the town hosts the Hay Rodeo and Rainbow on the Plains - the Hay Mardi Gras.

Incoming News Breakfast co-host Lisa Millar traces the footsteps of her Prussian ancestors who migrated to SA in the mid-1800s, discovering a town rich in film history and a spectacularly coloured yellow-footed rock wallaby.

Fish Creek is a whimsical town straight from a storybook, home to children's book authors and illustrators, world-renowned botanical artists, musicians and sculptors. It is near the southernmost tip of Australia's mainland.

280kms from Perth, Kulin is home to less than 400 people. From the 'Tin Horse Highway' - horse-shaped sculptures made out of 44 gallon drums to a giant waterslide, the quirky town is known for its generosity of spirit.

Guest presenter, chef and farmer Paul West heads to the Gulf of Carpentaria to see one of the world's most extraordinary weather events.

Heather Ewart explores a vibrant coastal community in northern New South Wales, where East meets West and which the locals affectionately call Woopi.

Heather visits Tolmie, tucked away in Victoria's High Country. In the past it was known as a hideaway for bushrangers, near the infamous Stringybark Creek ambush where Ned Kelly and his gang murdered three police officers.

Back Roads returns with an epic journey in the Northern Territory, from one of the world's most remote cattle stations to some of the most spectacular landscapes in the heart of Australia.

Heather Ewart travels to the historic Victorian town of Beaufort, which is halfway between the two 'rats' - Ararat and Ballarat. 160 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, it's a place where old and new collide.

Guest presenter Paul West visits the Furneaux Islands, a wild and windswept group of islands in Bass Strait, just off Tasmania. The cold ocean waters are full of treasures like lobsters and abalone, plus rusted shipwrecks.

Heather Ewart heads to the NSW outback town of Lightning Ridge, a place of dreamers and drifters, with most residents lured by the black opals. Heather discovers the many stories of Lightning Ridge's outback grit.

Heather Ewart is on a road trip in Queensland with a much-loved travelling greengrocer. For 30 years, Fari Rameshfar has travelled through droughts, cyclones and floods to deliver fresh food to people living in isolation.

In the midseason final, Heather Ewart travels to the surprising little town of Nyngan. The gateway to the outback in NSW, this isolated spot on the Bogan River, Nyngan locals are changing the lives of others.

Guest presenter and triple j newsreader Brooke Boney is taking over the Back Roads reins this week, travelling to the Tiwi Islands, north of Darwin.

Heather Ewart visits Robinvale, in Victoria, which was named after a local soldier, Lieutenant George 'Robin' Cuttle, who was killed at the Somme during the First World War, near the town of Villers-Bretonneux in France.

ABC News presenter Joe O'Brien visits the tiny Queensland town of Thallon. Joe grew up in regional Queensland, and he gladly leaves the studio behind to head into the outback.

Heather visits Scottsdale in Tasmania's north-east. After losing three major industries, the area's unemployment figures doubled. With the only options to move or innovate, locals started creating new jobs.

Guest presenter Paul West visits the small, yet spectacular, town of Natimuk in Victoria. Paul discovers that two worlds have collided in Natimuk, where the community is a mix of rock climbers and German-Lutheran farmers.

Heather Ewart travels along the southern Murray River. She meets locals who've weathered drought & flood. She experiences many shades of the river from its bountiful Riverland to the spectacular limestone cliffs of Big Bend.

Heather Ewart travels to Waterfall Way in NSW, one of the most beautiful drives in Australia. But it's not just the scenery that's spectacular, Heather meets some wonderful locals including celebrated pianist, David Helfgott.

Canowindra might be known as the hot-air ballooning capital of Australia, but there's plenty more going for this town. The Canowindra community is looking to reinvent its future, doing big gestures of kindness along the way.

Robe, SA, is a seaside safe-haven known for helping others and having a generosity of spirit. Local farming families offer their holiday houses to war veterans and give them a free weekend in their stunning town.

Heather continues along the Oodnadatta Track, SA. She hitches a lift with 'Wally' the truck-driver who delivers essential supplies; meets the Pink Roadhouse owner; as well as the workers at an isolated cattle station.

Back Roads heads along the legendary Oodnadatta Track in outback South Australia. Heather Ewart begins her journey in the small town of Marree, where the Oodnadatta and Birdsville Tracks meet.

Dunalley is a small town in Tasmania that was almost wiped out by bushfires in 2013. But instead of destroying them, the tragedy has proven to be a catalyst for many people to pursue a new path.

Heather heads to Corryong, Victoria. A bucket-load of beauty and a fascinating history haven't been enough to cement the town's success. But that's changing, with some of Corryong's young people starting to move back.

The "ordinary" sheep and wheat town of Katanning in Western Australia has laid out the welcome mat and transformed itself, extraordinarily, holding some delightful surprises.

Thursday Island is a laid-back paradise that most Australians have never visited and know little about. While its isolation can present problems, locals are rising to the challenge and are carving out a new future.

Heather Ewart visits Mallacoota, a remote place at the end of the road on the far eastern tip of Victoria. Known for its natural beauty and wilderness, its isolation has bred a determination in the town to look after its own.

Heather Ewart joins a big-hearted hairdresser and her 76-year-old apprentice on a ten day road-trip from their home town of Innisfail to Normanton in Queensland's Gulf country.

Heather Ewart visits Mundulla, this tiny South Australian community cherishes its old world values, but doesn't mind a bit of healthy competition.

This week Heather Ewart travels to the remote fishing town of Karumba in Far North Queensland and discovers why the locals love the isolation so much.

This week Heather Ewart travels to the remote town of Yackandandah. In the foothills of Victoria's high country, this picture-perfect gold rush town gambled on itself and won.

Heather Ewart visits the Western Queensland town of Winton, in Waltzing Matilda country. Heather spends a day at the races, goes digging for dinosaur bones & meets former Governor-General Dame Quentin Bryce.

Award winning journalist Heather Ewart takes a trip to the Nullarbor frontier town of Ceduna on the Great Australian Bight, where breaking conventions is the rule.