Talking Australia

Why? Sailing solo and non-stop around Antarctica, again: Lisa Blair

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2017 Lisa Blair became the first woman to sail solo around Antarctica. Earlier this year she set sail again, determined to become the fastest perso...

Working with rural landholders to stop extinction: David Parker

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

David Parker is the Senior Threatened Species Officer at the NSW Department of Planning & Environment  and Chair of the National Re...

How to make a living as a professional adventurer and photographer: Chris Bray (Rebroadcast)

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Engineer and professional adventurer Chris Bray turned his passion for nature photography into a thriving business - teaching people how to photograph...

How Indigenous Elders read the stars: Duane Hamacher

08 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Duane Hamacher is an astronomer and associate professor at the University of Melbourne who has specific interests in cultural astronomy and Indigenous...

How drones can help to save our forests: Aymeric Maudous

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Aymeric Maudous grew up in the French countryside of the Bordeaux region and moved to Australia 17 years ago. After years of being a successful market...

Deep earth evolution - everything you need to know and why it’s important: Alan Collins

21 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alan Collins is a professor at the University of Adelaide who is interested in the deep earth evolution of our planet and its effect on our atmosphere...

How Tim Jarvis went from polar explorer to passionate environmentalist (Rebroadcast)

08 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Jarvis had his fair share of suffering being a polar adventurer and going through extremes. But in order to recreate two epic journeys by Sir Doug...

Here's how to save what's left of our coral reefs: Dean Miller (Rebroadcast)

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Dean Miller is a marine biologist, adventurer, film maker, photographer and writer. He is also the managing director of the NGO ‘Great Barri...

From conquering Everest to pioneering Antarctic tourism: Greg Mortimer (Rebroadcast)

24 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Greg Mortimer is one of Australia’s best known and highly respected mountaineers. In 1984 Greg was one of the first two Australians to ever summ...

How to help farmers future-proof their land: Kellie Walters

17 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kellie Walters is a holistic ecological management expert who started her career living and working as an ecotour guide in Kakadu National Park 24 yea...

The end of an epic solo crossing of Australia with camels: Sophie Matterson

10 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sophie Matterson took a break from her work in the film industry and the constraints of city life to find new inspiration in the outdoors. She ended u...

How biohacking is changing the world: Paul Dabrowa

03 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Dabrowa is a Melbourne-based biohacker and an expert in the field of artificial intelligence and social media. During his time at Harvard Univers...

Making a difference through powerful documentaries: Craig Leeson

26 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Craig Leeson began his life in a small community in Northern Tasmania but today he works out of Hong Kong from where he operates an award-winning inte...

How genetic testing can save the dingos: Kylie Cairns

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Kylie Cairns is a population geneticist and runs the Dingo Genetics Research program. Her aim is to gather more genetic information from Dingos in ...

Turning the world into a mountain bike playground: Glen Jacobs

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Glen Jacobs is the Director of World Trail and the first and only Australian to be inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. With his company Glen...

Inspiring a new generation of Rally drivers: Molly Taylor

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Molly Taylor grew up in family of passionate and successful rally drivers. In 2016 she became the youngest ever and first female driver to win the Aus...

How to save animals from extinction: Annette Rypalski

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Annette Rypalski is the Biodiversity Director at Mt Rothwell, the largest feral-free ecosystem in Victoria – just 50km outside of Melbourne. Wit...

How an inventor is fighting the war on waste: Veena Sahajwalla (Rebroadcast)

22 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Veena Sahajwalla is also known as “the waste queen” and the inventor of the world’s first e-waste micro factory. Her missi...

Why flies are way cooler than you think: Bryan Lessard (Rebroadcast)

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bryan Lessard, better known as “Bry the Fly Guy”, is an entomologist who's dedicated to changing our perception of flies and other insects...

Changing the narrative on UFOs: Ross Coulthart

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ross Coulthart is a highly respected, award-winning investigative journalist, TV presenter and author. He is well known to Australians thanks to his r...

An adventurous life: Dick Smith

01 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dick Smith is described by Paul Hogan as part Bill Gates and part Bear Grylls on the cover of his new autobiography, My Adventurous Life. He is an ent...

Adventure beast with a gentle soul: Bradley Trevor Greive aka “BTG”

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bradley Trevor Greive or simply BTG was a paratrooper in Australian army before becoming a mega-selling author with more than 30 million copies sold w...

Finding adventure during a pandemic: Jimmy Ashby

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After his life-changing bike ride around the world, Jimmy Ashby was looking for his next big adventure and found it right on his doorstep. With the wo...

The Thrill of birdwatching: Sean Dooley

11 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sean Dooley is a TV comedy writer and author whose great passion in life is for birds. He is a self-described ‘extreme twitcher’ and took ...

The power of conservation photography: Douglas Gimesy

05 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Douglas Gimesy is an award-winning conservation photographer who made a name for himself with powerful images capturing a wide range of conservation i...

The secrets of octopus intelligence: Peter Godfrey-Smith

27 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Godfrey-Smith is a philosopher of science and best-selling author. After an encounter with a curious cuttlefish he set out to uncover the s...

The history of fishing in Australia: Anna Clark

20 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Anna Clark is a historian, author and passionate fisher who’s acclaimed book “The Catch: The Story of fishing in Australia” offers a...

The man behind the creative direction of Australian Geographic: Mike Ellott (Rebroadcast)

13 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Ellott is one of the country’s leading publishing designers. Australian Geographic´s creative director chats about how he got started...

Light and life in the deep sea: Edith Widder

06 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The pioneering marine biologist made it her calling to unravel the secrets of bioluminescence in world's deepest oceans. Bioluminescence is light...

How to stop poisoning yourself: Julian Cribb

29 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Julian Cribb is an award-winning author and science communicator who has published thousands of articles as well as 12 books focusing on the existenti...

How our cities can be safe havens for wildlife: Dieter Hochulli (Rebroadcast)

22 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dieter Hochulli is an urban ecologist who specialises in understanding how cities impact Australia’s unique wildlife. During the recent, unprece...

World record-breaking pilot and plane crash survivor: Ryan Campbell

15 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 2013 Ryan Campbell became the first teenager and youngest pilot to fly solo around the world. His adventure took him 70 days, and 24,000 nautical m...

What makes Australian birds so smart: Gisela Kaplan (Rebroadcast)

08 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Behavioural ecologist Gisela Kaplan has studied native Australian birds for decades and understands them better than most people. The expression &ldqu...

Veterinarian and “CSI pathologist”: Lydia Tong (Rebroadcast)

01 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Animal pathologist Dr Lydia Tong reinvented the role of veterinarian. After uncovering a cruel dog-killing scandal, she spearheaded a campaign to enfo...

The war on cane toads: Rick Shine

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Rick Shine is Australia’s leading expert on cane toads and, together with his team of researchers, the evolutionary biologist and ecologist deve...

The Power of Deadly Science: Corey Tutt (Rebroadcast)

18 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Besides his day job as a University Research Assistant Corey Tutt works tirelessly to raise funds and books for his initiative Deadly Science. So far ...

The Power of Deadly Science: Corey Tutt (Rebroadcast)

18 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Besides his day job as a University Research Assistant Corey Tutt works tirelessly to raise funds and books for his initiative Deadly Science. So far ...

Rediscovery of Australia´s rare cloaked bee: James Dorey

14 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Adelaide based ecologist and native bee expert is known for his beautiful portrait images of bees and other insects. James is the author of the bo...

The man who coloured the stars: David Malin

06 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

David Malin is a globally acclaimed astrophotographer, known for inventing new ways to capture the true colours of our night sky. These techniques als...

Pushing the limits of photography: Krystle Wright

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Regarded as one of the world’s leading female extreme adventure photographers, Krystle Wright is always pushing the limits of her craft. Also a cine...

The first woman to swim around Lord Howe Island: Lauren Tischendorf

15 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Lauren Tischendorf took on a special challenge and became the first woman to swim around Lord Howe Island. The gruesome 35km ocean swim took her 13 ho...

Unraveling the secrets of the Echidna: Peggy Rismiller

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Peggy Rismiller made it her calling to slowly unravel the mysteries of the world’s oldest species of mammal – the echidna. In the late 80s she joi...

Protecting our giant Earthworms: Beverley van Praagh

04 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Reaching up to 3m in length the giant Gippsland earthworm may be the world's largest of its kind. Often mistaken for a snake due to its size, this cre...

Exploring Outback Australia: Ron Moon

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Outback travel expert Ron Moon has seen more of Australia than most. He has spent much of his life exploring and writing about Australia’s remote ar...

Crossing Australia solo on the camel trek: Sophie Matterson

09 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sophie Matterson took a break from her work in the film industry and the constraints of city life to find new inspiration in the outdoors. She ended u...

Guardian of the Kimberley: Albert Wiggan (Rebroadcast)

23 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Albert Wiggan is an inspiration. A traditional owner and Bardi-Kija-Nyul Nyul man from the Dampier Peninsula of Western Australia, he's also an Indige...

The truth about bird feeding: Darryl Jones (Rebroadcast)

09 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Darryl Jones is a bird scientist who opened up the debate about bird feeding in Australia. He went from anti-bird-feeder to becoming a responsible voi...

Growing up on a bike ride around the world: Jimmy Ashby (Rebroadcast)

26 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

At only 18 years of age, passionate cyclist and outdoor enthusiast Jimmy Ashby jumped on his bike and set off on a life-changing trip that even the mo...

How regenerative farming can heal the land: Charles Massy

19 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Charles Massy is one of the most important voices of Australia's regenerative farming movement. A farmer, scientist and author, he experienced the dev...

Turning bird photography into fine art: Leila Jeffreys (Rebroadcast)

05 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Leila Jeffreys is a fine art photographer famous for her Australian bird portraits. Rather than capturing her motives in the outdoors she brings them ...

A man who believes in making it possible: Huw Kingston

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Huw Kingston is an adventurer, speaker, entrepreneur, former cafe owner, event director, environmentalist, writer, ski guide, mountain bike guide, tou...

Why light pollution is bad for us and the night skies: Fred Watson (Rebroadcast)

15 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fred Watson is a professor of astronomy, a popular author, musician, and beloved TV and radio personality and has an asteroid named after him (5691 Fr...

A deep diving legend: Ron Allum (Part 1) Rebroadcast

04 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ron Allum is a pioneering cave diver and inventor who originally started out as a broadcasting technician for the ABC. Not only has he broken records ...

A deep diving legend: Ron Allum (Part 2) Rebroadcast

04 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ron Allum is a pioneering cave diver and inventor who originally started out as a broadcasting technician for the ABC. Not only has he broken records ...

Conservation work starts in our own backyard: Andrew Gregory

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Gregory is well known to readers of Australian Geographic as a remote area photographer. He is also an awarded adventurer, but on this episode ...

Why museums are a keystone in fighting future pandemics: Kristofer Helgen

01 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The new Chief Scientist and Director of the Australian Museum Research Institute, Professor Kristofer Helgen talks about the future of the nation’...

How a blind adventurer has seen more than most of us: Nick Gleeson (Rebroadcast)

27 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Nick Gleeson has achieved more in his life than most people could dream of. He climbed to the summit Mount Kilimanjaro, climbed beyond Mount Everest’...

A life dedicated to fighting climate change: Anna Rose

17 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Anna Rose became passionate about fighting climate change as a teenager. The author, public speaker, community organiser and campaigner truly knows wh...

The plight of the wedge-tailed eagle: Simon Cherriman

06 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Cherriman has a passion for the wedge-tailed eagle, which began after finding a nest when he was 15. To this day, he continues to find and map n...

Michael Smith – Circling the earth in a flying “bathtub” Pt. 1 (Rebroadcast)

30 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Smith is a passionate pilot and movie enthusiast who runs a number of cinemas and owns a tiny flying boat. Both helped him to fulfil his lifel...

Michael Smith – Circling the earth in a flying “bathtub” Pt. 2 (Rebroadcast)

30 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Michael Smith is a passionate pilot and movie enthusiast who runs a number of cinemas and owns a tiny flying boat. Both helped him to fulfil his lifel...

How climate change is killing us: Paddy Manning

21 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Author Paddy Manning has worked as a journalist for more than 15 years and in his new book “Body count: How climate change is killing us” he is in...

Mapping Australia´s dark history: Lyndall Ryan (Rebroadcast)

16 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Lyndall Ryan´s interest in the history of Australia has grown since her early days as a scholar researching the history of Tasmania and the consequen...

Meet the first Australian woman to summit Mt Everest: Brigitte Muir (Pt.2)

08 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Brigitte Muir’s life has been all about pushing the limits. She discovered her passion for adventure in high school while exploring the caves near h...

Meet the first Australian woman to summit Mt Everest: Brigitte Muir (Pt.1)

30 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Brigitte Muir’s life has been all about pushing the limits. She discovered her passion for adventure in high school while exploring the caves near h...

How a few blokes decided to try and save the Numbat: Rob McLean

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Robert McLean is an unlikely conservationist. Throughout the week he drives a meat truck and is a bloke who enjoys a steak and a beer. But most weeken...

How to survive sailing solo around Antarctica: Lisa Blair (Rebroadcast)

11 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Lisa Blair is the first woman to sail solo and unassisted around Antarctica. The dangerous journey took her 184 days to finish and almost killed her w...

How Australia transmitted the Apollo missions broadcast: Andrew Tink (Rebroadcast)

03 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In his book “Honeysuckle Creek - The story of Tom Reid, a little dish and Neil Armstrong’s first step” author Andrew Tink sets the story straigh...

Building an Arch to protect Australia´s Wildlife: Tim Faulkner (Rebroadcast)

27 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Faulkner is known for his deep passion for Australia´s wildlife and his conservational work with the Australian Reptile park. He’s also a highl...

One woman’s extraordinary journey to row the Atlantic Ocean: Michelle Lee (Pt 2)

19 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Michelle Lee is a record-holding solo rower known for her crossing of the mighty Atlantic Ocean during the Talisker Atlantic Challenge, an annual ocea...

One woman’s extraordinary journey to row the Atlantic Ocean: Michelle Lee (Pt 1)

14 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Michelle Lee is a record-holding solo rower known for her crossing of the mighty Atlantic Ocean during the Talisker Atlantic Challenge, an annual ocea...

When a single cat wiped out an entire colony of fairy terns: Claire Greenwell

06 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In 2019, Claire published her study which found that a single cat had wiped out an entire breeding colony in the town of Mandurah. The study went vira...

How indigenous thinking can save the world: Tyson Yunkaporta

30 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tyson Yunkaporta belongs to the Apalech Clan from Western Cape York and is the author of the award winning book “Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking ...

Helping people to achieve the unthinkable: Joe Bonington

23 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Bonington is the founder of Joe’s Basecamp, a highly specialised training gym on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. The master adventure fitness train...

How 10 minutes a day can change your life: Di Westaway (Rebroadcast)

17 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Di Westaway is the leader of her so called “tribe” of 40,000 Australian women who found a way to be active, enjoy nature and the outdoors even aft...

A rock climber in her own league: Angie Scarth-Johnson

09 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

At age 7 Australian rock climbing sensation Angie Scarth-Johnson was already climbing grades that other rock climbers spend years and years to figure ...

Fighting for Australia’s water: Bradley Moggridge

01 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to the podcast on Apple here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why we have to stop ignoring indigenous science and knowledge: Ian Morris (Part2)

24 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Morris is a zoologist, educator, conservationist and author that has worked with the traditional owners of Arnhem Land for decades and speaks Dja...

Why we have to stop ignoring indigenous science and knowledge: Ian Morris (Part1)

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Morris is a zoologist, educator, conservationist and author that has worked with the traditional owners of Arnhem Land for decades and speaks Dja...

The Neil Armstrong of ocean exploration: Victor Vescovo (Rebroadcast)

10 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

While 12 people have walked on the moon only three have ever been to the bottom of the ocean. That’s the scale of the life-changing challenge that u...

Why sharks aren’t the killing machines we see on screen: Blake Chapman

04 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Listen to the podcast on apple here. Blake takes the fear, which has been supported through film and media for decades, and tries to help us understan...

March of the spider crabs: Justin Gilligan

28 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Each winter, thousands of spider crabs rise up from the depths of Bass Strait to gather for one of the world’s most extraordinary natural spectacles...

Capturing nature below the surface: Jon Shaw

22 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Jon Shaw is an award-winning water cinematographer, known for his documentaries on the lives of Australia’s incredible marine life. From working wit...

Shark lady and dead set Aussie legend: Valerie Taylor (Rebroadcast)

13 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Valerie Taylor is the Grand Madame of Australian nature filming and to this day a passionate diver and wildlife advocate. Together with her husband Ro...

How to make a living as a professional adventurer and photographer: Chris Bray

06 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Engineer and professional adventurer Chris Bray turned his passion for nature photography into a thriving business - teaching people how to photograph...

How an inventor is fighting the war on waste: Veena Sahajwalla (Rebroadcast)

29 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Veena Sahajwalla is also known as “the waste queen” and the inventor of the world’s first e-waste micro factory. Her mission in life i...

How to handle fear and BASE jump off a cliff: Glenn Singleman Pt. 1 (Rebroadcast)

22 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Glenn Singleman has achieved so many things in his life that one might ask whether his day has more than 24 hours. He is an emergency doctor, a mo...

How to handle fear and BASE jump off a cliff: Glenn Singleman Pt. 2 (Rebroadcast)

22 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Glenn Singleman has achieved so many things in his life that one might ask whether his day has more than 24 hours. He is an emergency doctor, a mo...

How Tim Jarvis went from polar explorer to passionate environmentalist

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Jarvis has endured a great deal of physical privation as a world-leading polar adventurer. In order to authentically recreate two epic journeys by...

What it means to be the Aussie voice of climate change: Tim Flannery (Rebroadcast)

10 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Tim Flannery has devoted his life to fighting climate change. His best-seller “The Weather Makers” remains the second highest-selling bo...

Here’s how to save what’s left of our coral reefs: Dean Miller

08 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Dean Miller is a marine biologist, adventurer, film maker, photographer and writer. He is also the managing director of the NGO ‘Great Barrier R...

The rebirth of Australian-made nature documentaries: Tosca Looby & Karina Holden (Rebroadcast)

02 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tosca Looby and Karina Holden are the creators of the hugely successful Australian-made nature documentary series The Magical Land of Oz. The series r...

Connecting people to their patch of earth: Costa Georgiadis

01 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Known simply as Costa, landscape architect Costa Georgiadis is an eco-visionary. As host of the TV show 'Gardening Australia’, this man, and his imp...

How to survive climbing the world’s highest mountains: Andrew Lock (Rebroadcast)

27 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Lock is Australia´s most accomplished mountaineer who has climbed all of the world´s fourteen 8000+ metre summits without supplemental oxygen...

From conquering Everest to pioneering Antarctic tourism: Greg Mortimer (Part 2)

23 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Greg Mortimer is one of Australia’s best known and highly respected mountaineers. In 1984 Greg was one of the first two Australians to ever summit E...

From conquering Everest to pioneering Antarctic tourism: Greg Mortimer (Part 1)

17 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Greg Mortimer is one of Australia’s best known and highly respected mountaineers. In 1984 Greg was one of the first two Australians to ever summit E...

Why paddling the Murray River is an adventure for everyone: Sarah Davis

10 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After fulfilling her dream of paddling the River Nile, Sarah Davis set her sights on paddling Australia’s longest river - the Murray. The adventurer...

Why flies are way cooler than you think: Bryan Lessard

03 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Bryan Lessard, better known as “Bry the Fly Guy”, is an entomologist who's dedicated to changing our perception of flies and other insects. He has...

The man behind the creative direction of Australian Geographic: Mike Ellott

25 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Ellott is one of the country’s leading publishing designers. Australian Geographic´s creative director chats about how he got started – on m...

How our cities can be safe havens for wildlife: Dieter Hochulli

19 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dieter Hochulli is an urban ecologist who specialises in understanding how cities impact Australia’s unique wildlife. During the recent, unprecedent...