Back Roads

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.

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

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

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.

Heather joins a cavalcade of showmen and their little town on wheels on an 800 km run through far north Queensland. Its a journey that will bust every preconceived idea of what the travelling carnival life is like.

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 shes taken on Back Roads.

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

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

Guest presenter Kristy OBrien 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.

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

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.

Guest Presenter Lisa Millar goes on an adventure to Victorias French Island. World renowned as a haven for many bird, animal and plant species - it is a Noahs ark of diversity.

Guest Presenter Kerry Staight travels to Pinnaroo in South Australia, a town that is putting the health and happiness of its people above everything else.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Guest presenter Lisa Millar takes us on a journey along Victorias 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 visits Cunnamulla in south-west Queensland with guest presenter, 24-year-old Yorta Yorta man and TikTok star Tom Forrest aka Outback Tom. He finds a town transforming itself from a dark past to a brighter future.

Heather Ewart heads to Tasmania with two intrepid line dancers who are on a boot scootin line dancing tour of the nation holding Hoedowns for country towns, lifting spirits and raising money to help others, along the way.

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 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.

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

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 whats driving their recovery.

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

Joe OBrien travels to the Tasman Peninsula, an hours drive from Hobart. With rolling hills and tranquil bays, towering cliffs and roaring seas, the beauty and dangers of this coastline stirs peoples passion for the wild.

While its 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.

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.

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.

When Queenslands 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.

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.

These days the Victorian gold rush town of Beechworth is known for bushrangers, beer and bikes. Guest presenter Annie Louey goes in search of Beechworths hidden Chinese history from the 1850s.

Heather Ewart swaps four wheels for two - with mixed results - when she heads to Evandale in Tasmania, Australias home of penny farthing races.

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.

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 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".

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

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

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.

Kristy OBrien 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.

Lisa Millar visits Harvey in Western Australias 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.

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?

Back Roads heads to Tambo, an outback town famous for teddies and chicken racing. Guest presenter, Tom Forrest finds a community thats not afraid to take risks to keep this historic town thriving.

Lisa Millar ventures to one of Tasmanias oldest and most celebrated woodchopping carnivals, Henley-on-Mersey. Its here she learns of how generations of axemen and women are keeping this iconic Aussie sport alive.