Back Roads

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Back Roads continues the journey on the challenging Strzelecki Track, heading up to Innamincka in the top corner of South Australia.

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

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.

Heather visits Cunnamulla in south-west Queensland with guest presenter, 24-year-old Yorta Yorta man and TikTok star `Outback Tom' Tom Forrest.

Heather Ewart heads to the little town of Darkan in the vast wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Soon, she finds out how a small community manages to saves itself from extinction.

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

The Back Roads leave Australian shores and travel to the closest northern neighbour, Papua New Guinea. Tania Bale introduces us to Rabaul, a community with close ties to Australia.