Back Roads

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

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 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.

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.

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 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 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 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 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 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 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.

This week Heather is off to a wedding, discovering the world of made-to measure couture around Moree in outback New South Wales.

The Moree Plains might be more famous for their fertile rich black soil, but it's here that wedding dress designer Melinda O'Donoghue has made hundreds of show stopping dresses. Heather visits Melinda at her home turned bridal studio, watching a dress fitting and meeting Melinda's truck driver husband Des, who also happens to be the official button maker! Heading into Moree Heather meets proud Gomeroi woman and dress designer Colleen Tighe Johnson. Colleen grew up in Moree and started a free fashion program to inspire and empower the next generation of local Aboriginal women.

It was the beginning of a journey that has seen her dress designs featuring Gomeroi artworks catapulted to the world stage. Heather learns how Colleen now provides an avenue for young Aboriginal people to work as models and crew members at fashion shows in New York and beyond. Visiting the one remaining fabric shop in Moree, Heather meets Sylvia Broderick. Opening the shop in 1976 Sylvia has watched the fashion for making clothes decline, but Heather learns how Sylvia and her classic shop are still essential in supplying the local dressmaking community.

And finally, Heather gets to go to a wedding! Invited by of one of Melinda's brides to see first-hand the impact of a great dress.

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.

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.

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?

Guest presenter Kristy O'Brien dives into the legend of the Never Never exploring the town of Mataranka in the Northern Territory. Mataranka is where 'We of the Never Never' was set, the famous novel written by Jeannie Gunn.

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.

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.

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.

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?

Lisa Millar is on an odyssey to discover Australia's largest inland waterway, the magnificent Gippsland Lakes in Victoria. It is home to over 300 native wildlife species, including the rare and endangered Burrunan dolphin.

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

Kristy O'Brien ventures to the tiny South Australian town of Lucindale, discovering a small community playing a big role in keeping the most colourful bush traditions alive.

Lisa Millar ventures to one of Tasmania's oldest and most celebrated woodchopping carnivals, Henley-on-Mersey. It's here she learns of how generations of axemen and women are keeping this iconic Aussie sport alive. (Final)