29 – Eureka Pt 1: Gold

Gold miners built the Eureka Stockade at the Ballarat goldfields in December 1854, but trouble between the miners and the authorities had started pretty much with the gold rush in 1851.  Before we start looking at the Eureka uprising itself, Ep 29 will begin with some background to the story. ...

28 – The Dingo Fence

Australia has a number of massive continuous barrier fences, built by farmers and pastorlists  from the late 1800’s, to try and control the movement of native and introduced pests that were threatening the land and stock. We’re going to look at the development & operation of the massive Dingo Fence,...

21 – Mawson: Antarctic Exploration Pt 1

Australia’s first formal expedition to Antarctica in 1911, the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, was led by Douglas Mawson, a geologist from Adelaide University.  This episode we’ll look at what brought Mawson to the Antarctic, and at the earlier British expeditions that helped scaffold Mawson’s later venture.  The following episodes will focus...