Australian Story

Australian Story Season 17

TV Show

Season 17 Episodes

1. Road to Nowhere (Part 1)

February 6th, 201230 min

Part 1 of our story on Di Gicrist, the woman taking on the big end of town and changing the face of justice in South Australia after her husband was killed in a hit-and-run cyclist incident.

2. Road to Nowhere (Part 2)

February 13th, 201230 min

The conclusion to our story on Di Gilcrist and her fight for justice after her husband was killed in a hit-and-run cyclist incident.

3. Mary and Me

February 20th, 201230 min

Kath Evans was diagnosed with lung cancer that had spread to her brain and given only weeks to live. She attributes her sudden, extraordinary recovery to the then Blessed Mary MacKillop and the event was accepted by the Vatican as a miracle.

4. By the Light of Stars

February 27th, 201230 min

Yaron Lifschitz took a small, troubled circus company and turned it into an artistic triumph that now has the world applauding its daring and glamour.

5. Half a Million Acres

March 5th, 201230 min

David Pollock, a young man from remote Western Australia and Frances Jones, a young woman from the Melbourne suburbs, battle to save the historic grazing property Wooleen.

6. The Book of Daniel

March 12th, 201230 min

Daniel Clarke at the age of ten, inspired by the late Steve Irwin, set out to raise funds to conserve habitat for orangutans in Indonesia.

7. Woman from Snowy River

March 19th, 201230 min

Leigh Woodgate's journey from young mountain girl to shining racing star, through dark days of hospital and recovery to the triumphant joy of riding a horse for early morning track work.

8. Going Troppo

March 26th, 201230 min

From teenage years marked by delinquency, expulsions from school and several brushes with the law, John Polson became a successful actor and went on to direct some of the world's best known TV dramas.

9. House Of Hancock

April 2nd, 201230 min

Another look at the 1997 classic story on Australia's richest person, Gina Rinehart.

10. A Done Deal

April 9th, 201230 min

Ric Richardson is an inventor who took on the might of Microsoft and scored a remarkable victory.

11. Streets with No Names

April 16th, 201230 min

Scott Neeson built a career as a top Hollywood movie executive but after a holiday in Cambodia, gave it all up and now works to help some of the poorest children there.

12. The Razor's Edge

April 23rd, 201230 min

Risktaker, investigator and troublemaker: animal advocate Lyn White and the images that shocked a nation.

13. Return to Wooleen

April 30th, 201230 min

Since Half a Million Acres aired, the Pollock's battle to save their property has attracted powerful supporters and a visit by natural landscape ecologist, Peter Andrews who has previously featured on Australian Story.

14. Larger Than Life

May 7th, 201230 min

Clive Palmer has been described as a generous giver, a national treasure and a major political force. He's also been labelled a billionaire mining magnate who has never mined, a human headline and a manipulator of the media.

15. When We Were Racers

May 14th, 201230 min

Triple world champion, Sir Jack Brabham became the first driver to be knighted for services to motorsport and the only Formula One driver to win a world title in a car of his own construction.

16. According to Her Cloth

May 21st, 201230 min

From international model via prison to toast of Australian fashion week as a new generation designer: Tovah Cottle.

17. Turning the Tables

May 28th, 201230 min

Jack Manning Bancroft, was just 19 when he started a plan to help disadvantaged kids finish school. Now at 26 he's one of Australia's youngest CEO's.

18. Walking with Kate Mulvany

June 4th, 201230 min

Actress and playwright Kate Mulvany has experienced more than most people do in a lifetime and speaks candidly about life's many challenges and explains how she found the energy and determination to return to the public spotlight.

19. The Voice

June 11th, 201230 min

Gurrumul Yunupingu's haunting voice has captivated global audiences, most recently in London for Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

20. To Set Before a Queen

June 18th, 201230 min

In the early hours of Sunday June 24, the unbeaten Black Caviar will take on Europe's best at Royal Ascot, in front of the Queen. This is the fascinating inside story of the making of Black Caviar, stretching back across the generations.

21. Her Hour Upon the Stage (Part 1)

June 25th, 201230 min

Part One of our two part special where friends and family of Diana Bliss tell her story and reveal the extent of the private torment behind the glittering existence.

22. Her Hour Upon the Stage (Part 2)

July 2nd, 201230 min

This week, the conclusion to our story about Diana Bliss whose death earlier this year was reported around the world.

23. Letters to the Editor

July 9th, 201230 min

It's a time of unprecedented crisis in the newspaper industry. But this week's Australian Story is about a former big city journalist who's bucking the trend. James Clark had been living the dream in Paris when he decided to put his future, his relationship and the family sheep station on the line to chase his dream of running a little local newspaper in outback Cunnamulla.

24. Stranger on the Shore

July 16th, 201230 min

Next week's program tells the story of a young woman unsettling her middle class Melbourne family by going out on a limb to 'adopt' a fourteen year old Afghan asylum seeker.

25. Foolin' Around

July 23rd, 201230 min

Popular Country singer Beccy Cole has decided she is ready to tell audiences about a personal dilemma which has dogged her for more than ten years.

26. It Takes a Village

July 30th, 201230 min

In 2001 Ian and Sandy Johnson adopted two orphaned children, Tigi and Frazer, from Ethiopia. Now with the children 12 and 15, we returned to find out how it's all worked out.

27. Her Natural Life

August 6th, 201230 min

This program documents Annabelle Sandes' unlikely pathway from the fine art auction rooms of inner Sydney to whale conservation in the Kimberley.

28. Tatiana Is Dancing

August 13th, 201230 min

Tanya Pearson has shaped the careers of hundreds of aspiring Australian dancers and at 75 continues to teach classical ballet full time.

29. The Queen of Extreme

August 20th, 201230 min

Torah Bright has lived in the United States since she was fifteen years old when she turned professional as a snowboarder. Since then, she's flown under the radar of many Australians. Her specialty is the half pipe – a winter Olympic event with a huge international following.

30. Kicking the Habit

August 27th, 201230 min

A recent High Court ruling all but ended the branding of cigarette packets in Australia. The decision and the woman behind it, Federal-Attorney General Nicola Roxon, have generated news headlines around the world.

31. War Paint

September 3rd, 201230 min

Ben Quilty is an Archibald prize winning artist with a lifelong interest in concepts of masculinity - from youthful excesses with drugs, alcohol and fast cars to soldiers on the front line.

32. On Bicheno Beach

September 10th, 201230 min

It's forty years since a 15 year old Shane Gould created a sporting sensation by winning three individual gold medals at the Munich Olympics.

33. Alaska and Me

September 17th, 201230 min

Twenty-seven year old John Cantor has devoted the past six years to trying to complete one of the toughest solo expeditions on earth - Brooks Range in Alaska.

34. Life After Puberty

September 24th, 201230 min

Nell Schofield and Jad Capelja, the two young girls who starred in the 1981 Bruce Beresford film 'Puberty Blues', found fame and celebrity and looked set for big careers on screen...

35. Leap of Faith

October 1st, 201230 min

Li Cunxin - once one of the world's best known dancers - embarks on a high stakes return to the ballet world after 15 years as a stockbroker.

36. The Slam

October 8th, 201230 min

Exclusive with Rod Laver: the tennis legend is joined by family, friends and a line up of greats including Roger Federer.

37. The Slam (Part 2)

October 15th, 201230 min

Part two follows Laver through his marriage to an older American divorcee, raising children, battling a near catastrophic stroke and his return to Australia in circumstances he describes as the supreme highlight of his life.

38. The Year of Living Famously

October 22nd, 201230 min

Ben Lewin and Judi Levine are two film-makers whose latest film 'The Sessions' has received considerable acclaim and is now being tipped as an Academy Awards contender.

39. A Man of His Word

October 29th, 201230 min

Veteran print reporter Malcolm Brown has covered some of the biggest stories of the last four decades, but now finds himself somewhat out of step with the times in an industry caught on the cutting edge of the digital revolution.

40. Dreams from My Mother

November 5th, 201230 min

Oscar-nominated actress Diane Cilento left Hollywood at the height of her fame to pursue more creative and spiritual endeavours. Her most enduring love was a theatre she created in the middle of the North Queensland rainforest.

41. Under Her Spell

November 12th, 201230 min

Zelie Bullen is a former stunt woman, turned world renowned animal trainer who trained Abraham, the lead horse in Steven Spielberg's movie 'War Horse'.

All Seasons

Series 2024

Series 2024

Feb 19, 2024
Series 2023

Series 2023

Feb 27, 2023
Series 2022

Series 2022

Feb 28, 2022
Series 2021

Series 2021

Feb 8, 2021
Series 2020

Series 2020

Feb 17, 2020
Series 2019

Series 2019

Feb 18, 2019
Series 2018

Series 2018

Feb 5, 2018
Series 2017

Series 2017

Feb 6, 2017
Series 2016

Series 2016

Feb 1, 2016
Series 2015

Series 2015

Feb 2, 2015
Season 19

Season 19

Feb 3, 2014
Season 18

Season 18

Feb 4, 2013
Season 17

Season 17

Feb 6, 2012
Season 16

Season 16

Feb 7, 2011
Season 15

Season 15

Jan 8, 2010
Season 14

Season 14

Feb 9, 2009
Season 13

Season 13

Feb 11, 2008
Season 12

Season 12

Feb 12, 2007
Season 11

Season 11

Jan 23, 2006
Season 10

Season 10

Feb 7, 2005
Season 9

Season 9

Feb 16, 2004
Season 8

Season 8

Feb 17, 2003
Season 7

Season 7

Feb 11, 2002
Season 6

Season 6

Feb 1, 2001
Season 5

Season 5

Feb 10, 2000
Season 4

Season 4

Feb 18, 1999
Season 3

Season 3

Feb 12, 1998
Season 2

Season 2

Feb 15, 1997
Season 1

Season 1

May 29, 1996
Specials

Specials

Aug 30, 2011