In this chapter: The convict who tried a ‘fool’s gold’ trick – twice; The real gold rushes and the birth of the swaggie; The arrival of the Chinese goes off like fireworks, so here comes the White Australia Policy; Grog and m...

Now Red Dust listeners, I have no interviews to present to you this episode. Rather, let’s head back in time, to before recording devices were invented. Australia, as with the rest of the world, right now is in the midst of t...

Two States, one Territory. Three isolated women, each with totally different backgrounds and motivations, tell tales about goats and ghosts and tin mines, that go back to early 20th Century Outback Australia.

Now I want to present to you a time capsule. It’s a radio documentary I prepared in 1972, for the ABC. Back then it’s title was, ‘The Urban Aborigine’ , and you’ll find the word 'aborigine' features strongly thoughout For ma...

This episode has everything: A road trip. (Well, on mainly dusty tracks) across three quarters of Australia. Memorable encounters with remnants of Aboriginal tribes – two of whom were the last speakers of a number of ancient ...

Ned Conroy, the craggy-browed Scotsman with the missing teeth and a dusty face the colour of the red earth he dug in, loved the bush, and the chase for floaters – those bits of gold on the surface – and then the dig-down sea...