Back Roads

Presenter Heather Ewart starts the summer season in the idyllic beachside village of Brunswick Heads in northern New South Wales and discovers the surprising joys of life in a holiday town.

Join 'Back Roads' on a journey to Naracoorte on SA's Limestone Coast. Guest presenter, Amanda Shalala discovers a heartwarming community that's welcoming newcomers, changing lives and inspiring its young people to dream big.

Heather Ewart heads to the New England region in NSW and the former gold town of Uralla. Now the locals are uncovering a different kind of treasure, finding riches everywhere and using that to invest in a sustainable future.

Back Roads heads to north Queensland sugar cane country and the town of Home Hill. Presenter Heather Ewart discovers the heartwarming, and at times heartbreaking, stories of the families that first came here to cut cane.

Back Roads heads to Timber Creek in the Top End where guest presenter Kristy O'Brien finds an unlikely partnership is creating positive spin offs for the town and meets locals who've found love in the most unexpected places.

Back Roads sets out to discover the wildlife carers of Western Australia's Northern Wheatbelt. Presenter Heather Ewart meets the fascinating people who have dedicated their lives to helping animals.

Guest presenter Lisa Millar goes fossicking on the central Queensland Gemfields, where anyone can strike it lucky. Lisa discovers a unique way of life and meets the miners who are keeping a slice of Australian history alive.

We return to Eugowra, one of the first towns Back Roads visited when the pandemic hit in 2020. Two years later, it was almost wiped out by a flash flood. Heather discovers how they survived and what's driving their recovery.

Rae Johnston discovers a remote and tiny community that punches above its weight on the international stage, in music, art, science, politics and culture - all while tackling a growing environmental and ecological crisis.

Rae Johnston continues her journey to East Arnhem Land and two very remote communities we rarely see - Gapuwiyak and Galiwin'ku - where the Yolngu people's lives are deeply connected to their culture, the land and each other.

Back Roads meanders the mighty Murray River as it criss-crosses the towns of Gunbower and Torrumbarry, in north central Victoria. Heather finds the communities share a passion for protecting and nurturing the most vulnerable.

Joe O'Brien travels to the Tasman Peninsula, an hour's drive from Hobart. With rolling hills and tranquil bays, towering cliffs and roaring seas, the beauty and dangers of this coastline stirs people's passion for the wild.

Back Roads visits the heritage-listed NSW town of Braidwood. Heather discovers what inspires the town's many artists and how their creative spirit helps the community pull together in challenging times.

While it's assumed men run things in the Outback, Heather arrives in the Queensland town of Julia Creek to discover the local women ROAR...running everything from cattle stations to the famous outback Dirt n Dust festival.

Tasmania's north-west embraces one of the oldest and most spectacular areas in the world. Actress Marta Dusseldorp joins Back Roads for a journey of discovery through one of the most magical places on earth, the Tarkine.

Lisa Millar travels to an old mining town in eastern NSW. In the face of change, the town is fighting to hang onto its identity, but Lisa discovers that a much-maligned haircut is helping Kurri Kurri stand out from the crowd.

Back Roads visits the wild Bass Coast in Southeast Victoria. Uncovering the coastline's ancient secrets, Heather Ewart discovers why the locals aren't afraid to do things a bit differently and break new ground.

Back Roads tackles the longest walking track in Australia, the Heysen Trail. Presenter Paul West discovers the intrepid folk who traverse the 1,200 km trail in big groups and those brave souls that go it alone.

Dive into Australia's iconic surf lifesaving culture in Victoria. Heather Ewart visits 90 Mile Beach in Gippsland, meeting the people who keep beachgoers safe on this dangerous coastline, and the next generation of Nippers.

When Queensland's South Burnett rail line closed after a century of servicing communities in the region, it seemed the beginning of the end. But presenter Lisa Millar discovers new life and prosperity is coming down the same corridor in the form of cyclists, tourists and runners.

Back Roads travels to Ongerup in Western Australia's south-eastern wheatbelt country, where the younger generation are rebooting this once dying town in some unexpected ways. Presenter Heather Ewart helps celebrate its revival at the reopening of its only pub.

Back Roads travels to Charlton in north-west Victoria, for an event like no other. A festival that brings locals and blow-ins together, creating lasting friendships, in one big weekend of live music and country hospitality.

Back Roads heads to Nimmitabel in NSW, one of Australia's highest altitude towns. Heather Ewart finds Nimmitabel has survived against all odds, by trying wild ideas such as a Steampunk festival and a contentious town bell.

These days the Victorian gold rush town of Beechworth is known for bushrangers, beer and bikes. Guest presenter Annie Louey goes in search of Beechworth's hidden Chinese history from the 1850s.

Presenter Tom Forrest explores the fishing town of Port MacDonnell, the Southern Rock Lobster capital of the world, on the rugged and most southerly point of South Australia.

Heather Ewart swaps four wheels for two - with mixed results - when she heads to Evandale in Tasmania, Australia's home of penny farthing races.