A Big Country
Local News
The ABC's team of specialist reporters introduce you to the people and places that make up country Australia.
Location:
Australia
Description:
The ABC's team of specialist reporters introduce you to the people and places that make up country Australia.
Language:
English
Episodes
The family that fossicks and a woodchopping legend
7/10/2022
Meet a woodchopping legend, come on a fossicking family trip around Australia and join the crowd gathered to meet some famous Muster Dogs.
Duration:00:25:40
Three generations sharing a passion for railway and life of a remote road worker
7/3/2022
Three generations of family keeping tourist railway on track; remote worker survives weeks alone in the outback with the help of his guitar; Tassie devils adjusting to life in tropical north as part of conservation project; breeding Boer goats for meat and weed munching.
Duration:00:25:44
Using fruit to flavour beer and giving grand, old homestead a new lease on life
6/26/2022
Unwanted passionfruit pureed to make funky beer flavouring; relocating and restoring historic homestead in outback Queensland; turtle research focussed on keeping nests cool to prevent male drought; celebrating the rosella with plans to crank up jam business.
Duration:00:25:43
Tackling outback track on horseback and repairing river system
6/19/2022
A gap year with a difference for teen horseback adventurer; environmental project helping to restore river; family reunion to remember Italian forbears who made a new life in the cane fields of northern Australia; talking tea cosies over a cuppa with an expert in the craft.
Duration:00:24:53
Exploring island bird life and challenging stereotypes of farmers
6/5/2022
Appreciating biodiversity in the Capricorn Cays; photographer aiming to smash stereotypes of what a farmer looks like; lambs that love mangoes are helping farmers manage their orchard; growing rare varieties of bananas has kept this farmer in business.
Duration:00:25:32
Persimmon season and cast and crew remember Castaway series
5/29/2022
Demand growing for unusual autumn fruit; cast and crew of Castaway series return to filming location nearly fifty years later for history project; adventurous tree changers swap beachside apartment living for farm life; after 21 years of tending to their olive grove couple pick final harvest.
Duration:00:25:46
Making beer with fresh local hops and perfect score for 100-year-old wine
5/22/2022
Making beer with fresh, locally grown hops; accolades for century old wine; ambitious attempt to circumnavigate Australia in record speed; pony time helping with learning and relaxation.
Duration:00:25:30
Picking precious saffron stigma and restoring old boat
5/15/2022
Busy saffron harvest has bees in a flop; maritime restoration a labour of love; yachtsman finds connection to land through farm work; scientists make most of extraordinary breeding season to study pelican population.
Duration:00:24:58
Fishing for success at world champs and finding hidden koalas
5/8/2022
Trading trout for Arctic greyling as female fly fishers head to northern hemisphere for ladies world champs; citizen scientists discover hidden koala colony during covid bush ramble; the wild, but true story that has inspired a film exploring a chapter of Australia's early colonial history; making May mum's month, florist's plan to spread out the joy of busy day.
Duration:00:25:23
Dogs sniffing out weeds and falling in love with distilling
5/1/2022
Conservation detection dogs helping out with hunt for weeds; discovering distilling leads couple to new career working with botanicals and barley; short film project sharing stories of people living with dementia; beekeeper shares buzz for raw honey.
Duration:00:25:33
An iconic pub re-opens its doors and a passion for sharing becomes a chain of seed libraries.
4/24/2022
Australian-born sun bear Maly celebrates 14th birthday, Walking from Sydney to Darwin to raise addiction awareness, a seed library bringing a community together and an iconic pub re-opens its doors.
Duration:00:25:42
Swapping the emergency ward for an apple orchard and restoring a memory-filled bus
4/17/2022
Reliving the 1980s through a double-decker bus restoration, music lessons from 1000km away, kids get up close with fresh produce and a couple swap the hospital for the orchard.
Duration:00:25:42
Pressing pretty petals for cakemakers and taking family life off grid
4/10/2022
Growing edible flowers for chefs and cakemakers; family living off-grid in rainforest 'paradise'; bandicoot study aiming to better understand mysterious marsupial; fifty years of collecting Furphy water carts.
Duration:00:25:44
Making cheese using ancient methods and caring for 1800s rural homestead
4/3/2022
Award-winning cheese maker using ancient methods; tree-change takes apartment-dweller back home to become custodian of 180-year-old country homestead; outback school's 'happy heart hub' helping boost student attendance; native fish hatchery growing threatened species Murray Cod and golden perch to restock rivers.
Duration:00:25:39
Teens getting a taste for shearing and timber turner working with ancient Huon pine
3/27/2022
School teens getting a taste for shearing with training course to ease skills shortage; outback cricket match brings remote communities together; craftsman turning ancient timber into wooden treasures; demand growing for rare, historic cattle breed.
Duration:00:25:16
Revealing secrets of the deep and artist capturing quirky scenes of country life
3/20/2022
Wildlife filmmaker's grand plan to reveal marine secrets; regional artist's drawings capture humour of country life; prisoners learning horticultural skills, planting seeds of hope for future; farmer's beloved paddock bomb.
Duration:00:25:40
Learning the ropes of cattle industry and making the switch from farming to flying
3/13/2022
Next generation ringers learning skills of cattle trade; farmer swaps working the land for taking to the sky to pursue passion for flying; date farm in outback grazing country becomes popular tourist spot, pop-up garden project bringing post-lockdown joy for apartment dwellers.
Duration:00:25:36
Bringing back birds and drones helping wallaby conservation project
3/6/2022
Decades of tree planting paying off with birds returning to rural landscape; thermal imaging drones aiding rare wallaby conservation project; farmer recruits guinea pigs to help munch through weeds; foraging for seaweed snacks on beach walks.
Duration:00:25:44
Next generation grain farmers milling wheat for flour and tapping into demand for local blooms
2/27/2022
Next generation of family farmers milling wheat crop into high-end baking flour; business blooming for hobby flower grower amid demand for locally grown bunches; modern day treasure hunter helping to solve mysteries, unearth precious items; teaching free divers to relax to dive deeper, for longer
Duration:00:25:45
Robbing nests to save malleefowl and harvesting native grains
2/20/2022
Farmers and conservationists team up to help save endangered malleefowl; harvest with a difference as Indigenous led project experiments with native grain crops; , call out for volunteers to assist with farm flood clean up; getting up close with 'Old Mate'- the much loved 2.3 metre saltwater crocodile family pet.
Duration:00:25:39