Take a road less travelled to the small towns and communities that make Australia special. Join Heather Ewart and guest presenters as they discover remarkable stories and inspiring people you'll never forget.
Back Roads (Season 11)
Andamooka and Roxby Downs, SA (Episode 1)
Air date: 2025-01-09
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Backroads heads to the South Australian outback to check out two mining towns that are chalk and cheese - Roxby Downs and its unruly cousin, Andamooka.
Camperdown, VIC (Episode 2)
Air date: 2025-01-16
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Camperdown in Southwest Victoria is a town nestled between dormant volcanoes and majestic crater lakes. Kerry Staight discovers a community that embraces its Scottish heritage while also supporting locals going their own way.
Theodore, QLD (Episode 3)
Air date: 2025-01-23
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Back Roads guest presenter Anna Daniels heads to the central Queensland town of Theodore for its 100th birthday. She finds a town honouring its past, but also safeguarding its future, proving anything is possible in the bush.
Kandos, NSW (Episode 4)
Air date: 2025-01-30
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Back Roads journeys to Kandos, on the edge of the Great Dividing Range in New South Wales. This is a town famous for making cement, where Heather Ewart finds an unlikely arts festival is reshaping the community.
Outback Way, NT (Part 1) (Episode 5)
Air date: 2025-02-06
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: In the first of a two-part special, Back Roads takes a trip on The Outback Way, also known as Australia's longest shortcut, where Lisa Millar finds remote communities reaching out to the world in surprising ways.
Outback Way, NT (Part 2) (Episode 6)
Air date: 2025-02-13
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Back Roads continues its epic trip on The Outback Way. Lisa Millar soaks up spectacular natural wonders and meets people making a big difference educating kids, before hitching a ride with a couple of "Warrior Princesses".
Kangaroo Island, SA (Episode 7)
Air date: 2025-02-20
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Back Roads goes in search of all creatures great and small on Kangaroo Island. Guest Presenter Paul West checks in to see how the island is faring after the devastating Black Summer fires of 2020.
Great Keppel, QLD (Episode 8)
Air date: 2025-02-27
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Back Roads heads to Queensland's Great Keppel Island. Once a paradise for partygoers, Heather Ewart meets the locals looking for a better way to share their pristine backyard with the rest of the world.
Hilltops Region, NSW (Episode 9)
Air date: 2025-03-06
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Back Roads presenter Lisa Millar heads to the Hilltops Region of New South Wales for the "shear" excitement and chaos of The Running of the Sheep - a unique event that could only happen in rural Australia.
Wheelbarrow Way, QLD (Episode 10)
Air date: 2025-03-13
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Back Roads follows the Wheelbarrow Way from Mareeba to Chillagoe in Far North Queensland, where home town boy and ABC News presenter, Joe O'Brien, meets teams competing in the Great Wheelbarrow Race.
Bibbulmun Track, WA (Episode 11)
Air date: 2025-03-20
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Back Roads explores Western Australia's beloved Bibbulmun Track - a 1000 kilometre walk through mighty forests and a rugged coastline. Guest Presenter Rae Johnston meets people transformed by the experience.
Outback Dressmakers, NSW (Episode 12)
Air date: 2025-07-17
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Back Roads is off to a wedding, as Heather Ewart discovers the world of made-to-measure couture dressmaking in outback New South Wales.
North East Tasmania (Episode 13)
Air date: 2025-07-24
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Heather Ewart is almost blown away by the "Roaring Forties" winds when she visits the North East of Tasmania - an area rich in history, culture and crayfish.
10 Years of Back Roads: Heather's Farewell (Episode 14)
Air date: 2025-07-31
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: After ten fun-filled years of hitting the Back Roads, Heather Ewart is saying goodbye. In her final episode, Heather relives some of the unforgettable moments from her time on the road and returns to her hometown of Murchison in Victoria.
Snowy River, NSW (Episode 15)
Air date: 2025-08-07
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Gold Logie nominee and the new host of Back Roads, Lisa Millar straps herself in for an adventure exploring the legendary Snowy River. Most of us know the name, but how much do we really know about this iconic river?
Mataranka, NT (Episode 16)
Air date: 2025-08-14
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Kristy O'Brien dives into the nostalgia and untold stories of the Never Never - exploring the town of Mataranka in the Top End, where the 1908 classic 'We of the Never Never' book was set.
Forrest, VIC (Episode 17)
Air date: 2025-08-21
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Guest presenter Paul West ditches his car for a bicycle when he arrives in Forrest nestled in Victoria's Otway Ranges. It's here Paul discovers a former logging town that's now more famous for mountain biking than sawmills.
Harvey, WA (Episode 18)
Air date: 2025-08-28
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Lisa Millar visits Harvey in Western Australia's south-west and discovers how successive waves of migrants have put their stamp on this town, and in doing so have built a thriving multicultural community.
Van Life (Part 1) (Episode 19)
Air date: 2025-09-04
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: These days, thousands of Australians are swapping four walls for four wheels and taking to life on the road. Myf Warhurst hits the bitumen in Far North Queensland to meet some of the people who've chosen van life.
Van Life (Part 2) (Episode 20)
Air date: 2025-09-11
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Myf Warhurst continues her van life odyssey in northern New South Wales and Western Australia. Setting out to discover when van life became a 'thing', she wonders if there comes a time when this nomadic life loses its appeal?
Gippsland Lakes, VIC (Episode 21)
Air date: 2025-09-18
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Lisa Millar is on an odyssey to discover Australia's largest inland waterway, the magnificent Gippsland Lakes in Victoria. It is home to over 300 native wildlife species, including the rare and endangered Burrunan dolphin.
Tambo, QLD (Episode 22)
Air date: 2025-09-25
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Back Roads heads to Tambo, an outback town famous for teddies and chicken racing. Guest presenter, Tom Forrest finds a community that's not afraid to take risks to keep this historic town thriving.
Lucindale, SA (Episode 23)
Air date: 2025-10-02
Runtime: 29 min
Overview: Kristy O'Brien ventures to the tiny South Australian town of Lucindale, discovering a small community playing a big role in keeping the most colourful bush traditions alive.
Tassie Woodchoppers, TAS (Episode 24)
Air date: 2025-10-09
Runtime: 28 min
Overview: Lisa Millar ventures to one of Tasmania's oldest and most celebrated woodchopping carnivals, Henley-on-Mersey. It's here she learns of how generations of axemen and women are keeping this iconic Aussie sport alive.
