Back Roads (TV series)


Back Roads is an Australian factual television series that explores life in regional towns across the country. The observational documentary premiered on ABC on 30 November 2015.
From its debut until 2025, the program was hosted by Australian political journalist Heather Ewart. After the conclusion of Series 11, Ewart stepped down, and Lisa Millar—a recurring guest presenter since 2019—took over as host. The series also regularly features a rotating lineup of guest presenters. Season 12 is set to return on 5 March 2025.
The show’s theme song is performed by Australian singer‑songwriter Rebecca Barnard.
WWW iview.abc.net.au/show/bac...

Episodes

Series 1

Ceduna is a Nullarbor frontier town on the Great Australian Bight, where breaking conventions is the rule.
Winton is a western Queensland town in "Waltzing Matilda" country, where you can spend a day at the races, go digging for dinosaur bones and meet a former Governor-General of Australia, Dame Quentin Bryce.
Yackandandah, in the foothills of Victoria's high country, is a picture-perfect gold rush town which gambled on itself and won.
Karumba is a remote fishing town in Far North Queensland, where locals love the isolation.
Birchip, in the Victorian Mallee, is a town in the heart of wheat country which thrives on bucking trends.
Derby, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, is rich in cultural diversity.
Meet the Young Tasmanian of the year, Adam Mostogl, and explore the stories from the community of Queenstown, in the West Coast region of Tasmania.
The Clarence River is in the Northern Rivers district of New South Wales.

Series 2

Mundulla is a tiny South Australian community which cherishes its old world values, but doesn't mind a bit of healthy competition.
A hairdresser and her 76 year old apprentice take a ten day road-trip from Innisfail to Normanton in Queensland's Gulf country.
Mallacoota is a remote place at the end of the road on the far eastern tip of Victoria. It is known for its natural beauty and wilderness, its isolation has bred a determination in the town to look after its own.
Thursday Island is a laid-back paradise but its isolation can present problems. Locals are rising to the challenge and are carving out a new future
The sheep and wheat town of Katanning lays out the welcome mat and shows how it has transformed itself, holding some delightful surprises.
Hermannsburg, the birthplace of Albert Namatjira, is nurturing both culture and creativity in its young people.
White Cliffs is a tiny outback town known for opal mining and underground dugouts but the community is also full of colourful surprises.
Cygnet is the seaside hamlet of southern Tasmania's Huon Valley, undergoing some big changes with runaways from the city flooding in to town.
Harrow is a creative community that took to heart the mantra "reinvent or perish" and found unique ways to bring new people and fresh ideas into the town.

Series 3

A bucket-load of beauty and a fascinating history haven't been enough to cement Corryong's success but that's changing, with some young people starting to move back.
Dunalley was almost wiped out by bushfires in 2013 but instead of destroying them, the tragedy has proven to be a catalyst for many people to pursue a new path.
Heading along the legendary Oodnadatta Track, the journey begins in the small town of Marree, where the Oodnadatta and Birdsville Tracks meet.
  • Series 3 Ep 4 "Oodnadatta"
Continuing along the Oodnadatta Track and hitching a lift with the truck-driver who delivers essential supplies and meeting the Pink Roadhouse owner, as well as the workers at an isolated cattle station.
  • Series 3 Ep 5 "Robe"
Robe is a fishing port on South Australia's Limestone coast that is known for helping others through their community run project 'Robe to Recovery' which helps War Veterans take time off from their everyday life.
Known as the hot-air ballooning capital of Australia, the Canowindra community is looking to reinvent its future.
Pine Creek is a pioneering outback town in the Northern Territory on the fringes of Kakadu National Park which has long been a boom or bust mining area.
The remarkable locals of the Pilbara region of Western Australia are driving change as the mining boom ends.

Series 4

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Series 5

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Series 6

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Series 7

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Series 8

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Series 9

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Series 10

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Series 11

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