Coast Australia follows renowned Scottish archaeologist and historian Neil Oliver on his very first trip to Australia, as he and a diverse group of co-hosts gather stories about our spectacular coastline: the history, the people, the archaeology, the geography and the marine life, investigating interesting and little known facts along the way. Oliver’s co-hosts, all experts in their field, are journalist and Australian arts and culture specialist Miriam Corowa, environmentalist Professor Tim Flannery, marine scientist Dr Emma Johnston, anthropologist Dr Xanthe Mallett and television presenter and landscape architect Brendan Moar.
The Kimberley
Dec 2, 2013
In the pristine Kimberley of Western Australia, Neil Oliver discovers Broome’s dark pearling history and the delicate science of their cultivation. Tim Flannery walks in primeval tracks along the legendary Dinosaur Coast. Xanthe Mallett explores a unique maritime war grave. Brendan Moar learns the art of Indigenous raft making and Emma Johnston investigates the lush, protected habitat of migratory shorebirds. Neil Oliver wrestles the southern hemisphere’s biggest tides at the surging Horizontal Falls, and finally experiences the dreaming stories through a little sacred maintenance on some ancient rock art at Freshwater Cove.
Sydney to North Head
Dec 9, 2013
Across the glittering waters of Sydney, Neil Oliver explores the network of fortification to protect "Fortress Sydney", and discovers how close the city came to being taken in WW2. Xanthe Mallett learns how to make lime as the convicts did in her quest to understand the importance of oysters in building the early colony. Tim Flannery reveals the geological secrets of the city's vast and sprawling harbour and unlocks the riddle of the rivers that had Captain Philip baffled in 1788. Brendan Moar examines an international icon in engineering and design, and reveals the story of those who made the greatest sacrifice. Emma Johnston hunts for tropical fish in Sydney's temperate and diverse harbour.
Great Barrier Reef
Dec 16, 2013
Neil Oliver begins this stunning journey through the world's largest coral reef in the wake of James Cook, and in the hands of the Australian Navy's hydrography team. Brendan Moar discovers an Australian community overcoming wretched beginnings by renewing island family ties. Tim Flannery is granted rare access to a scientific research zone to examine coral history. Xanthe Mallett dives a spectacular wreck in search of answers about its calamitous sinking. On an idyllic island, Neil Oliver uncovers a bloody tale of cultural misunderstanding. Finally, at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, Emma Johnston heads underwater with Google to take the reef into homes around the world.
Tasmania
Dec 23, 2013
In the tranquil south-east of Tasmania, Neil Oliver probes Port Arthur’s harsh penal history. Brendan Moar examines the dramatic grip of lighthouse life on a remote Island. Emma Johnston dives into an underwater battleground to see how science and industry are saving the marine neighbourhood. Neil joins the southern hemisphere’s largest wooden boat festival. Tim Flannery investigates Hobart’s long and illustrious role in Antarctic exploration. Finally, Xanthe Mallett delves into the violent history of whaling, and the legacy that helped build a colony.
Gold to Sunshine Coast
Dec 30, 2013
On Australia’s shiny holiday coast, Miriam Corowa investigates the engineering behind the 1970s Florida-style canal system of the Gold Coast. Neil Oliver heads to Peel Island to see the remains of a bleak chapter in history. Xanthe Mallett scours a WW2 fortification at what could have been Australia’s front line, and discovers what life was like waiting for the war to arrive. Brendan Moar dives headlong into a dangerous current to investigate first hand the science of rips. Emma Johnston joins a scientific hunt for dugongs, in the hope of saving them. Finally, Tim Flannery travels to Fraser Island to investigate what’s at the end of the line for the longest sand drift system in the world.
Victoria
Jan 6, 2014
Along this historic stretch of coast, Neil Oliver explores Cape Otway and the beacon that helped birth a nation. Tim Flannery scours the water for evidence of the marine mega fauna that roamed ancestral Port Phillip Bay. Brendan Moar uncovers the history of the Great Ocean Road, and, armed with his pick, grasps the challenges of building a now world famous coastal road in the 1920s. Emma Johnston hunts for the delicate Weedy Seadragon and discovers a tragic tale of one artist much captivated by its vivid beauty. On the historic Loch Ard wreck, Xanthe Mallet dives for clues about how and why disaster struck, with only two lives saved, while Miriam Corowa discovers why the coast at Bells Beach keeps pumping out the perfect waves.
Darwin and Beyond
Jan 13, 2014
Tim Flannery begins this Top End adventure at Victoria Settlement and its tragic history in the struggle to colonise Australia’s northern frontier. Neil Oliver examines the ferocious bombing of Darwin and a remarkable story of reconciliation between former enemies. Miriam Corowa confirms that not all Hollywood dreams come true especially along this unforgiving coast. Xanthe Mallett goes on patrol with Australian Customs & Fisheries to hunt for killer ghost nets. And no Top End story would be complete without a crocodile – Emma Johnston draws blood in the name of science.
Coral Coast
Jan 20, 2014
On this wind-swept coast, Neil Oliver investigates why no one survived the attack on HMAS Sydney in its dramatic battle with a German raider in 1941. Xanthe Mallett heads to the Houtman Abrolhos islands and unearths the gruesome tale of the Dutch Batavia murders of 1629. In Shark Bay Tim Flannery finds 3 billion year old life, while Neil Oliver explores why Carnarvon's jetty was once the life-blood of the Gascoyne region. Emma Johnston witnesses why the world's largest fish keeps returning to the crystal waters of Ningaloo Reef, and Brendan Moar catches up with coastal nomads off the grid, on the edge of the continent.
