Guardian Australia Reads
Three times a week, hear the best of Guardian Australia’s journalism read out loud to you
Sat, April 23, 2022
Reading romance books after heartbreak, finding nostalgia, and living with cancer and Covid
A writer wonders about a happily ever after. Nostalgia rises after years of rapid tech change. And cancer survivors manage treatment during lockdown
Sat, April 16, 2022
Taking inspiration from Chrissy Amphlett, Sharon Stone’s stunt double, and a diving superwoman
Meet three Australian women pushing back on the expectations and stereotypes so often placed on them
Sat, April 09, 2022
‘I am Bob. Just Bob’: could a Wollongong folk hero have had a Nazi past?
The steel city once knew him as a migrant made good who contributed a great gift to the arts. But one man has been digging into the true identity of Bob Sredersas
Sat, April 02, 2022
Leading the charge: road-testing Australia’s EV stations on a 2,800km round trip
What are the pleasures and pitfalls of driving an electric car from Sydney to Melbourne and back? Guardian Australia’s economics correspondent Peter Hannam goes for a test drive. Plus: we hear from a wrestling champ who can’t compete, and about a new island forming in the Pacific
Sat, March 26, 2022
Travelling lions, sinking islands and the last video store
These are some of our favourite stories from the Guardian Australia Reads audio library. A lion gets inside a London black cab, a son contemplates the future of his father’s ashes on a sinking island and Melbourne’s last video store resolutely stays open
Sat, March 19, 2022
In search of Australia’s elusive treasures
Three stories of mystery this week: on the scent of platypus eggs, tracking Australia’s ‘most beautiful mammals’ and uncovering fabled Aboriginal art 40 years after its disappearance
Sat, March 12, 2022
An all-female fight camp, a middle-aged guide to surfing and discovering postpartum rage
Three stories about women at major points in their lives – challenging the stories they’ve been told about themselves. We take on combat sport, brave board burn and experience postpartum fury
Sat, March 05, 2022
‘The good fight’: Roebuck Plains Station and its return to Indigenous owners
The Yawuru people have finally had 530,000 hectares of their traditional country returned to them. We also hear suburban tales of electrifying our homes and discovering treasure on council cleanup days
Sat, February 26, 2022
Meet the superhumans
For four extraordinary people, superpowers are not beyond the imagination – they are an ordinary reality that they smell, remember and see every day
Sat, February 19, 2022
‘Stop and enjoy your life’ – how to rethink work after the pandemic
The pandemic has made us re-evaluate what we took for granted. How have Australians made sense of the value of work, amidst all this change and chaos? We also hear about the digital preservation of a Sydney herbarium, and unlikely discoveries from Alexander Downer’s suitcase
Fri, February 11, 2022
Big cats, green sea turtles and 130 different bird species
Three stories take us into the animal kingdom. Meet communities around Australia ‘discovering’ animals on land and sea, both big and small
Fri, February 04, 2022
A bank heist, losing the vroom and an endurance swim
In a new format, Guardian Australia Reads presents three of our best features, read to you out loud. In this episode, we hear the stories behind Australia’s biggest bank heist, the (controversial) quiet sounds of electric motorcycles and 10-hour swims across the Channel
Fri, January 28, 2022
A day at the beach: sex, sharks and ashes
We take you to the beach and get among the sand and saltwater. Hear four very different stories about memorable moments at the beach. Together they celebrate and remember the feeling of elation – both big and small
Sat, January 22, 2022
The English teacher and the Nazis: trove of letters in Melbourne reveals network that saved Jews
Frances and Jan Newell painstakingly uncovered their mother’s role in facilitating the escape of Jews and political dissidents from Berlin to Britain. Head of news Mike Ticher recommends a story that starts with an old leather suitcase
Thu, January 20, 2022
Pure heaven, but also hell: my trek to find the Disappearing Tarn
In the mountain by Hobart a lake appears just after heavy rain, then vanishes. Features editor Lucy Clark recommends a story that takes us on a mysterious search
Tue, January 18, 2022
Witness K and the ‘outrageous’ spy scandal that failed to shame Australia
Witness K and lawyer Bernard Collaery helped correct what they saw as a gross injustice. Luke Henriques-Gomes introduces Christopher Knaus’ story about espionage, oil fields and diplomatic embarrassment for the Australian government
Sat, January 15, 2022
‘We need to be alarmed’: food banks in overdrive as politicians allow Australians to go hungry
Food relief organisations say they are helping more people than ever before. But this is not a good news story. Head of news, Mike Ticher, introduces an investigation into underlying inequality in Australia that predates the Covid crisis
Thu, January 13, 2022
‘The right thing to do’: restoring Aboriginal place names key to recognising Indigenous histories
Indigenous communities argue that renaming landscapes should not be limited to removing overtly racist colonial names. Assistant news editor Shelley Hepworth recommends this story about truth-telling
Tue, January 11, 2022
When released from prison, Darko Desic faces deportation to a country that no longer exists
Desic turned himself in to police in Sydney 30 years after escaping jail. Ben Doherty explores how his friends and family are pleading for the Australian government to show mercy and let him stay
Sat, January 08, 2022
‘My father will go down like the captain of the Titanic’: life on the Pacific’s disappearing islands
Many in the Saposa Islands are wrestling with the dilemma of starting a new life on the mainland or staying to watch their homes vanish. Deputy editor, David Munk, introduces this story
Thu, January 06, 2022
‘The only place like it in the world’: why the Nicholas Building is the creative heart of Melbourne
Built in 1926 by a pharmaceutical company, the heritage-listed building has since become a hub for artists – who now fear it may be under threat. Culture editor, Steph Harmon, introduces Brigid Delaney’s story about eight of its past and present residents
Tue, January 04, 2022
‘The fear of this vaccine is real’: how Papua New Guinea’s Covid strategy went so wrong
Public confusion and distrust over vaccination have been fuelled by what experts say are crippling failures in authorities’ response to the pandemic. Pacific editor, Kate Lyons, introduces an investigation by Jo Chandler
Sat, January 01, 2022
The unclaimed: the ashes left waiting in Sydney’s Wayside Chapel
In the charity’s storeroom sit the cremated remains of seven former visitors – unclaimed, contested or forgotten. Lifestyle editor Alyx Gorman introduces an intimate story about three of them
Thu, December 30, 2021
A dip in the Yarra or a dive in the Torrens? The push for urban river bathing in Australia
There is a growing effort to reconnect swimmers with city waterways once thought permanently lost to pollution. Assistant news editor Rosemary Bolger recommends a story about alternatives to ocean swims
Tue, December 28, 2021
‘It’s about quality of life’: septuagenarian gym owners keep their peers moving
Their shed may not be state-of-the art but a community-oriented approach to fitness is working out for Barbara and Peter Hill. Lifestyle editor Alyx Gorman introduces a heartwarming story that could get you moving
Sat, December 25, 2021
‘It was life or death’: the plane-hijacking refugees Australia embraced
Luke Henriques-Gomes’s grandfather was one of 44 refugees to arrive in 1975 on the only RAAF plane ever hijacked. The official response still staggers him. Head of news, Mike Ticher, introduces this little known story
Thu, December 23, 2021
‘We’ve been abandoned’: the long road to recovery for black summer bushfire survivors
Nearly two years after fires devastated the NSW south coast, families still live in caravans as they struggle to rebuild in the face of red tape, a skills shortage and dwindling government support. Rural and regional editor, Gabrielle Chan, introduces this story
Tue, December 21, 2021
My life and death hike through busy Melbourne to help a duck march her eight babies to water
For three hours, writer Debbie Lustig fends off traffic and protects the ducklings like a crazy lollipop lady with a fishing net. Assistant news editor Rosemary Bolger introduces this gripping story
Sat, December 18, 2021
Sufferers of chronic pain have long been told it’s all in their head. We now know that’s wrong
As part of a Guardian series about chronic pain and long Covid, Linda Geddes explores the growing realisation that pain can be a disease in and of itself. Gabrielle Jackson, associate editor of audio and visual, introduces this story
Thu, December 16, 2021
What is equity crowdfunding? Why cleaning product and nail polish start-ups ask you to invest
Australian consumers have invested tens of millions in early-stage start-ups since the practice was approved in 2018, but experts advise caution. Lifestyle editor, Alyx Gorman, introduces this story about a trend that has boomed during the pandemic
Tue, December 14, 2021
‘It makes us sick’: remote NT community wants answers about uranium in its water supply
Laramba’s Indigenous residents fear they are at risk of long-term illness and say they need to know who is responsible for fixing the problem. Features editor, Lucy Clark, introduces this story about contaminated drinking water
Sat, December 11, 2021
‘Hydration is a simple thing’: has the quest to improve water actually worked?
From alkaline waters to beauty elixirs, added oxygen and probiotics, many brands claim they have ‘enhanced’ water – but what do the experts think? The lifestyle editor, Alyx Gorman, introduces an investigation into the truest properties of water
Thu, December 09, 2021
‘They’ve forgotten we’re still here’: Australia’s polio survivors
For most, our previous pandemic is a distant memory. But for these five polio survivors, new health problems have just begun. Features editor Lucy Clark introduces personal stories that take us around the country
Tue, December 07, 2021
Rohingya United: the football team bringing together refugees
The Q-League is a far cry from the refugee camps where some of its players learned to play football using scrunched up plastic bags. Guardian Australia’s sport editor Mike Hytner introduces this story about the inclusiveness of sport and a player’s memory of holding a real football for the first time
Sat, December 04, 2021
A journey down WA’s mighty Martuwarra, raging river and sacred ancestor
Traditional owners are standing together to protect the Fitzroy – a ‘beautiful, living water system’. Gabrielle Jackson, associate editor of audio and visual, introduces this story and its bird-sized spiders
Thu, December 02, 2021
‘I’ve worn a couple’: how Alan Lynch’s scary decline adds to concussion discourse
Once fast enough to earn a place in the Stawell Gift hall of fame, the former VFL footballer now lives with Parkinson’s disease. Sport editor Mike Hytner introduces Alan Lynch’s honest and candid account of concussion from sport
Tue, November 30, 2021
Speed, decisiveness, cooperation: how a tiny Taiwanese village overcame Delta
A rural community of 5,500 people, with an under-resourced health system, came together to take on Covid. International news editor Bonnie Malkin introduces this story about a community effort to confront Delta
Sat, November 27, 2021
Clementine Ford pivots to love: ‘For how long can you be the provocative feminist voice?’
After a decade embroiled in public controversies, one of Australia’s most high-profile feminists is exposing a softer side with her new book, How We Love. Culture editor Steph Harmon introduces this profile on someone who describes herself as wilfully misunderstood
Thu, November 25, 2021
‘It will be found’: search for MH370 continues with experts and amateurs still sleuthing
It’s the “mystery that must be solved”. Seven-and-a-half years after the Malaysia Airlines flight disappeared with 239 people on board, head of news Mike Ticher recommends this story as he remembers covering the tragedy when the news broke
Tue, November 23, 2021
A common treatment for endometriosis could actually be making things worse
Repeat surgeries for endometriosis could be exacerbating pain symptoms, experts say. Gabrielle Jackson, associate editor of audio and visual, introduces a story about a chronic inflammatory condition that affects one in 10 women globally
Sat, November 20, 2021
‘There’s risk in everything, right?’ The serendipity and agony of dating your neighbour
Finding love across the back fence or apartment corridor is a high-risk, high-reward proposition. Convenient? Yes. But also, potentially, mortifying. Lifestyle editor Alyx Gorman recommends this story about neighbourhood matches and disasters
Thu, November 18, 2021
Anatomy of the loser AFL club: when is the sting of sporting failure worse?
To fall just short? To never know how it feels to get close? To land between, avoiding either pole? Emma Kemp, deputy sport editor, recommends Geoff Lemon’s treatise on the losing team
Tue, November 16, 2021
In Kawerau one thing impedes the effort to vaccinate Māori: New Zealand’s history
Low Covid vaccination rates reflect practical barriers – but Māori have good reason to distrust the government. International news editor Bonnie Malkin introduces Morgan Godfery’s personal investigation of this fraught history
Sat, November 13, 2021
‘A brilliant way to get humans to behave’: the shelter where volunteers read to farm animals
It might be difficult to choose literature for a sheep. Lifestyle editor, Alyx Gorman, recommends this hopeful story about the rehabilitative effects of a reading program at an animal shelter
Thu, November 11, 2021
‘Killed like animals’: documents reveal how Australia turned a blind eye to a West Papuan massacre
Dozens of West Papuans were tortured and thrown into the sea 23 years ago. Days later, Australia knew details of the attack, yet remained silent. Evening news editor Julian Drape introduces this story about survivors and campaigners still fighting for accountability
Tue, November 09, 2021
Top of the tile: wordsmiths of all ages vie for Australia’s Scrabble honours
Ranging in age from eight to 87, Scrabblers hit the boards in western Sydney earlier this year vying for national supremacy. Sport editor Mike Hytner recommends this match report on a competitive board game with mind-bending wordplay
Sat, November 06, 2021
How the sausage gets made: the serious business of fake meat
Australia’s plant-based meat market is booming, with increasingly sophisticated production techniques aiming to earn a place on carnivores’ plates. Assistant news editor Shelley Hepworth recommends this story about meat alternatives
Thu, November 04, 2021
Photos from ‘beyond the grave’: camera discovery reveals climber’s last images before fatal avalanche
Two decades ago Richard Stiles escaped an avalanche in New Zealand, but friend Steve Robinson wasn’t so lucky. Now the mountain has given up some of its secrets. Features editor Lucy Clark introduces this unexpected tale about a moment that was captured on film and buried for more than 20 years before resurfacing
Tue, November 02, 2021
Reuniting the pack: it took 16 months and a journey through six cities to bring our dog Luna home
When Gadia Zrihan’s family were forced to leave their dog behind, they left a part of themselves too – a part they feared they could never get back. Lifestyle editor Alyx Gorman recommends this story about a heartwarming family reunion during uncertain times
Sat, October 30, 2021
‘That was it, we lost him’: one Sydney family torn apart by Covid
‘Only when you become one of those numbers, when you’re in it, do you realise how serious it is.’ Live news editor Patrick Keneally recommends this story about personal loss and grief behind the Covid headlines
Thu, October 28, 2021
‘You can’t close’: Melbourne’s last video store determined to stay open in streaming era
Derek de Vreught runs the last video store in Melbourne. He’s sticking around as streaming takes over television and browsing for DVDs becomes a ‘decidedly niche experience’. Culture editor Steph Harmon recommends this story about a stalwart
Tue, October 26, 2021
Tasmanian tiger devotees feed Australia’s guilty obsession with a deliberate extinction
The last known thylacine died in 1936, but many are still fixated on proving it lives on. Assistant news editor Rosemary Bolger recommends Gary Nunn’s story about why some are still searching for this animal
Sat, October 23, 2021
‘Just in time’: how Australian doctors drastically reduced deaths from vaccine-linked blood clots
Australia’s low death rate from the rare syndrome linked to the AstraZeneca shot is in no small part due to a ‘huge collaborative effort’. Evening news editor Julian Drape recommends a good news story that happened in the midst of the challenging vaccine rollout
Thu, October 21, 2021
‘Locals love us’: country Australia’s general stores come into their own during Covid
Small town residents couldn’t do without them, especially now. Rural and regional editor Gabrielle Chan recommends this story about finding shelter among the shelves of a 90-year-old general store
Tue, October 19, 2021
‘We were very blessed’: in the Cook Islands the pandemic proved a welcome respite from tourists
Despite nearly 18 months of lost income due to border closures, some in the Cook Islands say they have enjoyed the peace while the environment recovers. Pacific editor Kate Lyons recommends this piece about crabs reclaiming beaches
Sat, October 16, 2021
‘The world is burning’: how Australia’s longest-serving fire chief became a climate champion
After the black summer bushfires it is time for politicians to act on global heating, Greg Mullins says. Assistant news editor Rosemary Bolger recommends Calla Wahlquist’s profile about courage and crisis on the fire front
Thu, October 14, 2021
Taste of freedom: a Kurdish winemaker’s journey from Manus Island to the Yarra Valley
Farhad Bandesh made wine in Iran before he was forced to flee. He has now brought that ancient tradition to Australia. Lifestyle editor, Alyx Gorman, recommends this story about one of the many ways that asylum seekers and refugees contribute to Australia’s vibrant food and wine culture
Tue, October 12, 2021
Andrew Dominik on 20 years of Chopper: ‘Ethics have nothing to do with it’
The director says his film was sympathetic to Mark Brandon Read and ‘on his side’. It had to be – to understand his violence. Culture editor Steph Harmon recommends this story about the depiction of a notorious Australian criminal
Sat, October 09, 2021
‘Hell scared’: how a terrified homeless boy found himself locked up alone in the ‘hole’
Louie has been in and out of juvenile detention most of his young adult life. He tells of how he’d pretend to be on the phone to family just to stay out of solitary a few minutes longer. Indigenous affairs editor Lorena Allam recommends this story from Guardian Australia’s reporting on childhood in custody
Thu, October 07, 2021
Thousands of kilometres from anywhere lies Point Nemo, a watery grave where space stations go to die
The space cemetery, named for the fictional captain in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, is where the International Space Station is likely to end up. Deputy editor, David Munk, recommends this story about deep and dark spaces
Tue, October 05, 2021
In lockdown I entered the abortion clinic alone, hiding trepidation behind my mask
With no way of knowing how long her fertility would prevail, Madison Griffiths did what she felt she had to, with the tools she was afforded. Lifestyle editor Alyx Gorman recommends this personal story
Sat, October 02, 2021
The lion in the London black cab: the remarkable story of Singh, and the boy who loved him
Gifted as a cub by a maharajah to a young British boy, Singh lived at a house in Surrey before outgrowing his home and being driven in a black cab to the zoo. Head of news, Mike Ticher, recommends this surprising story by Ben Doherty
Thu, September 30, 2021
‘They will kill you’: a future leader of Afghanistan on the price he paid for freedom
Mohammad Zaman Khadimi was forced to make an impossible choice as he fled the Taliban for sanctuary in Australia. Assistant news editor Shelley Hepworth recommends this profile by Ben Doherty about Khadimi, a young Hazara man who walked out of class one morning and into a world entirely changed
Tue, September 28, 2021
Covid, Twitter, and Dan Murphy’s opening hours: Peter Doherty on his not-so-restful retirement
He has the most evoked name in Australia thanks to the Covid-19 modelling that bears it. Features editor Lucy Clark recommends Paul Daley’s profile on Peter Doherty, which ranges from politics, books, misinformation and that tweet
Sat, September 25, 2021
Pinched ink: is it wrong to steal a tattoo?
Celebrities have been sued for it, and tattoo artists get shunned for doing it. So how do people wind up with identical tattoos? Lifestyle editor, Alyx Gorman, recommends this piece by James Shackell about a predictable mishap that left a not-so-unique mark on his arm
Thu, September 23, 2021
‘I wasn’t certain I was going to leave hospital’: Sydney teenagers tell of terrifying Covid experience
Celebrating a birthday, within Covid guidelines, was enough to put three 18-year-olds in quarantine. Then one ended up in hospital unable to breathe or walk. Gabrielle Jackson, Guardian Australia associate editor of visual and audio, recommends this piece by Rafqa Touma about teenagers suffering from Covid
Tue, September 21, 2021
If I wasn’t autistic, would my encyclopedic knowledge of dinosaurs be a problem?
Some models of autism frame special interest as something unsettling and obsessive. Guardian Australia’s culture editor, Steph Harmon, recommends a piece by Clem Bastow about this unfair double standard
Sat, September 18, 2021
‘We have nothing’: treating Covid-19 in Papua New Guinea’s broken health system
In a country where nurses are forced to use rice packets as gloves and laundry detergent as disinfectant, treating coronavirus has been an enormously difficult task. Pacific editor Kate Lyons recommends this article about how Australia’s closest neighbour experienced the early days of the pandemic
Thu, September 16, 2021
Meet the man behind Tveeder, the no-frills live TV transcript that became an Australian media hero
Beloved by journalists and increasingly used by a wider public, Tveeder is still run from Franco Trimboli’s Melbourne bedroom, in his spare time, out of his own pocket. Head of news, Mike Ticher, recommends this piece by Naaman Zhou about how this homegrown feed helps us keep up with breaking news
Tue, September 14, 2021
The secret to happiness in uncertain times? Give up pursuing it
By striving for tranquility, rather than gratification, you are less likely to ruin your own day and you’ll be more pleasant to others. Guardian Australia’s lifestyle editor, Alyx Gorman, recommends this piece by Brigid Delaney on an ancient way to pursue happiness
Sat, September 11, 2021
‘Dingoes were here first’: the landowners who say letting ‘wild dogs’ live pays dividends
Some farmers see a vicious pest that should be shot on sight, others a native species that plays a vital role in Australia’s ecosystem. Head of news Mike Ticher recommends this piece by Adam Morton on the conflicting views of what to do about the dingo
Thu, September 09, 2021
The plan to bury Mungo Man and Mungo Lady pains some traditional owners – and the man who found them
Their discovery proved millennia of continuous Indigenous existence but now time is running out for those who want to stop them being buried again. Features editor Lucy Clark recommends Paul Daley’s piece that showcases the tension between three different groups as they tackle with difficult questions
Tue, September 07, 2021
Fossil fever: driving and digging on Australia’s dinosaur trail
Picturing western Queensland as the floor of an ocean takes imagination – but it doesn’t take long to find evidence of prehistoric plenty. Guardian Australia lifestyle editor Alyx Gorman recommends this story where we go back to a time when dinosaurs roamed the countryside
Tue, September 07, 2021
Thomas Keneally on the fracturing of our federation
The Covid pandemic has highlighted that we still cling to old state rivalries. Lenore Taylor, Guardian Australia’s editor, recommends Thomas Keneally’s essay that explores the history of Australia’s federation and what is pulling us apart
Wed, September 01, 2021
Introducing Australia Reads
Guardian Australia’s editors pick the best of our journalism to be read out loud for you. Hosted by Jane Lee
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