Talking Australia

In 2017 Lisa Blair became the first woman to sail solo around Antarctica. Earlier this year she set sail again, determined to become the fastest person ever to complete the journey. On this episode of Talking Australia we catch up with Lisa as she rounds Cape Horn, her journey's halfway point, ahead of schedule and discover she's involved in all manner of scientific research onboard when she's not battling 10m swells and 50 knot winds. This episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Liz Ginis (AG Digital Managing Editor) and produced by Ben Kanthak (Podcast Producer at Australian Geographic) You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Parker is the Senior Threatened Species Officer at the NSW Department of Planning & Environment and Chair of the National Recovery Plan for the Plains-wanderer. In his role David works with rural landholders to ensure the survival of threatened species. In 2021 these efforts lead to more than 13,000 hectares being gifted by landholders to protect the critically endangered plains-wanderer – one of Australia’s rarest birds. On this episode David talks about his role in helping to bring these birds, affectionately known as "Goldilocks', back from the brink while working with passionate and dedicated local landholders. This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Liz Ginis (Managing Editor Digital at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Engineer and professional adventurer Chris Bray turned his passion for nature photography into a thriving business - teaching people how to photograph animals around the globe. His adventurous life started early on a boat with his parents and sister as they sailed around the world. On this episode of Talking Australia Chris chats about his upbringing and how he discovered his passion for photography, and about a hair-raising, high-risk sailing trip through the North West Passage on an old wooden junk, which could have ended his career before it even started. Currently he lives on Christmas Island where he has established an eco-lodge. With the sea at his front door and a wild and remote Indian Ocean island as his playground, Chris has a story you won't want to miss! This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Liz Ginis (Managing Editor Digital at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com) You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duane Hamacher is an astronomer and associate professor at the University of Melbourne who has specific interests in cultural astronomy and Indigenous sciences. His new book, The First Astronomers - How indigenous Elders read the stars, offers a systematic overview of traditional First Nations knowledge of the stars. In this episode he talks about the history and value of cultural astronomy and ongoing attempts to discredit Indigenous science and knowledge. This episode of Talking Australia is hosted and produced by Ben Kanthak (Podcast Producer at Australian Geographic) You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aymeric Maudous grew up in the French countryside of the Bordeaux region and moved to Australia 17 years ago. After years of being a successful marketer in the US he eventually decided to follow his childhood passion for the environment. Aymeric launched “Lord of the Trees” in 2019 – a company that uses drone technology to help reforest landscapes. On this episode Aymeric talks about drones, the benefits of high- and low-tech to tackle current environmental challenges and why Indigenous knowledge and support from local communities is key to the success of his company's work. This episode of Talking Australia is hosted and produced by Ben Kanthak (Podcast Producer at Australian Geographic) You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alan Collins is a professor at the University of Adelaide who is interested in the deep earth evolution of our planet and its effect on our atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. He leads the Tectonics and Earth Systems Group and in 2012 was awarded an Australian Research Council “Future Fellowship”. On this episode of Talking Australia Alan talks about the secrets that rocks hold, our planet’s history, volcanoes and so called “super mountains” This episode of Talking Australia is hosted and produced by Ben Kanthak (Podcast Producer at Australian Geographic) You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tim Jarvis had his fair share of suffering being a polar adventurer and going through extremes. But in order to recreate two epic journeys by Sir Douglas Mawson and Sir Ernest Shackleton, from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, Tim willingly stripped himself of all modern equipment and finished these expeditions with the same clothes and gear that his predecessors used in the early 1900s. On this episode of Talking Australia Tim talks about his adventures and how he since then has become a climate change advocate, public speaker and as of late started the “Forktree Project”, a non-profit demonstration site in South Australia to show large scale rewildering of agricultural land. This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Chrissie Goldrick (Editor-in-chief at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com) You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Dean Miller is a marine biologist, adventurer, film maker, photographer and writer. He is also the managing director of the NGO ‘Great Barrier Reef Legacy’ which is a group of experts dedicated to conservation of coral reefs around the world with focus on our own mighty reef. On this episode of Talking Australia Dean explains how coral reefs work to understand better what exactly ‘bleaching’ means and the work of GBR Legacy who aim to provide opportunities for scientists to access the GBR to conduct primary research. They do this by chartering ships which take a mix of paying guests and professional researchers to remote parts of the reef. They founded a coral biobank to conserve endangered coral species for future coral re-seeding work. This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Chrissie Goldrick (Editor-in-chief at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com) You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Greg Mortimer is one of Australia’s best known and highly respected mountaineers. In 1984 Greg was one of the first two Australians to ever summit Everest. He also climbed the world’s most dangerous mountain, K2, as well as two of the highest peaks in Antarctica. He later became a pioneer of Antarctic tourism and even has a new ship named after him. On this episode of Talking Australia Greg talks about his mountaineering days and how his groundbreaking summit of Everest was also due to his liberal parents and a free upbringing, as well as a bit of naivety and sheer will. This is part one of our conversation with Greg. Make sure to check out part two. This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Chrissie Goldrick (Editor-in-chief at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com) You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kellie Walters is a holistic ecological management expert who started her career living and working as an ecotour guide in Kakadu National Park 24 years ago. Since then she made it her goal to help farmers “future-proof” their land by improving the soil. Trying to be part of the solution her company VRM Biologik produces natural agriculture products that help farmers boost both their soil’s carbon capture and nutrient density. On this episode Kellie talks about the importance of healthy soil and how regenerative agriculture and adapting farming methods can help fight climate change. She also talks about her involvement with the fantastic upcoming documentary "Standing on the soilution”. Trailer: vimeo.com/442553831 This episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Ben Kanthak (Podcast Producer at Australian Geographic) and produced by www.beachshackpodcasts.com You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sophie Matterson took a break from her work in the film industry and the constraints of city life to find new inspiration in the outdoors. She ended up mustering feral camels in the Red Centre, which gave her an idea for an epic adventure. During the midst of the global pandemic she embarked on a 5000km, solo, coast-to-coast trek, accompanied only by her beloved camels. 2 years after embarking on her adventure at shark bay in Western Australia Sophie finished her journey in Byron Bay on the East coast. This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Chrissie Goldrick (Editor-in-chief at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com) You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Dabrowa is a Melbourne-based biohacker and an expert in the field of artificial intelligence and social media. During his time at Harvard University he focussed his social research on the use of propaganda interviewing Nazis and former KGB agents. On this episode Paul talks about the importance of garage scientists and mavericks to the sciences community and the huge potential of biohacking through easy access to advanced gene-modifying technology, known as CRISPR. Despite being part of a growing biohacker scene Paul doesn’t shy away from addressing the dangers that can come with this technology and know how in the wrong hands. He also shares the secret to making beer glow in the dark. This episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Ben Kanthak (Podcast Producer at Australian Geographic) and produced by www.beachshackpodcasts.com You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Craig Leeson began his life in a small community in Northern Tasmania but today he works out of Hong Kong from where he operates an award-winning international documentary making operation. Craig is a man who understands the power of storytelling to create awareness and has made films with the likes of David Attenborough and the National Geographic channel. In 2017 he released “A Plastic Ocean”, a landmark documentary that has seen Craig become an activist and outspoken advocate for political and social change on ocean health and climate change. He has been named Tasmanian Australian of the Year 2022 and just released a new documentary about the loss of the world’s glaciers. This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Chrissie Goldrick (Editor-in-chief at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com) You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Kylie Cairns is a population geneticist and runs the Dingo Genetics Research program. Her aim is to gather more genetic information from Dingos in order to protect them and break with the perception of dingos as feral wild dogs. In this episode, she explains her position in a decades-long and heated scientific debate about the identity of Australia’s land-based apex predator. Kylie shares why she feels it is crucial to protect these animals, which have been introduced to this continent more than 4000 years ago. This episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Ben Kanthak (Podcast Producer at Australian Geographic) and produced by www.beachshackpodcasts.com You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Glen Jacobs is the Director of World Trail and the first and only Australian to be inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. With his company Glen has designed, planned and constructed hundreds of projects in 20 countries and created more than 300km of purpose-built mountain bike trails in Australia. At the age of 12 the Queenslander began exploring the rainforest and building trails in Cairns. In the early 1990s Glen made a name for himself by producing some of the first ever Freeride videos and heavily influenced the sport of mountain biking as we know it today. This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Justin Walker (Editor Australian Geographic Adventure) and produced by Ben Kanthak at www.beachshackpodcasts.com You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Molly Taylor grew up in family of passionate and successful rally drivers. In 2016 she became the youngest ever and first female driver to win the Australian championship. Currently she is competing in the all new electric “Extreme E Rally Championship” and will fulfil her dream by taking part in the legendary Dakar Rally - the pinnacle of off-road racing. On this episode Molly talks about her upbringing in a racing family, pushing the envelope as an upcoming female driver in a still male dominated sport and what it feels like to compete against her parents. This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Justin Walker (Editor Australian Geographic Adventure) and produced by Ben Kanthak at www.beachshackpodcasts.com You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Annette Rypalski is the Biodiversity Director at Mt Rothwell, the largest feral-free ecosystem in Victoria – just 50km outside of Melbourne. Within the fenced-off, predator-free area, Annette and her team work hard to ensure the survival of some of Australia’s most critically endangered species. On this episode she shares her journey, explains how dingoes are a vital help with her efforts and also reflects on the deadly bushfires that almost wiped out the entire southern brush-tailed rock-wallaby population. This episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Ben Kanthak (Podcast Producer at Australian Geographic) and produced by www.beachshackpodcasts.com You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Veena Sahajwalla is also known as “the waste queen” and the inventor of the world’s first e-waste micro factory. Her mission in life is to find new ways to deal with our massive waste problems. Her ideas of reviving waste gained huge popularity through the successful tv-program “war on waste”. In this episode she shares her story from her childhood in India to becoming a recycling guru and professor at the University of NSW. Here you can find out more about Veena´s work: www.newsroom.unsw.edu.au/news/science-tech/fighting-war-waste This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Angela Heathcote (Digital Producer at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com). You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bryan Lessard, better known as “Bry the Fly Guy”, is an entomologist who's dedicated to changing our perception of flies and other insects. He has discovered many new fly species and had the privilege of naming them, often having fun along the way with names such as Scaptia beyonceae, aka Beyoncé fly. On this episode of Talking Australia Bryan explains why flies and other insects are crucial to pollination and why insects in particular are becoming a billion dollar industry. This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Angela Heathcote (Digital Producer at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com). You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ross Coulthart is a highly respected, award-winning investigative journalist, TV presenter and author. He is well known to Australians thanks to his role as an investigative reporter on 60 Minutes. Ross spent much of the past year discovering more about sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), previously referred to as UFOs, following a decision by the US government to officially investigate sightings of UAP, in particular video footage captured by the United States Navy. On this episode Ross talks about this paradigm shift and his decision to finally investigate the subject after almost four decades as a journalist. He also shares some of the stories he has unearthed here in Australia. This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Chrissie Goldrick (Editor-in-chief at Australian Geographic) and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com) You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.