Talking Australia

Ecologist Chris Dickman is the man behind one of the biggest news stories of Australia’s worst-ever bushfire season - his estimate of one billion animals killed or injured during the catastrophe went viral. The weight of his findings drew further international focus to the devastation and fuelled demand for action on climate change. On this episode Chris explains how he calculated this huge number and what it truly means for Australia’s wildlife and future. 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.

Behavioural ecologist Gisela Kaplan has studied native Australian birds for decades and understands them better than most people. The expression “bird brain” means quite the opposite of what we think and some species are outsmarting human children in some areas. Her biggest worry is that Australians take their birds for granted and our way of life is pushing them to the brink. On this episode Gisela talks about how to save native birds by understanding their behaviour and needs. It’s not too late, yet. 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.

In the 1970s Mal Leyland and his brother Mike hosted several highly successful TV series, including the iconic Ask the Leyland Brothers, which launched in 1976 and drew a weekly audience of 2.5 million people. The duo inspired a whole generation of Australians to get out and explore their vast country and showed it could even be done in a van with the family. The brothers became national icons but also experienced the dark side of stardom after they lost everything in a failed attempt to build their own theme park. As well as losing his fortune, Mal lost his brother, and two years ago, after 50 years of marriage, his beloved wife. Both died. His ‘never quit’ attitude, however, has helped him secure a new gig with Network 10 and he’s working on a new TV show too. This is part one of our conversation with Mal. 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.

Besides his day job as a University Research Assistant Corey Tutt works tirelessly to raise funds and books for his initiative Deadly Science. So far the program has distributed 5000 books and 70 telescopes to Australian schools. For his efforts to bring knowledge and resources to some of Australia's most remote schools Corey has been named the 2020 NSW Young Australian of the Year. Being an indigenous person himself his motivation is to inspire other young indigenous people and empower them to believe they can be whatever they dream to be. On this episode he talks about his upbringing, what it is like to work as an Alpaca shearer and how he got to become a zookeeper without a university degree. Corey also shares how Deadly Science evolved from sending out a few private books to an ever-growing initiative that raises thousands of dollars and gains more and more supporters. You can find out more about Deadly Science here: https://deadlyscience.icu/ 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.

Terri Irwin, the owner of world famous Australia Zoo and wife of the late crocodile hunter Steve Irwin, has dedicated her life to conserving wildlife. Over the past decade, Terri and her children Bindi and Robert have built up Australia Zoo to new heights. Here, she tells us about meeting Steve for the first time, making ground-breaking television together, and how she and her family coped with losing him. For more info visit www.australiazoo.com.au This Episode of Talking Australia is hosted by Chrissie Goldrick and produced by Ben Kanthak (www.beachshackpodcasts.com). You can also follow us on Instagram @australiangeographic See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.