Australian Story Season 28, Episode 8: Charting Her Course - Jessica Watson

1

The Transformer - Saul Griffith

His ideas caught the eye of the US President. Now engineer Saul Griffith is making waves at home, joining his local community in an ambitious project to electrify their suburb and power it with renewables.

30 min

2

Game Changer

Many parents worry their children are gaming to excess and don't know how to deal with it. Psychologist Wayne Warburton says he can help, with an Australia-first program tackling problem gaming. Will it work?

30 min

3

Diving in Deep (Part 1) - Valerie Taylor

Valerie Taylor burst onto our TV screens in the '60s, stunning viewers by diving with dangerous sharks. She shares home movies, recalls acting in Skippy and reveals the moment that made her a shark advocate.

30 min

4

Diving in Deep (Part 2) - Valerie Taylor

Shark legend Valerie Taylor takes us behind the scenes of the hit film Jaws and inside her campaign to save the grey nurse shark. Still diving at 87, she's inspiring a new generation of marine warriors.

30 min

5

Making a Scene - Claudia Karvan

Actor and producer Claudia Karvan speaks openly about her chaotic childhood and the challenges of managing her late father's mental illness. And she reveals how she mines her unconventional life for her drama.

30 min

6

After The Fall - Mahboba Rawi and Sourosh Cina

From a Sydney loungeroom, a mother and son take on a perilous mission to evacuate children and staff from their Afghan orphanages following the Taliban's return to power in 2021. Can they pull it off?

30 min

7

A Matter of Minutes - Mick and Katharine O'Dowd

Mick O'Dowd has survived the unimaginable. He came close to death but lived. Three years after first telling his story, Mick is reclaiming his life and is back doing the things he loves.

31 min

8

Charting Her Course - Jessica Watson

Love, loss and sailing the world solo: Jessica Watson takes us inside her amazing voyage as a teenage sailor, speaks about the grief of losing her partner, and a new feature film which has thrust her back into the spotlight.

31 min

9

Call of the River (Update) - Kate McBride

Four years after alerting the world to mass fish kills in the Darling River, young farmer Kate McBride is taking her campaign to Canberra. She's determined to be a voice for the bush and fight for the river she loves.

30 min

10

Taking the Lead - Heather Mitchell

Actor Heather Mitchell's life has been as dramatic off screen as it has on. And she's channelling those experiences into some of the greatest performances of her career.

30 min

11

After the Storm (Update) - Beth Heinrich

One woman's decades-long quest for justice. Beth Heinrich was permanently changed by what she experienced as a teenager. Now in her 80s, she's spent almost half her lifetime chasing the Anglican Church to right past wrongs.

32 min

12

Labour of Love - Michelle and Jono Harley

How a 52-year-old woman gave birth to her grandson. When Michelle couldn't have children, her mother offered to be a surrogate. Her sister-in-law did too. Now Michelle and her husband Jono have the family they dreamed of.

30 min

13

Changing Minds

The remarkable story of a woman taking part in Australia's first psychedelic-assisted therapy trial. For Lindy Bok, it's a profound and deeply emotional experience as the treatment helps her confront anxiety around death.

31 min

14

A Brilliant Canvas - John Olsen

A story of art, fame and family. The late John Olsen, one of our most beloved painters, had an obsessive focus on his work, often casting a shadow on those around him. John and family open up about art and the cost of fame.

30 min

15

Blind Leading The Blind - Mick Curran and Jamie Teh

Mick and Jamie bonded over coding as teenagers. Now their brilliant tech idea is transforming lives around the world. Their software could have made them rich but instead they've kept it free to help the blind community.

30 min

16

Fight For Freedom - Kathleen Folbigg

Australian Story's coverage of Kathleen Folbigg's case helped kickstart the scientific research that ultimately freed her. Watch the updated story of her fight for freedom over the last twenty years.

32 min

17

The Getting of Wisdom - Hugh van Cuylenburg

Buried memories and family secrets - how hit podcaster Hugh van Cuylenburg's quest to help people gain a positive mindset took him on his own path of self-discovery and forced him to face some uncomfortable truths.

31 min

18

A Voice from the Heart - Megan Davis

As a child, Megan Davis fell in love with the Constitution. Now she's a lawyer and a driving force behind the Voice referendum. She wants to change the nation's founding document in the hope of improving her peoples' lives.

30 min

19

Force of Nature - Gina Chick

Her unconventional approach to surviving in the wild captured the public imagination. Now reality TV star Gina Chick shares how connecting with nature helped her through unimaginable loss.

31 min

20

A Family Legacy - Erica Packer

Erica Packer, former wife of billionaire James Packer, opens up about the deadly genetic mystery shadowing her family and the scientists working to crack the code for thousands more Australians.

29 min

21

Atonement - Dean Yates

War correspondent Dean Yates thought he was indestructible but when two of his staff were gunned down by the US military in Iraq, he & his family reached breaking point. Now he's trying heal the wounds of war and help others.

31 min

22

A Silver Lining (Part 1)

When three Newcastle teens became overnight rock stars, their world exploded; huge concerts and crowds, intense fame and scrutiny. Ben and Chris from Silverchair take us on that rollercoaster ride and say it's a miracle they survived.

32 min

23

A Silver Lining (Part 2)

Rockband Silverchair makes a comeback with its fifth album and a massive hit. But backstage, the wheels are falling off and the band finally fizzles out. For Ben and Chris, life after Silverchair proves to be bumpy too.

32 min

24

Sea Change - Sam Elsom

Designer Sam Elsom shocked friends and family when he ditched fashion to farm seaweed. Now he has developed a product that radically reduces methane emissions from livestock. But can he convince farmers to get on board?

29 min

25

The Big Lap - Fiona MacDonald

Once a popular kids' TV host, Fiona MacDonald is on the trip of a lifetime. Since being diagnosed with motor neurone disease two years ago, she's driving around Australia to raise money for research, and have fun on the way.

30 min

26

His Brilliant Careers (Update) - Sam Neill

When beloved film and TV star Sam Neill received a shock diagnosis, it forced him to take stock of his life. Now the actor is living with a rare disease, but it hasn't stopped him doing the work he loves.

31 min

27

When Kylie Met Sami - Kylie Moore-Gilbert and Sami Shah

When Kylie Met Sami: She was released from an Iranian prison only to find her husband had left her. He was reeling from the loss of his job and the end of his marriage. An awkward first date led to a second chance at love.

31 min

28

Never Too Late (Update) - Gregory Smith

Five years after his first appearance on Australian Story, Dr Gregory Smith continues his astonishing transformation. Homeless and an addict for many years, Smith is now an academic, has received an OAM and found new love.

32 min

29

To Elle and Back - Libbi Gorr

What ever happened to Elle McFeast? She wowed TV audiences in the 90s with her bold and brassy satire. Then a live interview derailed it all. McFeast's creator Libbi Gorr opens up about the fallout and fighting her way back.

32 min

30

Taking A Bow - Brett Yang and Eddy Chen

Meet the violin virtuosos from Brisbane who ditched a classical career to create an online music comedy act. Now Brett Yang and Eddy Chen have gone viral and are playing sell-out concerts around the world.

32 min

31

Stepping Up - Elly-May Barnes

Singer Elly-May Barnes on stepping out of her famous father Jimmy's musical shadow, on the long road to the spotlight and how she channels her physical challenges into a powerful cabaret act.

31 min

32

Big Talk - Annie Louey

With little more than a briefcase full of old photos for clues, comedian Annie Louey unravels decades-old secrets in a bid to understand who her father really was.

30 min

33

An Open Mind - Professor Richard Scolyer

A doctor puts his life on the line to try and cure his own brain cancer, using the very treatment he helped pioneer to save melanoma patients.

33 min