In 1996 Matthew Reilly, aged 22, self-published his first book. Now he has a list of international best sellers. In his books heroes prevail against impossible odds. But in his own life he's faced unexpected adversity from the most unlikel…

Three years ago, 35 year old fashion photographer David Murrell was told he had just months to live. A tumour the size of an orange was removed from his brain. It was the worst kind of highly aggressive cancer. But in a lucky coincidence …

This week's Australian Story charts Torah Bright's remarkable comeback from a year of setbacks and struggles, culminating in an euphoric medal win at the Sochi Winter Olympics. Bright grabbed Australia's first medal with a nail biting silv…

Lt.Col. Cate McGregor AM has been a participant in some of the most significant chapters in recent Australian history. She has been a political strategist for both the ALP and the Liberal Party. In her current role as a senior Army office…

Monday night's program centres on a remarkable friendship between a top scientist and a coach driver and a crazy brave dream to do something about childhood cancer. Their unlikely alliance has forged a breakthrough that's creating exciteme…

David Rennie fell in love with photography seven years ago when he was lured from his car by the sight of a passing bird overhead. The encounter led to a newfound passion for wildlife photography that took him away from his family for week…

Tara Winkler was just 19 when she set off on the trip to Cambodia that would change her life. After coming across an orphanage where funds were embezzled and young girls sexually abused, she set up her own orphanage in the city of Battamba…

Adam Boland was just 26 years old when he was handed the reins of the ailing Sunrise program on Channel 7. It was the start of something very new and a game changer for the networks. Some observers credit Boland with paving the way for th…

Introduced by Australian of the Year, Adam Goodes. Explorer and airline pilot Percy Trezise was captivated by Quinkan rock art fifty years ago when road workers stumbled across an ancient painting. The Quinkans are now rated among the mos…

Getting on for a decade after his death, the legendary businessman Kerry Packer remains an intriguing and puzzling figure. Building on his father's success in the media industry, he dominated Australian TV and became the nation's richest p…

This week, the conclusion of our story about the legendary businessman Kerry Packer... Beneath the famous bravado and bluster was he actually a deeply conflicted, emotional man who spent his life 'at war with himself'? The program explore…

Introduced by Amanda Shalala from ABC Grandstand This week's program tells the story of an Olympic champion so seemingly without ego that even his son and grandsons knew very little of his fame. Andrew 'Boy' Charlton was a hero who stampe…

Introduced by international music star Leo Sayer. This week's program tells the bitter sweet personal story behind the hard-living facade of iconic Australian rock musician, Doc Neeson. As lead singer of The Angels, Doc Neeson had a strin…

Introduced by Caroline Jones. It was supposed to be the adventure of a lifetime but when Australian nurse Christy King led a group of experienced trekkers into the PNG jungle everything changed in an instant. Early in the evening of their…

Introduced by actor and St Kilda resident, Rachel Griffiths. Monday night's program tells the story of the unsolved and savage murder of a woman called Tracy Connelly and the unexpected consequences of her death. Connelly was a St Kilda s…

Introduced by Grant Hackett Includes interviews with Grant Hackett, Jared Perkins (brother), Daniel Kowalski and Karen Davis (fiancé). Monday night's program sheds new light on Kieren Perkins and one of the more memorable careers in Austr…

Introduced by Grant Hackett Monday’s program concludes the epic tale of Kieren Perkins and the inside story of his battles to build a new life away from the sport that had dictated his every move since childhood. The program reveals new d…

This week's program provides an intriguing glimpse behind the scenes of the reality TV phenomenon that's captured the TV landscape in Australia. Jules Allen left her large family to appear as a 'willing hostage' on the popular MasterChef r…

This week's Australian Story provides a rare insight into the mysterious world of Australia's elite Commando regiments. Corporal Cameron Baird was killed last year in Southern Afghanistan. At the time the Australian Defence Force said the …

This week's program goes to the 'tip of the spear' with elite commandos trapped in a lethal and protracted gun battle in Afghanistan. "It's not like TV, it's not a movie, this is for real" says army chaplain Padre John Sanderson. Earlier …

This week the quirky, life affirming story of a young Australian from country Victoria, a car with a history, and a novel that's on its way to becoming a runaway success around the world. Seven years ago, Brooke Davis was travelling overse…

How many people with a diagnosis of dementia join a dating agency? How many more find true love? This is just one of the many intriguing aspects of Christine Bryden's story. A medical puzzle, the brilliant biochemist has long outlived her…

Popular singer songwriter Megan Washington performs on stage for huge audiences. But as Australian Story reveals this week, she's been terrified of public speaking all her life. When she was asked to be a presenter at the annual ARIA Awar…

This week's program tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a former wildlife ranger and the renowned British conservationist Dame Jane Goodall. Their special connection has become a 'game changer' for the men and women on the fr…

This week Australian Story returns to the story of one the world's best known dancers, Li Cunxin, as we go behind the scenes in a risky new venture with the Queensland Ballet. Also known as 'Mao's Last Dancer' through his bestselling book …

This week's Australian Story is proof that from little things big things can grow. Three years ago we told the story of emerging young comedians Nazeem Hussain and Aamer Rahman who were making a big impact on the Australian comedy circuit …

This week we meet an 'ageing' activist who admits he's spent close to fifty years tilting at windmills without a lot to show for it... until now. Drew Hutton seems as surprised as anyone that nearing seventy, he masterminded 'Lock the Gate…

At the age of 21, aeronautical engineer Lauren Burns was told a family secret that turned her world upside down. Barbara Burns revealed that Lauren was conceived in a Melbourne clinic using donor sperm. The man she knew as her father was i…

In this week's program, aeronautical engineer Dr Lauren Burns finally finds out the identity of her biological father. To the amazement of all, he turns out to be part of a particularly distinguished Australian family. We join Lauren as s…

This week’s program goes behind the scenes with a tenacious regional newspaper reporter who last year won Australia’s top journalism award. Joanne McCarthy’s exposure of a national scandal emerging in the Newcastle and Hunter Valley region…

This week's program looks at the unlikely evolution of an unexpected global comedy hit. Christiaan Van Vuuren was devastated when he was diagnosed with drug resistant tuberculosis and forced into hospital quarantine for six months. To pas…

What happens when a former soldier from Tasmania arrives in Canberra with a potentially vital role to play in governing the nation? Jacqui Lambie is the most outspoken and controversial of Clive Palmer's 'Palmer United Party' senators who …

This week’s program looks at the untold stranger than fiction life of a woman well recognised in the entertainment industry for her role in helping to launch the careers of some of Australia's biggest stars. Jan Russ was the initial castin…

This week’s program concludes the family saga of the woman credited as the ‘silent operator’ of the Australian entertainment industry. Jan Russ helped launch some young stars who have gone on to fame in Hollywood but unbeknown to anybody, …

Fiona O'Loughlin emerged out of Alice Springs some thirteen years ago as a 'fully formed' 36 year old stand up comedy sensation. She wowed local and international audiences with unconventional stories of raising five children in the outbac…

This Monday, we find out what's been happening in the lives of a family who featured in one of our most popular programs. It's the story of radio and TV personality Ian 'Dano' Rogerson and his wife Nicole, who gave up their home, successfu…

More than three-million viewers watched Karise Eden named as 'The Voice Australia' in 2012. One week later, she had four songs in the top five ARIA singles chart, the first artist to achieve that since The Beatles in 1964. But her nationa…

On a summer's day in 1992 a thirteen year old schoolgirl called Prue Bird vanished without a trace. Her mother Jenny returned from the local swimming pool and found only an open door and an uneaten meal. It became one of Victoria's most e…

This week's program concludes the astonishing family crime saga behind the disappearance of Melbourne teenager Prue Bird. Her mother Jenny had long suspected Prue's abduction might be payback for family connections that link back to the no…

This week's program reveals the improbable saga of the making of a very modern family. It's a narrative that 'starts at the end - and ends at the beginning'. Advertising executive Aminah Hart lost two baby boys as a result of a genetic di…

It's been a while since the words popular and politician appeared credibly in the same sentence. But a generation ago one Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, basked in sustained acclaim. He turns 85 next month. It's a watershed in a life marked b…

This week's program concludes the story of former Prime Minister Bob Hawke. A generation ago he basked in the kind of sustained acclaim that's become rare in politics. Mr Hawke will be 85 next month. It's a milestone in a life marked by …

In this final program for 2014, Australian Story visits a remote West Australian cattle station. The story of historic 'Wooleen' and the young couple who live there drew a big reaction from viewers three years ago. Since that time, the bi…