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Coast Australia

Season 1 2013 - 2014

  • 2013-12-02T19:30:00Z on BBC Two
  • 50m
  • 6h 40m (8 episodes)
  • United Kingdom
  • English
  • Documentary
Coast Australia follows renowned Scottish archaeologist and historian Neil Oliver on his very first trip to Australia, as he and a diverse group of co-hosts gather stories about our spectacular coastline: the history, the people, the archaeology, the geography and the marine life, investigating interesting and little known facts along the way. Oliver’s co-hosts, all experts in their field, are journalist and Australian arts and culture specialist Miriam Corowa, environmentalist Professor Tim Flannery, marine scientist Dr Emma Johnston, anthropologist Dr Xanthe Mallett and television presenter and landscape architect Brendan Moar.

8 episodes

Series Premiere

2013-12-02T19:30:00Z

1x01 The Kimberley

Series Premiere

1x01 The Kimberley

  • 2013-12-02T19:30:00Z50m

In the pristine Kimberley of Western Australia, Tim Flannery walks in primeval tracks along the legendary Dinosaur Coast. Neil wrestles the southern hemisphere's biggest tides at the surging Horizontal Falls, and Xanthe Mallett explores a unique maritime war grave.

Neil also discovers Broome's dark pearling history and the delicate science of pearl cultivation. Brendan Moar learns the art of indigenous raft making and Emma Johnston investigates the lush, protected habitat of migratory shorebirds.

Finally, Neil experiences the indigenous 'dreaming' stories through a little sacred maintenance on some ancient rock art at Freshwater Cove.

2013-12-09T19:30:00Z

1x02 Sydney

1x02 Sydney

  • 2013-12-09T19:30:00Z50m

Across the glittering waters of Sydney, Neil Oliver explores the network of fortification to protect 'Fortress Sydney', and discovers how close the city came to being taken in the Second World War.

Xanthe Mallett discovers some ingenious colonial DIY, as she learns how to make building mortar out of oyster shells.

Tim Flannery reveals the geological secrets of the city's vast and sprawling harbour, and unlocks the riddle of the rivers that had Captain Phillip baffled in 1788.

Brendan Moar examines the Sydney Harbour Bridge, an international icon in engineering and design, while Emma Johnston hunts for tropical fish in Sydney's temperate and diverse harbour.

2013-12-16T19:30:00Z

1x03 Great Barrier Reef

1x03 Great Barrier Reef

  • 2013-12-16T19:30:00Z50m

Neil Oliver begins a stunning journey through the world's largest coral reef in the hands of the Australian Navy, sailing in the wake of James Cook.

Brendan Moar uncovers the living history of Australia's hidden slave trade. Xanthe Mallett dives a spectacular wreck in search of answers about its calamitous sinking. And Tim Flannery is granted rare access to a scientific research zone to examine coral history.

On idyllic Lizard Isand, Neil Oliver uncovers a bloody tale of cultural misunderstanding. Finally, at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, Emma Johnston heads underwater with Google to take the reef into homes around the world.

2013-12-23T19:30:00Z

1x04 Tasmania

1x04 Tasmania

  • 2013-12-23T19:30:00Z50m

In the tranquil south east of Tasmania, Neil Oliver probes Port Arthur's harsh penal history. Brendan Moar examines the dramatic grip of lighthouse life on a remote island. Emma Johnston dives into an underwater battleground to see how science and industry are saving the marine neighbourhood. Neil joins the southern hemisphere's largest wooden boat festival, and Tim Flannery investigates Hobart's long and illustrious role in Antarctic exploration. Finally, Xanthe Mallett delves into the violent history of whaling, and a legacy that helped build a colony.

2013-12-30T19:30:00Z

1x05 Gold to Sunshine Coast

1x05 Gold to Sunshine Coast

  • 2013-12-30T19:30:00Z50m

On Australia's shiny holiday coast, Miriam Corowa investigates the engineering behind the 1970s Florida-style canal system of the Gold Coast. Brendan Moar dives headlong into a dangerous current to investigate first-hand the science of rips. Xanthe Mallett scours a World War II fortification at what could have been Australia's front line, and discovers what life was like waiting for the war to arrive. Neil Oliver heads to see the remains of a bleak chapter in history - an outpost for outcasts. Emma Johnston joins a scientific hunt for sea cows, in the hope of saving them. Finally, Tim Flannery travels to Fraser Island to investigate what's at the end of the line for the longest sand drift system in the world.

2014-01-06T19:30:00Z

1x06 Victoria

1x06 Victoria

  • 2014-01-06T19:30:00Z50m

Neil Oliver meets the residents of Melbourne's historic beach huts, and explores the beacon that helped birth a nation at Cape Otway.

Xanthe Mallett dives for clues to solve the mystery behind a tragic shipwreck that marked the end of an era. Meanwhile, Brendan Moar uncovers the history of the Great Ocean Road, and, armed with his pick, grasps the challenges of building this now world-famous coastal road in the 1920s.

Emma Johnston dives in to hunt for a delicate seadragon, and discovers the tragic tale of an artist captivated by its vivid beauty. Tim Flannery scours the water for evidence of a marine mega fauna that roamed the ancestral Port Philip Bay, while Miriam Corowa discovers why the coast at Bells Beach keeps pumping out perfect surfing waves.

2014-01-13T19:30:00Z

1x07 Darwin and Beyond

1x07 Darwin and Beyond

  • 2014-01-13T19:30:00Z50m

Tim Flannery begins this Top End adventure at Victoria Settlement and learns of its tragic history in the struggle to colonise Australia's northern frontier.

Neil Oliver examines the ferocious bombing of Darwin and a remarkable story of reconciliation between former enemies. Miriam Corowa confirms that not all Hollywood dreams come true, especially along this unforgiving coast. Plus, Xanthe Mallett goes on patrol with Australian Customs Fisheries to hunt for killer ghost nets.

And no Top End story would be complete without a crocodile - Emma Johnston draws blood in the name of science.

Season Finale

2014-01-20T19:30:00Z

1x08 Coral Coast

Season Finale

1x08 Coral Coast

  • 2014-01-20T19:30:00Z50m

On Australia's windswept coast, Neil Oliver investigates why no one survived the attack on HMAS Sydney in its dramatic battle with a German raider in 1941. Xanthe Mallett heads to the Houtman Abrolhos islands and unearths the gruesome tale of the Dutch Batavia murders of 1629.

In Shark Bay, Tim Flannery finds 3 billion-year-old life, while Neil Oliver finds out why Carnarvon's extraordinary jetty was once the lifeblood of the Gascoyne region. Emma Johnston witnesses why the world's largest fish keeps returning to the crystal waters of Ningaloo Reef, and Brendan Moar catches up with coastal nomads off the grid, on the edge of the continent.

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