PODCAST · society
The Real Thing
by ABC
The Real Thing celebrates unique Australian characters.
Episodes
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#36: Nico's last ride
After cycling the world, Nicolás Marino set off to cross his adopted homeland using pedal power alone. He discovered knowing Australia would require knowing himself. In this last episode of The Real Thing we're on our bikes, as lunch cooks in the deep fry.
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#35: Follow the Lita
As a teenager, Lita Lewis was expected to set the example for her siblings. So much so, that she wanted out. In an adult life far from her home and tribe, she’d battle pride and heartbreak alone. By sharing her rebuild of physical and mental health, Lita would have an impact far beyond her two...
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#34: Shoal Attack!
A school of fish help the Australian netball team win a Commonwealth gold medal. An introduction to Sum Of All Parts - a podcast that shares extraordinary stories from the world of numbers. Subscribe to SOAP: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/sum-of-all-parts/
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#33: Khadija's stolen itch
For International Women's Day, a story about feeling incomplete. Khadija Gbla’s repressed memory of female genital mutilation would surface during puberty. Being an outsider to a ‘clitero-centric’ culture, was a decision made for her. Khadija is up against her mum, her culture, and the health...
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#32: Monkey in Mirani (live from Woodford)
The Real Thing perform live at Woodfolk Folk Festival, Queensland. In between music and magic tricks, Timothy and Mike risk it all by attempting to tell a story they’ve never heard before - live on stage, with improvised music, script, and sound effects. It’s live and unedited and we have no idea...
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#31: Picnic Tropicana
It started as an idea in a Darlinghurst cafe and became the world’s largest short film festival. Tropfest has helped kickstart generations of Australian film careers throughout its 25 year history. While controversy and financial hardship has threatened the event, Tropfest has endured and the...
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#30: The woman who lived in a tree
Miranda Gibson was an unlikely candidate to break the record for Australia’s longest tree-sit. The shy Queenslander had never seen a forest until her early twenties. In 2011 she vowed to live in a tree in the Tyenna Valley until it was protected from logging.
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#29: Elvis town
Improbable hairdos, gyrating hips, overstretched jumpsuits, way too many rhinestones, and a whole lot of community spirit. You can't help falling in love with the NSW town of Parkes, where Elvis never left the building.
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#28: Bruce Lee of the sea
When Robbie Page discovered surfing it consumed him. The former Pipeline Master views the sport as a martial art. It led him on a global adventure, with stopovers in a Japanese prison, the French President’s home, and now he's tracing his Indigenous roots in northern NSW.
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#27: The nightmare before Christmas
Christmas; family, food, anticipation. The stakes are high. There's extra pressure for the Williams family, who are only able to get together every second year. But when a tradition goes wrong, the best day of the year turns into a horror show.
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#26: It's not about Steph
A bike ride and a book inspired Stephanie Lorenzo to cut her corporate career short and start a charity. Her passion to end human trafficking helped change young Australians' view on giving. When a crisis threatens everything she’d been working towards, tough decisions must be made about what's...
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#10: Freedom is a goat (tribute to Gary)
Gary the goat, an internet sensation, and friend of The Real Thing, has died on tour in Queensland. There's a reason Gary's episode is our most downloaded ever. Gary was a uniquely Australian larrikin and his antics made people laugh worldwide. We first met Gary a year ago, when he overcame a…
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#25: Campsite Panorama
Ford vs Holden. Blue vs red. Mate vs mate. There's no sitting on the fence when it comes to motoring's great rivalry. But factory closures are forcing fans to rethink a homegrown passion. The Ford-Holden passion is at a crossroads.
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#24: Balloons for Harper
Alison and David Homer were ecstatic when they fell pregnant in 2005. "Finally, I feel part of something of consequence," Dave said. But at 32 weeks, Harper's heart unexpectedly stopped. How they coped with the grief that followed changed their lives.
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#23: Up up MC Hammerhead
David Ninness is one of the Cronulla Shark's biggest fans, despite living nowhere near Sydney's Sutherland Shire. When the NRL club was in turmoil he volunteered to resurrect their second mascot, MC Hammerhead. But before he could help cheer his team to grand final glory, he'd need to learn to...
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#22: Lizard of Oz
Sleepy lizards keep popping up in the life of Off Track producer, Ann Jones. So she was curious to speak with Professor Michael Bull. He devoted over 35 years to studying them, in one of the longest running lizard surveys in the world. But just weeks after an in-depth interview, Professor Michael...
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#21: Love and courage in Wilcannia
Positively Wilcannia, part 6: stop recording, start feeling. Robert Clayton broke his leg three years ago. The injury set off a chain of events that resulted in depression and drug use. For the 28-year-old to become a stronger member of his family, and the community, he would need to test the...
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#20: Wilcannia dreaming
Positively Wilcannia, part 5: a tenacious Barkindji woman grabs every opportunity. Bobbi Murray loves her river, the Boomerangs football club, and the entire Wilcannia family. From a young age she followed her ambition to give back to the town. While the journey has taken her off country, it…
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#18: You had me at Ngaayi
Positively Wilcannia, part 3: taking anxiety out of health checks, and Barkindji for beginners. Rugby league is being used to improve men's health in more ways that one. When the town travels to Menindee to support their teams, The Real Thing hitches a ride. While there, we hear how Kayleen...
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#19: Still down river
Positively Wilcannia, part 4: how The Wilcannia Mob took their river to the world. The Wilcannia Mob's Down River gave us a unique view into life growing up in Wilcannia. Band members, and the town, continue to see positive effects, fifteen years after it was first released. This is the story of...
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#17: The Shakeathon
Positively Wilcannia, part 2: Mike and Timothy race to shake up Wilcannia. Timothy and Mike compete in a race to shake as many Wilcannia hands as possible. Along the way they gather a snapshot of the town; learn the Wilcannia shake, meet Barkindji elders and avoid dogs. But when all shakes are...
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#16: Positively Wilcannia
Positively Wilcannia, part 1: The Real Thing is helping put Wilcannia on the map. Wilcannia locals are fighting for the town's reputation, despite numerous social challenges and a complicated relationship with the media. But a recent BBC documentary has been a setback for the predominately...
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#15: Now we're flying
Brad Guy went skydiving and his parachute failed. Incredibly, he survived. Although he recovered from the physical injuries, what followed almost flattened him.
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#14: Lizzy, queen of costumes
Lizzy Gardiner's early life included minimal supervision, late nights at the Dubbo drive-in and a stint in Papua New Guinea. Her unusual experiences made her a perfect fit for the turbulent film industry, where she won an Oscar for the costumes in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. But she never...
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Darren Hanlon feels things
Hey, it's Mike and Timothy. The car's fuelled up, the thermos is hot and there's lots of characters to meet. Make sure you subscribe to the podcast so you can join us on the search for the real Australia. But before we get stuck into season two, friend of the show has an important message.
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#13: A kangaroo has three ears
Mark Colvin like you've never heard him. In 1978 the ABC’s renegade youth broadcaster Double Jay premiered an audio experiment called, What's Rangoon to you is Grafton to me. Almost 40 years later, we got back on the Pacific Highway to make a tribute to this landmark Australian radio road trip.…
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#12: Thanks for screaming
Deni Gordon's long and varied career includes musical theatre, television and film. While she no longer works in showbiz, an unlikely ten minute voice-over job in 1987 continues to blast out of Australian televisions. Deni is the voice of the iconic Rage scream, but she thought her contribution…
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#11: Rage 'til you puke
Nothing on television compares to Rage. For 30 years the biggest artists have beamed weird and wonderful music videos to your living room, and Australia's psyche. Settle into the red couch as The Real Thing explains the history of your favourite music video program.
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#10: Freedom is a goat
One man, one goat and a wide open road. Gary the goat is famous. Millions of fans have watched videos of the farm-animal-cum-cultural icon. Guided by best mate, comedian Jimbo Bazoobi, Gary has crisscrossed the country seeking adventure and making friends. However, fate has been cruel: Gary is…
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#9: Samantha and the secret
Samantha Beranic was 12 when her Mother told her a secret. This information quickly became a burden that would shadow Sam's life. Eventually the secret would be set free, but its consequences would change her family for good.
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See The Real Thing Live!
Timothy and Mike are performing the podcast on stage. And you're invited! The Real Thing's 10th instalment of their search for the "real" Australia will be performed in front of audiences in Melbourne and Sydney. Mike and Timothy will bring music, a bit of magic and most importantly, some…
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#8: Nineteen
Redgum’s ‘I was only 19’ united the Vietnam veteran’s movement in Australia. The song tells the true story of an Australian soldier’s experience fighting in the Vietnam jungle. But before Redgum could create an anthem that changed the national conversation, songwriter John Schumann would need to...
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#7: Yadu's fair go
Yadu Singh was ‘numb’ when he found out his application for permanent residency was unexpectedly cancelled. The young cardiologist from a small Indian village had fallen in love with his adopted country’s values and people. But what happened next would fuel his passion for this country. That path...
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#6: Halfway and home
The small village of Tarcutta, NSW is sacred to the Australian truck driving industry. Every year since 1994, families, colleagues and mates have gathered here for a memorial service that commemorates those who have died. As storm clouds engulf the sky and thunder echoes, the ceremony begins.
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#5: There's something about Mary Leunig
Mary Leunig is an artist and self-described recluse living in regional Victoria. She comes from a creative family; her brother is cartoonist, Michael Leunig. In the 1980s she had books published. For many that was the last they heard from her. However, Mary never stopped drawing. Now her work is...
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#4: Backyard lion safari
After the closure of the African Lion Safari in Sydney’s far west, wildlife remained living inside its boundaries. The exotic animal park sat next to suburban houses and kids played near its fences. Despite several barriers, in 1995 a lioness escaped through a storm water drain and found itself…
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#3: Run like a cheetah
Lisa Llorens is one of Australia’s most decorated Paralympians with six medals across track and field events. She was dubbed ‘the cheetah’ because she loves cats and was fast on the track. But everything changed after the Sydney 2000 games when the intellectually disabled category was banned. The...
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#2: Eastbound Anton
Anton McMillan is a role model for younger residents in a uniquely structured household called Boys from the Bush. During the project he's worked his way up through the ranks at a meat processing factory in Junee, NSW. But his success has come with a cost, for himself and his family back in Alice...
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#1: The original Bronson
'Bronson' was the youngest member of the Round the Twist family. He loved food, had smelly feet and was often the easy target of his older siblings. Over four series of the iconic kid’s TV show, three actors played the character. The second and third continue to work in show business. However…
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Introducing The Real Thing!
Welcome to The Real Thing, a new podcast in search of the real Australia. Each episode we'll venture into the corners to discover the characters, scenes and stories that make this country unique. Radio documentary makers, and best mates, Timothy Nicastri and Mike Williams are at the wheel and...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Real Thing have?
The Real Thing currently has 40 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Real Thing about?
The Real Thing celebrates unique Australian characters.
How often does The Real Thing release new episodes?
The Real Thing has 40 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Real Thing?
You can listen to The Real Thing on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Real Thing?
The Real Thing is created and hosted by ABC.
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