G’day and good onya! Our Discover Guides are deep dives into new destinations, where we interview experts to get the ‘drum’ on the places they live and love. 

Today we’re excited to share the first of two episodes exploring South Australia, a less-trodden state rich in adventure, wildlife and natural beauty. This two-part series is produced as a road trip through a lesser-known part of Australia filled with natural wonders, wildlife and more than one hilarious Aussie character.

We’ll explore indigenous heritage in Port McDonald, and hear the tale of an ancestral giant sleeping at the bottom of a lake beneath Mt. Gambier. We’ll climb into hidden garden sinkholes, race up sand dunes, and ponder primordial hippo-sized wombats in South Australia’s world heritage site, Naracoorte Caves. Of course we’ll enjoy some of the best wine on earth in Adelaide, before meeting a baby joey and their babysitter on the wildlife haven of Kangaroo Island. 

So fair dinkum, no worries mate it’s time to hit the frog and toad!

Thank you to Down Under Endeavours for partnering with us on this episode - they are the South Australia experts and helped us build this itinerary and connect with the experts featured in the episode. 

You can find out more and literally book this exact trip, with these exact guides:

downunderendeavors.com

Special thanks to our guests:

Simon Meeres from Coonawarra Experiences

coonawarraexperiences.com.au

Katina Vangopoulos with Flamboyance Tours in Adelaide

flamboyancetours.com.au

Craig Wickham with Exceptional Kangaroo Island

exceptionalkangarooisland.com

CREDITS

Produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry. 

Find out more at armchair-productions.com

Jason Paton: writing, recording, mixing, sound design

Aaron Millar: host, writing, executive producer

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef system in the world. Covering an area of 135,000 square miles, it is bigger than the United Kingdom, Holland and Switzerland combined. Lay it out across Europe and it would reach from London to Moscow, making it is the largest living structure in the world and the only one visible from outer space. 

Today, we’re going to the best place in the world to experience it: Tropical North Queensland. And we’re in good company with Dr Eric Fisher, a marine biologist who specializes in the Great Barrier Reef. This is a conversation is about one of the great wonders of the natural world, and what it’s like to see it first-hand. But it’s also about something special that Eric has introduced: Dreamtime Dives.

Most experiences on the reef tell its story from a western viewpoint. Eric has developed a new program where you can explore it from an indigenous perspective too. Guided by Aboriginal Sea Rangers, whose connection to the reef stretches back over 60,000 years, it’s an opportunity to see the reef from a new perspective, and in doing so perhaps learn things about the reef we never knew before. 

FIND OUT MORE

Thanks again to Down Under Endeavours for partnering with us on this episode. They are the Tropical North Queensland experts and helped to connect us with the awesome guest you heard from today. 

If the Great Barrier Reef is on your bucket list, head over to DownUnderEndeavours.com/Armchair to find out how you can see it for yourself. They’ve got lots of great ideas, and you book with them you’ll get $500 off your next trip. It’s a great way to support the show. (and please note my American friends, ‘endeavour’ is spelt the proper British way with a U at the end  )

CONNECT WITH TODAY’S GUEST     

Experience Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel at ReefUnlimited.com

Find out more about Eric’s research and conservation work at gbrbiology.com

If you're into real stories of epic places told by the people who’ve lived them, make sure to subscribe—that way you choose the adventure, not the algorithm. 

Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast

____________________________________________________________________________

Presented by: Aaron Millar

Audio & Sound Design: Charles Tyrie

Produced by: Armchair Productions

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we are sharing an episode of Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, the chart-topping and Webby Award-winning podcast from our friends at Nature on PBS. Back for a brand new season, Going Wild features some of the coolest champions of nature – like a former butterfly technician who

In today’s episode, you hear from Nat Geo Explorer-slash-stand-up-comic Ella Al-Shamahi about her research in places where people don’t normally do science like “conflict zones.” Ella’s archeological pursuits are not only informative, but inspiring! 

To listen to the rest of their new season, follow Going Wild with Dr. Rae

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to the Hidden Trails of Oregon! In the first episode

We're going on location in the traditional lands of the Nez Perce to

Visiting the Nez Perce Homeland and the Tamkaliks Celebration powwow:wallowanezperce.org

Local and cultural history at the Josephy Library:library.josephy.org

Thank you to our guests: Bobbie Conner, Rich Wandschneider,

CREDITS

This series was produced by Armchair Productions, the audio experts for the travel industry. Find out more at armchair-productions.com

Brian Thacker: pre production

Charles Tyrie: assistant audio editing

Jason Paton: writing, recording, mixing, sound design

Aaron Millar: host, writing, executive producer

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re heading to the city of Victoria on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. They call this the place where ‘land and sea meet, and cultures converge’. Victoria is a city surrounded by wild nature on all sides, from the tranquil waters of the Salish Sea to the mighty rainforests of Vancouver Island.

Our Discover Guides are deep dives into destinations we love. Think of them like a cross between a traditional radio show and an audio magazine: Fast paced, with multiple guests and different segments from traditional interviews to immersive stories.

Highlights include:

Snorkeling in underwater forests of bull kelp with the Mermaid of the Pacific.

Hearing what it’s like to see orcas and humpback whales in the wild.

Discovering what the tallest totem pole in the world, the narrowest street in North America and a statue with two left feet have in common.

Getting the low-down on our local’s ultimate 48-hour guide to the city —a perfect balance of adventure, culture, and salty sea air.

Find out more

Thanks to TourismVictoria.com for introducing us to our awesome guests, and helping to pull this episode together. Head over there to find out more about everything we talked about on the show, or check out @tourismvictoriabc for more adventure inspiration.

Today’s guests

Alan Bruce from the Pedaler Cycling Tours and Rentals, ThePedaler.ca 

Nik Coutinho from Prince of Whales, PrinceOfWhales.com 

Tess Van Straaten, @TessvanStraaten is the X

Amanda Swiminer from Dakini Tidal Wilds, DakiniTidalWilds.com

🌏 Ready to Explore?If you're into real stories of epic places told by the people who’ve lived them, make sure to subscribe—that way you choose the adventure, not the algorithm. And hey, a follow on socials? That’s like giving us a high-five from across the globe.

📸 Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast📘 Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast

🎙️ Presented by: Aaron Millar 🎚️ Audio & Sound Design: Charles Tyrie🌍 Produced by: Armchair Productions

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every month on Pathways, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton crack open a few stories, play their favorite clips, and take you on a whirlwind preview of what’s coming up this month on Armchair Explorer. It’s part travel hangout, part behind-the-scenes, and a whole lot of part “wait, you did what?”

In this episode, we’re going from the dreamtime waters of the Great Barrier Reef to the quiet strength of Chief Joseph’s legacy in Oregon, from biking hidden streets in Victoria B.C. to walking with kangaroos on remote roads in South Australia. These are stories of culture, nature, and the wild places where the two intertwine.

🌍 Coming Up This Month:

Dreamtime Diving – Tropical North Queensland, Australia

Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef guided by Aboriginal Sea Rangers whose connection to this place stretches back over 60,000 years. Most experiences on the reef explain it from a western scientific viewpoint, here we explore it from an indigenous perspective.

Victoria B.C. Discover Destination Guide – Canada

Victoria, on Vancouver Island British Columbia, is a place where ‘land and sea meet, and cultures converge’. We’re going to meet the Mermaid of the Pacific, discover the tallest totem pole in North America, see whales in the wild, and cap it off with our ultimate 48-hour guide to the city —a perfect balance of adventure, culture, and salty sea air.

Hidden Trails of Oregon – Season 2: Homecoming

This season of Hidden Trails of Oregon takes us to the mountains and rivers of eastern Oregon, homeland of the Nez Perce and confederated tribes of the Umatilla. In this episode we reveal the little-known story of Chief Joseph, and how a promise made more than a century ago may finally be coming true.

🚐 South Australia Road Trip – From Adelaide to the Edge of the  Outback

From baby Joeys on Kangaroo Island and swimming with dolphins on the Eyre Peninsula, to exploring ancient caves and sunken gardens of the Limestone Coast, this two-part series is produced as a road trip through a lesser-known part of Australia filled with natural wonders, wildlife and more than one hilarious Aussie character. 

Alone Across Gola – A Solo Ride Through one of Africa’s most Remote Rainforests

In Alone Across Gola, adventurer Jude Kriwald cycles solo through Liberia’s barely crossed Gola Rainforest, confronting extreme physical and mental challenges along the way. This is a story about cultures converging, extreme endurance, and the courage it takes to chase your wildest travel dreams.

🌏 Ready to Explore?If you're into real stories of epic places told by the people who’ve lived them, make sure to subscribe—that way you choose the adventure, not the algorithm. 

📸 Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast📘 Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast

Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar and Jason Paton presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are taking a journey to the arctic circle, in  the far north of the American continent. This is a story about climbing, and surviving, one of the tallest mountains on Earth. It’s about paddling through the most remote national park in America, the Gates of the Arctic; and it’s about finding wonder and hope in places where that hope is nearly lost. 

Taking us on this journey is mountaineer, writer and arctic explorer Jon Waterman. From his winter ascent of the Denali’s Cassin Ridge, the first person to do this extremely dangerous climb, to his expedition on the Noatak River, in Alaska, which sparked a lifelong love affair with Arctic, Jon’s poetic descriptions, and nail-biting storytelling, will immerse you in the beauty and danger of the far north, and what it might take to save it.

Highlights of Shadow of Denali Into the Thaw:

Feeling what it’s like to stand on the top of America’s tallest mountain in winter, and the cost it took to get there.

Exploring the ‘hallucinogenic’  beauty of Gates of the Arctic National Park, in Alaska - America’s most remote national park.

Discovering what it takes to paddle the Northwest Passage solo, a 2,200-mile journey across the roof of the American continent.

Hearing the story of Maniilaq, the innuit prophet of the 1800s, who predicted the missionaries, mining and famine that would come to his people. 

Listening to Jon’s final journey Into the Thaw to document the changes of the last 40yrs, and how he found hope among the people who have lived there since time immemorial.

FIND OUT MORE

Jon’s latest book is called Into the Thaw: Discovering Wonder Amid the Arctic Climate Crisis, published by Patagonia Books. This collection of short stories, and essays, is beautifully written and photographed. It’s a book for your collection, or a coffee table, and a joy to dip into when you’re dreaming of your next adventure. 

Find out more about this book, as well as his other books, including In the Shadow of Denali, at: jonathanwaterman.com, or search it up on Patagonia.com.

FOLLOW US:

Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast

Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast

Newsletter: armchair-explorer.com

CONNECT WITH US:

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re reading this on right now. Go on, do it! It helps us grow the show, and continue to bring this content to you.

Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar wrote and presented the show, Charles Tyrie did the audio editing and sound design. Jason Paton is our lead producer and our theme music is by the artist Sweet Chap.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we’re heading deep into the wilds of Tropical North Queensland, Australia—where the oldest rainforest in the world meets the greatest reef on the planet. We’ll be connecting with an Aboriginal guide to learn indigenous perspectives on the land; doing something called ‘River Drifting’ through the ancient forests of Daintree; seeing the Great Barrier Reef from the sky and under the waves, and lots more.

Our Discover Guides are deep dives into destinations we love. Think of them like a cross between a traditional radio show and an audio magazine: fast paced, with multiple guests and different segments from traditional interviews to immersive stories. 

Highlights include:

Find out more:

Thanks to Down Under Endeavours for partnering with us on this episode. They are the Tropical North Queensland experts and helped us build this itinerary and connect with all the awesome guests we’ve heard from today. 

Go to downunderendeavours.com/armchair to get $500 off your next trip! 

Connecting with our partners helps support the show. If you’re looking for some adventure inspiration, check out what they do. They have some amazing adventures to dream about for your next big trip!

Today’s guests:

Jeff Cameron-Smith from https://downundercruiseanddive.com.au/

Jason Heffernan from https://backcountrybliss.com.au/

Juan Walker from https://walkaboutadventures.com.au/

Andrea Bretts from https://www.outbacktastingtours.com.au/

🌏 Ready to Explore?

If you're into real stories of epic places told by the people who’ve lived them, make sure to subscribe—that way you choose the adventure, not the algorithm. And hey, a follow on socials? That’s like giving us a high-five from across the globe.

📸 Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast

📘 Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast

____________________________________________________________________________

🎙️ Presented by: Aaron Millar

🎚️ Audio & Sound Design: Charles Tyrie

🌍 Produced by: Armchair Productions

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is your monthly guide to the world’s wildest travel stories – one adventure at a time.

Every month on Pathways, host Aaron Millar and producer Jason Paton crack open a few stories, play their favorite clips, and take you on a whirlwind preview of what’s coming up on Armchair Explorer. It’s part travel hangout, part behind-the-scenes, part “wait, you did what?”—and all of it is designed to help you find your next great escape.

This month, we’re going deep. Deep into the world’s oldest rainforest. Deep into the soul of South Australia. And deep into the heart of America’s wildest frontier with one of the great explorers of our time.

🌍 Coming Up This Month:

🌿 DISCOVER | Tropical North Queensland

This episode takes us to Tropical North Queensland—home to two of the most unique ecosystems on the planet: the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. We join an Aboriginal guide on a walkabout tour, drift quietly down jungle rivers and explore the reef’s vibrant underwater world. It’s a journey that blends nature, culture, and connection—with a few surprises along the way.

🦘 EXPLORE | South Australia

In this episode, we explore Kangaroo Island, where wildlife roams free and the wine flows easy. We'll explore the wild beauty of the Limestone Coast, go behind the scenes in Adelaide, and discover why South Australia might just be the country’s best-kept secret. Think rugged cliffs, artisan vineyards, and a vibe that feels like the edge of the world—but somehow right at home.

❄️ ADVENTURE | Jon Waterman – Into the Thaw

Based on his epic books Shadow of Denali and Into the Thaw, we take a deep dive into the journeys of Jon Waterman—one of the most intrepid explorers of North America. From near-death climbs on Denali to Arctic expeditions across melting ice, Jon’s stories are raw, real, and radically human. This one’s for the wild-hearted.

🌏 Ready to Explore?

If you're into real stories of epic places told by the people who’ve lived them, make sure to subscribe—that way you choose the adventure, not the algorithm. And hey, a follow on socials? That’s like giving us a high-five from across the globe.

📸 Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast

📘 Facebook: @armchairexplorerpodcast

🎙️ Presented by: Aaron Millar & Jason Paton

🎚️ Audio & Sound Design: Charles Tyrie

🎶 Theme Music: Sweet Chap

🌍 Produced by: Armchair Productions

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I've been guiding or working around whales now for almost over just about over a decade, and I still am in awe at all of the experiences that we have. It's just a wonder of a magnitude that people don't really get to experience anywhere else in urban life" – Nik Coutinho, Prince of Whales

In this Bucket List episode, produced in our immersive documentary style, whale watching guide Nik Coutinho shares some of his favorite experiences with these ocean giants, from the awe-inspiring hunting behaviours of Orcas to what it feels like to look a Humpback in the eye. 

Nik’s taking us to the city of Victoria, Vancouver Island, B.C., on Canada’s west coast, one of  the most incredible marine environments in the world. From humpback whales to orcas, seals, and sea lions, the waters here are teeming with life. But what makes this place truly special is the chance to witness a variety of whales year round, up close, and with sightings almost guaranteed. 

Join us as we go eye-to-eye with giants in the deep waters of the Salish Sea.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

Connect with Giants

Feel what it’s like to look a Humpback whale in the eye. Nik shares his deeply emotional stories of connecting with these magnificent creatures.

Hunting Behavior of Killer Whales

Watch Killer Whales hunting beside your boat. Nik takes us through the dramatic and fascinating hunting techniques of these apex predators, and shares some of his favorite sightings over the years. 

The Humpback Comeback

Learn about one of the most spectacular marine environments in the world. Humpback whales are now staying in Victoria’s waters year-round, and the return of these majestic creatures is nothing short of miraculous. 

Immersive Soundscapes

Experience the breathtaking soundscapes of the ocean, from the thunderous blow of a whale’s exhale to the deafening slap of their tail during feeding time. It’s a world full of natural symphonies, brought to life in our immersive documentary style.

Whale Watching in Victoria

Discover what makes this one of the best whale-watching spots on the planet. From seeing humpback whales breach to catching a glimpse of orcas in their natural habitat, we give you the low down on everything you need to know to plan your next bucket list wildlife experience.

HOW YOU CAN DO THIS TRIP

Visit TourismVictoria.com for all the information you need to book your next bucket list trip  from whale watching and seaweed foraging to bike rides and some of the best seafood you’ll ever eat.

Head over to PrinceOfWhales.com to book your adventure and follow them on Instagram @princeofwhaleswhalewatching for more amazing sightings.

CONNECT WITH NICK

To dive deeper into Nik’s stories and the world of whales, check out the Prince of Whales Podcast, available wherever you get your shows.

CONNECT WITH US

Instagram: @armchairexplorerpodcast

Website: armchair-explorer.com

SUPPORT THE SHOW

If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate and review the show. Your feedback helps others discover Armchair Explorer and allows us to keep bringing you incredible stories.

CREDITS

Armchair Explorer is produced by Armchair Productions. Aaron Millar is the writer and presenter, with audio editing and sound design by Charles Tyrie. Our theme music is by Sweet Chap.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices