Good Reading Podcast

Drawn from the pages of history and cutting-edge science, Thaw is a gripping read that will forever change how you see the frozen continent – and those who seek to conquer it.

In 1912, five British explorers struggle across the Antarctic landscape, through howling winds and plummeting temperatures, seeking the safety of their camp. Today, as the world's ice sheets begin to melt and surrender their secrets, renowned glacial archaeologist Missy Simpson works to discover the true cause of the explorers' deaths – a subject that has intrigued researchers for more than a century. In hallowed halls of learning and on the icy polar plateau, these risk-takers must grapple with the unfathomable power of the natural world and the dramatically changing weather – while navigating their own complicated relationships.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Dennis Glover about how history has treated Scott's ill-fated expedition, why meteorologist George Clarke Simpson was central to the recounting of this story, and what it all means in the context of devastating climate change.

In a small fishing village on the coast of Portugal, a select band of surfers take unimaginable risks, pushing the boundaries of their death-defying sport as they seek to go bigger than ever before. Their goal? To ride the Everest of the ocean - the 100-foot wave.

Sports journalist Matt Majendie was welcomed into the inner circle of Nazare's tight community to chronicle their incredible highs and terrifying lows. Follow the endeavours of Britain's leading big-wave surfer, a former plumber from Devon, Andrew Cotton; trailblazing Brazilian female surfer Maya Gabeira; current World Record holder German Sebastian Steudtner; Portuguese Nic von Rupp and jet-ski driver Sergio Cosme, nicknamed 'the Guardian Angel of Nazare' for his daring rescues, in this gripping read.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Matt Majendie about what make the Nazare big waves so special, the four individuals who have conquered the 'Everest' of big-wave surfing - and lived to tell the tale, and how Nazare's tight-knit group of surfers have become a community.

'Cast Mates: Australian Actors in Hollywood and at Home' is a group biography of Australian acting giants across the ages.The larger-than-life personalities that form the heart of this book — Errol Flynn, Peter Finch, David Gulpilil and Nicole Kidman — have dominated cinema screens both locally and internationally and starred in some of the biggest films of their eras — including The Adventures of Robin Hood, Network, Crocodile Dundee and Eyes Wide Shut. From the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1930s to the streaming wars of today, the lives of these four actors, and their many cast mates, tell a story of how a nation’s cinema was founded, then faltered, before finding itself again.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Sam Twyford-Moore about the four generations of Australian actors and their movies that beat a path to Hollywood, the historical roller coaster ride of Australian film funding, and the missed opportunities for David Gulpilil and the indigenous Australian film industry.

Since 1901, thirty-one different leaders have run the national show. Whether their term was eight days or eighteen years, each prime minister has a story worth sharing.

Edmund Barton united the bickering states in a federation. The unlucky Jimmy Scullin took office days before Wall Street crashed into the Great Depression. John Curtin faced the ultimate challenge of wartime leadership. John Gorton, Gough Whitlam and Paul Keating each shook up their parties' policies so vigorously that none lasted much longer than a single term. Harold Holt spent three decades in parliament, only to disappear while swimming off the coast of Victoria just under two years into his first term. John Howard's triple bypass is the stuff of legend. Julia Gillard overthrew Kevin Rudd and Kevin Rudd overthrew Julia Gillard, thus paving the way for Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull, Scott Morrison … And then came Anthony Albanese. With characteristic wit and expert knowledge, Mungo MacCallum and Frank Bongiorno bring the nation's leaders to life in this updated edition of a classic book.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Frank Bongiorno about Mungo MacCallum's perspective on our political leaders, the two new chapters on Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese that he has contributed to this updated edition, and the affection and admiration Mungo retained for all our Prime Ministers - good, bad or indifferent.

Jimmy is a kid growing up fast on the poorest street in small town rural Australia. He tries to do everything right and look out for his alcoholic mum and his disabled younger brother. His older brother is in jail, so it's up to Jimmy to hold things together. And small-town life is unforgiving if you're from the other side of the tracks: But Jimmy soon learns that even when you get things right, everything can still go wrong.


In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Mark Brandi about his memories of the 1980s that form the setting of his book, why growing up in a small country town has both pleasures and perils, and how a now extinct interstate train journey can carry hopes and dreams in both directions.

For over four decades, world-leading independent medical research organisation the Centenary Institute has been producing breakthroughs in our biggest health challenges – cancer, cardiovascular disease and the many other problems stemming from inflammation. In The Good Gut Anti-Inflammatory Diet, Professor Phil Hansbro explains why inflammation is the fundamental cause of almost all disease, and what you and your gut can do about it.

This book outlines the factors causing inflammation, and dives deep on the one you can control: your diet. The Centenary Institute have gathered together their latest research and joined forces with Australian author and chef ‘Fast Ed’ Hamalgyi. Fast Ed shares 50 versatile, delicious recipes to show you that taking control of your nutrition. The book also includes invaluable nutrition tips from Dr Clare Bailey.

In this episode Professor Phil Hansbro explains how about inflammation occurs and why it can lead to chronic disease, the distinction between good inflammation and chronic inflammation, exactly why fibre is the hero of any diet, and why Fast Ed Halmagyi's recipes are a pathway to a healthy biome.

Twenty-five years after the end of the World War II, ageing British Special Operations Executive Noah Ainsworth is reflecting on the secret agent who saved his life when a mission went wrong during his perilous, exhilarating years in occupied France. He never knew her real name, nor whether she survived the war. Inspired by her father's wartime exploits, Noah's daughter Charlotte begins a search for answers. What follows is the story of Fleur and Chloe, two otherwise ordinary women who in 1943 are called up by the SOE for deployment in France. Taking enormous risks with very little information or resources, the women have no idea they're at the mercy of a double agent within their ranks who's causing chaos. As Charlotte's search for answers continues, new suspicions are raised about the identity of the double agent, with unsettling clues pointing to her father.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Kelly Rimmer about the real women that inspired her characters, the secrecy surrounding the Special Operations Executives even after the war had ended, and her passion for exploring the secret lives of real people through historical fiction.

In 1846, linguistics professor Fabrice Cleriquot is despatched from Lyon to the Swan River Colony, sent away with a box full of silkworms to stop him from bringing more disgrace upon the family. Accompanying him on board the Elizabeth are twenty-eight mismatched and misguided Catholic missionaries including Dom Salvado, who seeks to create a Spanish Benedictine monastery deep in the bush, and the Irish Sisters of Mercy, who are fleeing a dreadful famine. Given the job of distributing a huge donation from a wealthy benefactress, Fabrice bears witness to the folly of his travelling companions whose presumptuous attempts to rescue the colony and the original inhabitants from themselves, can only lead to tragedy.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Peter Burke about the reality of the Swan River colony in 1845, the various groups of missionaries and their competing interests in the battle for the souls of the indigenous people and the free settlers, and exploring different points of view through historical fiction.

Australians love dogs – big dogs, little dogs, fluffy couch potatoes and hardy working dogs. We have one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world. Australia’s Dogs is a celebration of the dog in Australian life, exploring the human-canine bond, and reflecting on the crucial role played by dogs in our life and work. Learn more about Australia’s home-grown dog breeds that played a central role in the development of pastoral industries, as well as the iconic dingo and its place in Indigenous life, and in the Australian ecosystem, today.

Australia’s Dogs is generously illustrated with images drawn from the rich collections of the National Library of Australia. Some capture a photographer’s love for their own dog, while others tell epic tales of survival in harsh conditions, comment on an element of social history or record a significant moment. As the incredible variety of images shows, the story of dogs in Australia is a subject that is historically significant, with a broad and enduring appeal.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Katherine Kovacic about the ancient bond between dogs and humans, how and why Australian dog breeds have become part of our folklore, and what the vast collection of photographs held in the National Library Of Australia's archive tells us about ourselves and the connection we have wth our canine companions.

Bhutan is known as the land of Gross National Happiness, a Buddhist Shangri-la hidden in the Himalayas. But in the late 1980s, Bhutan waged a brutal ethnic-cleansing campaign against its citizens of Nepali ancestry, including Om Dhungel and his family.

Bhutan to Blacktown tells Om Dhungel’s remarkable story — his journey from a remote village to a senior position in the Bhutanese Civil Service, to life as a human rights activist in Nepal and, eventually, to his work as a community leader in Blacktown, western Sydney. Every step prepared Om for the central role he would play in settling more than 5000 Bhutanese refugees, in one of the most successful refugee initiatives in Australia’s history.

Written with Walkley Award-winning journalist James Button, Bhutan to Blacktown is a story of grit and struggle, humour and irrepressible optimism — and how losing nearly everything shaped one man’s character and fate.

In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Om Dhungel about the period of Nepalese ethnic cleansing that forced him to reconsider his life in the Buddhist nation of Bhutan, his role in resettling the Nepalese in Australia, his role as a community leader in Blacktown and what community means for him.