The Real Thing

ABC listen

4.8 (172)
SOCIETY & CULTURE

The Real Thing celebrates unique Australian characters.

19/05/2018

#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.

22 min
09/04/2018

#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 sisters.

21 min
19/03/2018

#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/

33 min
06/03/2018

#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 system, as she breaks the silence around FGM.

24 min
19/02/2018

#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 how it will end.

16 min
09/02/2018

#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 picnic continues.

32 min
23/01/2018

#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.

25 min
09/01/2018

#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.

23 min
25/12/2017

#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.

20 min
11/12/2017

#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.

14 min
28/11/2017

#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 most important.

22 min

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4.8

out of 5

172 Ratings

Wilcannia stories

09/03/2019

MykeTheSyke

I think it was great that one, you wanted to do positive stories about Wilcannia and two, that you put the effort to go all the way out there to do so. It was great listening to the positive stories, especially in the wake of the recent drought stories.
Very well produced

31/01/2019

AudioMang

Good job!
Don’t say it’s over!

22/05/2018

Louise Overseas

I have loved listening to the episodes of the Real Thing. Living overseas, it’s a great connection and insight to home. I especially enjoyed the episodes about Wilcannia. I’ll miss you!
Brilliant podcast with Aussie voices

16/02/2018

s4oco

Excellent little podcast from the ABC with fascinating stories from around Australia. Real people talking about their lives and views about their world. Well produced and clear inquiring presentations.