Wild: Stories from Western Australia's past

Karli Florisson
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True stories from Western Australia's history with host Karli Florisson.

  1. 09/18/2025

    The Wreck of the Rodondo

    The Rodondo was a steamship that hit a reef travelling through the Recherche Archipelago in 1894. She was wrecked, and sank somewhere near Salisbury Island. The exact location of the sunken ship is unknown - at least until recently! There's some breaking news on this one. Listen to the whole story of the Rodondo here. For sources and more information, visit: www.wildwapodcast.com www.karliflorisson.com To support the show, you can buy me a coffee here. Instagram To get in touch, make a suggestion, ask a question, or anything else, find my contact details at the websites above.  Here are a couple of the sources I used to put together this podcast: Rodondo - Museum of WA Maritime database Finding the Rodondo News article - Shipwreck Hunters

  2. 09/01/2025

    William Dampier

    William Dampier might be a familiar name to many Western Australians - the port town of Dampier is named after him, as is the Dampier Archipelago, and several other landmarks. Who was William Dampier, and what significance did he have for Western Australia? Was he a pirate, an explorer, a naturalist, or a writer? Or all of the above?  For more information about the sources I have used in this episode, visit www.wildwapodcast.com. For more information about Karli, or to subscribe to my newsletter, visit www.karliflorisson.com.  To support the podcast, you can buy me a coffee at this link.

  3. 08/14/2025

    The Sugarbird Lady

    This is the story of Western Australia's amazing Robin Miller, also known as the Sugarbird Lady.  If you want to get straight to the story, you can skip ahead to 6:00. To support the podcast, you can buy me a coffee at this link.  For more information about my book, or to get in touch, you can visit my website, www.karliflorisson.com.  To watch the Esperance Historic Homesteads Documentary Series, click this link, or visit the Riggs Australia channel on YouTube.  For more information about the podcast, or to contact me, you can visit www.wildwastories.com. There are some photos of Robin Miller on this website too, as well as on Instagram at www.instagram.com/wildwastoriespodcast/. There are some wonderful old articles about Robin Miller that I used as source material for this podcast. You can view them on Trove, here and here. I'll include links to some sources I've used for this podcast on my website as well.  Thanks for listening! I hope you've enjoyed this wild story from Western Australia's past.  © Karli Florisson, 2025

  4. 09/17/2023

    C Y O'Connor

    C Y O'Connor was a visionary architect whose work transformed Western Australia. He was hard working, far sighted, and courageous, but ultimately, his story is a tragedy.  Visit www.wildwapodcast.com for more information, or find me on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/wildwastoriespodcast/ for some photos to go with this episode.  You can find the documentary project that I've been working on on the Riggs Australia Channel on YouTube, or by following these links: https://youtu.be/jfglt48AJOs?si=fr8muj9QK818rvLE and  https://youtu.be/toBmLmHtcHI?si=4Q1j6bGHOg57I5i7 We're very grateful for the generous support of the Mount Burdett Foundation and the State Heritage Council for making these documentaries possible.  Hope you enjoy the episode!

  5. 11/20/2022

    Westralia - the 1933 Secession Referendum

    In 1933, Western Australia held a referendum on whether or not we should secede from the Commonwealth of Australia. What led up to this moment, and what did the people of Western Australia decide?  Visit www.wildwapodcast.com for more details.

  6. 10/13/2022

    John Septimus Roe

    John Septimus Roe is probably the most influential person in Western Australian history that you've never heard of. He had a huge impact on the way that Western Australia looks today.  For more information or references, visit www.wildwapodcast.com

  7. 04/01/2022

    The Coastal Shipping Service

    In the early days of Western Australia's settlement, the new coastal settlements and towns relied heavily on the coastal mail ships that delivered the mail, brought the news, and did so much more. These ships provided the only way these towns could communicate with the outside world. The coastal shipping service continued on after the telegraph line was put through, and after other options for transportation, road, rail and air, became much more reliable. This includes the story of those days, and of some of the adventures of those early ships.  To find out more about the sources I've used for this episode, go to www.wildwapodcast.com You can get in touch with me by email at wildwapodcast@gmail.com, or find me on twitter, facebook, or instagram.

  8. 03/01/2022

    Skylab

    In 1979, NASA's space station, Skylab, reentered Earth's atmosphere, breaking up over the south west of Western Australia. Here are the details of that event.  For more information about this podcast, including references, check out www.wildwapodcast.com. You can also email me at wildwapodcast@gmail.com I'm on Facebook and Twitter (Just look up Karli Florisson) or you can find me on Instagram under Wild WA Stories Podcast.

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True stories from Western Australia's history with host Karli Florisson.

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