Australia: An Unofficial History
2025 · 53m · Documentary
Delves into a forgotten vault of Australian government films, unearthing a kaleidoscopic vision of Australia in the 1970s, a decade of political and social change.
Episodes
More Like This
Once Upon a Time in Punchbowl
2014
Tells the inside story of the challenges the Lebanese Australian community has faced in Australia and how they have fought to overcome them. This landmark documentary series hears from community leaders, police, families and individuals, as they combine to tell the compelling and dramatic story of a proud and resilient community, under intense pressure and scrutiny. The story begins in the 1970s when large numbers of Lebanese migrants flooded into Australia. Many were Muslim, most were traumatised by civil war, all were desperate to build a better future. Over the coming decades, these new Australians struggled to establish a new life in their adopted country.
More info →
The Pacific: In The Wake of Captain Cook
2018 · ★ 7
History is taking to the seas and walking in the footsteps of Captain James Cook. 250 years after Cook began his epic exploration of the Pacific, Sam Neill (Jurassic Park, The Piano) journeys in his wake uncovering stories that resonate from those times on both sides of the beach. Sam begins with a disclaimer – he is merely an actor – but the story of Cook, and the impact he has had on the Pacific in the 250 years since his first voyage, has always fascinated him.
More info →
Coast Australia
2013 · ★ 6.7
Coast Australia follows renowned Scottish archaeologist and historian Neil Oliver on his very first trip to Australia, as he and a diverse group of co-hosts gather stories about our spectacular coastline: the history, the people, the archaeology, the geography and the marine life, investigating interesting and little known facts along the way. Oliver’s co-hosts, all experts in their field, are journalist and Australian arts and culture specialist Miriam Corowa, environmentalist Professor Tim Flannery, marine scientist Dr Emma Johnston, anthropologist Dr Xanthe Mallett and television presenter and landscape architect Brendan Moar.
More info →
Judith Lucy Is All Woman
2015 · ★ 2
One of Australia's favourite comedians Judith Lucy, is out to discover where women are at in modern Australia and what it means to men - talking to people from all walks of life from all over the country.
More info →
Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution
2023 · ★ 7.8
From the basement bars of 70s New York to the peak of the global charts, this is the story of how disco conquered the world: its origins, its triumphs, its fall and its legacy.
More info →
Australia: The Story of Us
2015 · ★ 6.3
Australia: The Story of Us is an extraordinary journey through the people, places and events that have shaped Australia, from the first footprints on our continent to the present day. Astounding visual sequences, amazing CGI and dramatic re-enactments bring these stories to life and show how we came to be the country we are today.
More info →
Gold Coast Cops
2014 · ★ 3.5
Follow the work of Gold Coast police officers from the newly created Rapid Action & Patrols Group (RAP). The elite taskforce is responsible for policing everything from bikie gangs and street violence to drug heists and organised crime.
More info →
Australia's Most Dangerous Prisoners
2024
In Australia, there are over 40,000 men and women currently behind bars. Many of them have done very bad things. They have shattered countless lives, destroyed families and been responsible for unspeakable criminal acts. What did they do? How did they get here? And what are their lives like now?
More info →
Labor In Power
1993
The history of the Labor Party in government in Australia from 1983 to 1993 under Bob Hawke and Paul Keating. The series is told entirely through the eyes of all the major players in government and the bureaucracy, including Bob Hawke and Paul Keating.
More info →
Corleone: A History of la Cosa Nostra
2019 · ★ 7.9
How, from 1974 to 1993, Totò Riina (1930-2017), supreme boss of the Corleone family, ruled by blood and terror over the Sicilian Mafia. An implacable account, based on the testimony of his men and those who fought against them.
More info →