Letter 118
4 Australian Podcasts for Your Commute
By
The Australia Letter is a weekly newsletter from our Australia bureau. Sign up to get it by email. This week’s issue is written by Isabella Kwai, a reporter with the Australia bureau.
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I’ll admit it: I’m an anxious driver. When I’m on those seemingly never-ending stretches of road that connect towns to cities and cities to suburbs, a soothing voice goes a long way to quell the worries. So when I’m driving alone, whether to report or to play, podcasts are the perfect way to wile away the hours until the next pit stop.
There are more than a few podcasts out there these days, which led one of my colleagues to wonder if we’ve reached peak podcast. But the podcast will always have a special place in my heart and commute, and recently I’ve been making an effort to explore more Australian ones. Thanks to our readers who sent in recommendations. Here are four we rate, for whatever mood you’re in.
Did I miss your favorite? Write to me at nytaustralia@nytimes.com and let me know, or drop into our NYT Australia Facebook group.
If you’re into true crime try …
On the face of it, “Wrong Skin” is about an unsolved death and a missing persons case in the Kimberley, a stunning region in Australia’s northwestern corner. But it’s also a look into a forbidden relationship and the cultural values of Aboriginal Australians in a less populated part of the country. Richard Baker, an investigative reporter with The Age, goes back to the wet season of 1994, when Richard Milgin and Julie Buck, two young lovers, disappeared from the community of Looma. Only Ms. Buck’s body was found, months later.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are warned that the podcast contains names, images and audio of people who have passed away.
Where to start: Episode 1: Richard and Julie
If you’re a news junkie try …
If you’re enjoying the New York Times podcast “The Daily,” “7am,” which follows a similar format but for Australian news of the day, is a perfect complement. Created by Schwartz Media, which publishes The Monthly and The Saturday Paper, the show is hosted by Elizabeth Kulas, an Australian journalist who talks to some of the country’s leading reporters to explain the day’s news from Australia and around the world. I’d recommend this one for your morning commute.
Where to start: Anywhere!
If you’re into pop culture try …
Zara McDonald and Michelle Andrew are two Melbourne journalists who go deep on the ‘stupid stuff,’ with plenty of banter along the way. It’s a fun one for pop aficionados, its feels like chiming into a conversation between two very up-to-date friends. But as with all great pop culture discussion, “Shameless” taps into bigger themes that hide beneath and how a zeitgeist can change the way we think.
Where to start: Complicated celebrity comebacks
If you want a deep dive try …
Who are you? What do you believe in? Do you live your life by a philosophy? Every week, the writer and comedian Wil Anderson spends an hour or so in the company of an interesting person with a simple objective: to uncover how that person lives their life. If you’re incessantly curious about the things that govern people’s decisions, this is a podcast for you. The answers are often intimate, funny and might just prompt some reflection.
The Gambling Investigation Scrutinizing Xi Jinping’s High-Rolling Cousin: Australia is confronting a sprawling scandal involving Chinese money, high-stakes gambling, accusations of money laundering and special immigration favors for high-rollers — including a cousin of China’s top leader.
Chinese Nationalists Bring Threat of Violence to Australia Universities: A clash with Hong Kong supporters at a student protest in Queensland could be a dark omen of what’s to come.
Jacinda Ardern Is Tested by Construction on Land Held Sacred by Maori: An intensifying standoff between Maori groups and a construction company threatens to tarnish Ms. Ardern’s reputation on the world stage for her politics of kindness and tolerance.
The Best Movies and TV Shows New to Netflix Australia in August: Wanted to wait out the hype before seeing “A Star is Born?” Now’s your chance.
Review: Is Hannah Gadsby’s ‘Douglas’ Stand-Up? Theater? Yes, Please.: The New York Times reviews the star comedian’s new show and follow-up to “Nanette.”
Brett Whiteley Partied With Bob Dylan. Now His Life Is an Opera.: How do sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll fit into an opera? Read about the risky venture by Opera Australia that finished its run in Sydney this week.
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Around the Times
When Trump Tweets, the Editor of ‘China’s Fox News’ Hits Back: Inside a bustling, 700-person newsroom in downtown Beijing, Hu Xijin leads a 24-hour propaganda machine. And he’s not afraid to taunt President Trump on Twitter.
Teenage Murder Suspects Vanish Into Canada’s Wilderness: Police are searching in bush, swamp and forest for two teenagers suspected of killing three people, including an Australian man. It is an optimal place to hide — and a difficult place to survive.
What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team: Surprising truths about why some work groups thrive and others falter, new research reveals.
Facebook Connected Her to a Tattooed Soldier in Iraq. Or So She Thought: Renee Holland sent her Facebook friend thousands of dollars. She became entwined in a global fraud that the social network and the United States military appear helpless to stop.
Hunting for the Real Pasta all’Amatriciana: Essentially, a page of pasta pornography, under the guise of a travel story. Do not click hungry.
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… And Over to You
Last week, Tacey Rychter wrote about the late, beloved cookbook author Margaret Fulton, and the cultural impact she made on Australian cooking. She asked for your memories of home cooking in the 1960s and ’70s. Thanks to everyone who wrote in — there was a fascinating mix of horror and nostalgia in your responses. Here are a few choice ones:
“I recall my mother being partial to a most revolting dessert called “Jellywhip” — a mixture of jelly crystals and custard. It always seemed to be pineapple which made it even more revolting in both taste and color.”
— Jan Aminoff
“As a young adult I didn’t believe vegetables could taste nice. The worst cooking was for cabbage. It was boiled with vinegar and heavily salted for about an hour."
— James Moore
“Prior to The Margaret Fulton Cookbook, all our vegetables were cooked in a pressure cooker, which rendered them all gray in colour, texture and taste. For my brother and I, it was a bridge too far. But we were not allowed to leave the table until we’d eaten everything on our plates. So the contrast between the pre and post-Margaret Fulton eras could not have been more dramatic.”
— Judy Charlton
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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/02/world/australia/4-australian-podcasts.html
2019-08-02 05:19:17Z
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