The Incredible Journey

Planet Earth is filled with wonders. Natural ones include some of the most beautiful places in the world, like mountains, waterfalls, rainforests, canyons, volcanoes, and coral reefs. Then there are man-made wonders that comprise cities, temples, statues, palaces, pyramids, monuments and mausoleums. For thousands of years, people have been making lists of these wonders, trying to determine which are the most important and spectacular. The extraordinary places on these lists all have one thing...

They were told they were going somewhere better. Most never saw their families again. In the 17th century, King James I began shipping orphaned and delinquent children across the ocean to the British colonies. The first group was a hundred street children, sent to Virginia as workers. They were the beginning of something far larger. Through the Victorian era, the practice continued. Unaccompanied children were sent to Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe. Many of them had been born in...

One of the most important battles ever fought took place in the skies over southern England in the summer and autumn of 1940. After the successful Blitzkrieg invasion of much of western Europe, the fall of France, and the forced evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk in early June 1940, the next step in Hitler’s grand plan was the conquest of Britain. And to make that happen, Hitler knew that he must first control the skies. So he sent the combat-experienced Luftwaffe, the ...

From Federation in 1901, Australia’s military story has been written on foreign battlefields: the Boer War, two world wars, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq. But in 1932, the only military campaign ever fought on Australian soil unfolded in the wheat belt of Campion, Western Australia. While the Great Depression crushed farmers, some 20,000 emus descended on their crops. Powerful, flightless, and contemptuous of fences, the birds systematically destroyed livelihoods. Desperate...

There is something magical about flight. Since the dawn of time, humans have yearned to soar like birds. Lacking wings of our own, we built machines to conquer the sky, and in today's jet age, roughly 4.5 billion people take to the air each year. Yet the sky is not our natural environment, and the dangers multiply rapidly high above the ground. In this program, we meet a man who knows those risks all too well. Chris Rantall fell 10,000 feet (3 kilometres) to the earth and lived to tell...

Shoichi Yokoi was a Japanese soldier who refused to surrender at the end of World War II. Instead, he vanished into the jungles of Guam and lived in an underground cave for nearly 28 years after the war was over. He survived on fruit, nuts, snails, shrimp, eels, and rats. Today, he is remembered for the ingenuity that kept him alive and unseen for almost three decades. But it is hard to admire that feat without feeling the sting of its irony. Yokoi did eventually return to Japan. What he cou...

One of the most fascinating events in modern political history is Watergate, the scandal in Washington, D.C., that led to the resignation of U.S. President Richard Nixon. What started as a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters quickly grew into a nationwide crisis involving wiretapping, illegal funds, secret tapes, and a cover-up that reached the White House itself.

Coober Pedy is also known as the Opal Capital of the World. Most of the world’s opal comes from this tiny Outback town and is located in the harsh outback of South Australia. The town is 845kms north of Adelaide and 685 kms south of Alice Springs along the Stuart Highway. About 95% of the world's precious opals come from Australia. And 85% of them are found right here in the 70 opal fields in the region. But it’s not only famous for opals, but also for its unique accommodation, and lege...

Fukushima is a place forever marked by a triple disaster. Within minutes, a massive earthquake, devastating tsunami, and nuclear meltdown unleashed an unprecedented wave of death, displacement, and destruction across the Tohoku region of Japan. Thousands of people and most of their worldly possessions were washed away in a matter of minutes. Hundreds of thousands of survivors were left displaced. It began at 14:46 on 11 March 2011, when the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in Japan stru...

Troy is one of the most amazing and sensational deceptions in human history. Its story in Homer’s Iliad and the Odyssey has become one of the most famous works of literature in all of history. Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, was married to Menelaus, King of Sparta. When Paris, a prince of Troy, was welcomed as a guest, he sailed back with Helen, whether by seduction or abduction. Humiliated and furious, Menelaus led the powerful Greek army against Troy’s impenetrable walls. For...

We are all familiar with the heroic deeds of the gladiators of ancient Rome. But did you know the Bible records a gladiatorial-style contest in the early history of the Israelite kings? It pitted a heavily armed giant, equipped with the latest fighting gear, against a simple shepherd armed only with a sling and a stone. The story sounds highly improbable. Was it true? Even though David was one of the most famous kings of ancient Israel, many historians and Bible critics rejected the Bible sto...

Banjo Paterson is one of Australia’s most beloved and celebrated poets. His whimsical ballads, which capture the spirit and allure of life in the Australian bush, have thrilled generations of readers and brought to life the unique charms of the rugged outback. Among his best-known works are The Man from Snowy River, Clancy of the Overflow, and Waltzing Matilda, the latter often regarded as Australia’s unofficial national anthem. In this program, we take a closer look at the life and times of...

The story of Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier and hero of the Alamo, has captured the hearts and imaginations of people around the world. Born on August 17, 1786, in a small cabin beside the Nolichucky River near Limestone, Tennessee, David “Davy” Crockett became a legendary hunter, pioneer, soldier, explorer, politician, and martyr. Known as the King of the Wild Frontier, he was already a celebrated American hero in his own lifetime. At the Alamo in San Antonio, 200 brave Texans, inc...

Wales is a fascinating country with a long history, language and culture, and in the rugged beauty of the Welsh countryside, amidst rolling hills and verdant valleys, a child was born who would unwittingly change the course of Christian history. In 1800, Mary Jones walked 42 kms (26 miles) from her home in Llanfihangel-y-Pennant across the Welsh hills to Bala to buy a Bible in her own language. This action would unwittingly change the course of Christian History.

Every year, more than five million tourists visit Israel, many of them Christians retracing the footsteps of Jesus. With over two billion followers worldwide, Jesus Christ is regarded as one of the most influential figures in history. Yet one question continues to be asked: did Jesus really exist as a historical person? In this program, we'll investigate the historical evidence for His existence, asking whether the millions of pilgrims who journey to Bethlehem, Nazareth, Galilee, and Jerusal...

In 1903, America had only 150 miles of paved roads, no gas stations, and no highway maps. Crossing the continent by car was deemed impossible until Dr Horatio Nelson Jackson accepted a casual $50 bet to prove the sceptics wrong. Alongside mechanic Sewall K. Crocker and a goggle-wearing pit bull named Bud, Jackson embarked on a gruelling, breakdown-riddled, 63-day journey that changed transportation history forever.

This program follows the extraordinary story of the Japanese Kamikaze pilots of World War II. At 7:25 am on 25 October 1944, just five days after the Kamikaze Corps was formed, Lieutenant Yukio Seki took off from this very location on the first official Kamikaze attack mission. Three hours and twenty minutes later, at 10:45 am, his unit reached enemy targets in the Gulf of Leyte. Seki was the first to strike. He deliberately dive-bombed his plane into the American aircraft carrier USS St. Lo...

Al Capone, a name that still echoes through the annals of American crime history, was one of the most notorious gangsters of all time. Born in 1899 to Italian immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York, Alphonse Gabriel Capone rose from humble beginnings to become the kingpin of organised crime in Chicago during the Prohibition era. Known for his charismatic personality and ruthless tactics, Capone built an empire based on bootlegging, prostitution, and gambling. He cultivated a Robin Hood...

After the test on Mount Moriah, Abraham buries Sarah and secures the first piece of the Promised Land. His servant finds Rebekah for Isaac, and through Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob, God’s covenant continues. Abraham’s story becomes a lasting legacy of faith pointing toward the promised Messiah. How does one life of faith continue to shape generations yet to come?

After waiting decades, Isaac is born, but joy turns to testing as Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away and is then asked to offer Isaac. He obeys and journeys to Mount Moriah, where his faith reaches its peak in one of the Bible’s most powerful moments, pointing forward to God’s sacrifice. What does ultimate faith look like when God asks for what you love most?

Sarai gives Hagar to Abram, leading to Ishmael’s birth and conflict that drives Hagar into the wilderness, where God promises her a future. God renames Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah, promising Isaac despite their age. Abraham intercedes for Sodom before its destruction, while Lot escapes. How do human decisions and divine promises collide in moments of doubt and impatience?

Abram leaves Ur at God’s call, stepping into the unknown and receiving promises of land, descendants, and blessing for all nations. His journey takes him through famine in Egypt, conflict with Lot, rescue missions, and encounters with Melchizedek, ending with God confirming His covenant of land and countless descendants under the stars. But what does it really mean to trust God when everything familiar is left behind?

M*A*S*H was a hit television show based on the exploits of army doctors in Korea during the Korean War. The public loved the series, and the last episode in 1983 became the most-watched television broadcast in American history. But few actually know about the horrific war that forms the setting for the series, a war that has theoretically never ended. Often called The Forgotten War, it was overshadowed by World War II and the Vietnam War. Yet it was the first hot battle of the Cold War ...

In July 1940, Hitler issued a directive formally launching Operation Sea Lion, Nazi Germany's plan to invade and conquer Britain. Despite the fall of France, Britain, under its new Prime Minister Winston Churchill, showed no intention of surrendering. In a series of defiant speeches, Churchill rallied the British people, famously vowing that they would fight on the beaches, in the streets, and in the hills. It soon became clear to Hitler that if he wanted to end the war in the West, he would ...

Reptiles are not only deadly and numerous, they are also creatures who have some of the most bizarre behaviours in the world. Inhabiting every single land mass with the exception of Antarctica, reptiles are everywhere. Reptiles are generally classified into four main groups; crocodiles and alligators, lizards, snakes and turtles and tortoises. They are all cold-blooded, which means they rely on external sources to regulate their body temperature. They also have cool, dry skin, which is either...

In 1975, the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh fell to a rebel movement known as the Khmer Rouge. These Marxist revolutionaries seized control of the country and unleashed a reign of terror rarely seen in modern history. Over the next four years, the regime, led by dictator Pol Pot, was responsible for the deaths of nearly a quarter of Cambodia’s population. Entire communities were destroyed, and the nation’s religious and cultural heritage was systematically dismantled. The horrors of the Camb...

Nancy Bird Walton, Australia's pioneering female aviator, became the youngest woman in the British Empire to gain a commercial pilot's licence at 19. Her passion for flying started at 13 with a joyride in a de Havilland Gipsy Moth, prompting training with Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, purchase of her own plane, and barnstorming tours across New South Wales with Peggy McKillop to offer joyrides and charters that brought aviation and women pilots to rural areas. She is best known as the "Angel o...

In the late eighteenth century, the nations of Europe were plunged into the chaos and terror of a series of bloody revolutions. But England was spared. Not many people know the story of John Wesley, the man who saved England. Today we often focus on economic and military power as the ways that we can save nations. But Wesley did it by bringing about spiritual revival. When France and many other countries in Europe were plunged into chaos and terror, England took its place as the leading natio...

King Solomon, of the royal House of David, is considered the richest human being the world has ever known. For centuries, the legend of his gold mines, said to be the source of much of his immense wealth, has captured the imagination of people from all nations and stations in life. According to the Bible, Solomon, the wise son of King David, ruled from Jerusalem from 970 to 930 BC, presiding over Israel’s Golden Age and becoming renowned not only for his extraordinary wisdom but also for his ...

Step into one of the most volatile places on earth: the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Despite its name, the DMZ is the most militarised border in the world, a tense strip of land dividing North and South Korea since the 1953 armistice. Technically still at war, the two nations face each other across a boundary where even the smallest incident can ignite global attention. In Panmunjom’s Joint Security Area, North and South Korean soldiers stand just metres apart. It was here, on 13 November 2017...

Karl Heinrich Marx was born on 5 May 1818, one of nine children of Heinrich and Henrietta Marx. The family lived in the Rhineland region of Prussia in western Germany. Although both parents came from Jewish families with notable rabbinical backgrounds, Marx’s father, who worked as a lawyer, converted to Christianity in order to continue his legal career. Following an average school performance, Marx studied law and philosophy at the universities of Bonn and Berlin. He wrote extensively on ec...

Even today, new stories emerge about the Holocaust, and its unrelenting evil remains almost impossible to grasp, coldly calculated cruelty on an unimaginable scale. Perhaps the hardest part to comprehend is that, for the Nazis, being Jewish alone was a death sentence. Children of any age were not spared. Historians estimate that 1.5 million children, mostly Jewish, were murdered. How can we even begin to comprehend that? Yet amid such barbarity, there were acts of extraordinary heroism, cour...

World War II, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history, began on September 1, 1939, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. Adolf Hitler dreamed of uniting Europe and establishing an empire that would rule the world for a thousand years. Yet he could have spared himself and his people immense suffering if he had only paid attention to an extraordinary prophecy written by the Bible prophet Daniel more than 2,500 years earlier. Sadly, Hitler rejected the Bible and its prophecies, convinced...

Arlington National Cemetery is one of the most well-known cemeteries in the world. It’s just outside Washington, DC. 400,000 military veterans and their families are buried there. The most famous tomb of all is also there, the tomb of The Unknown Soldier. Nobody knows this soldier’s identity. Do you sometime feel that nobody knows you either? We can feel overwhelmed by the challenges and struggles of life but God does care and He wants to help. Watch the program to learn more.

Decades after the war, people from around the world still visit Auschwitz, a solemn place of remembrance for those who perished there. But imagine walking through it alongside the grandson of its ruthless commandant, Rudolf Höss. And what if your father was Martin Bormann, one of Hitler’s closest confidants and a key architect of the Holocaust? Join Gary Kent as he explores the heartbreaking stories of the children of Nazi leaders, those who grew up carrying a burden of guilt that was never t...

On the morning of 28 November 1979, Air New Zealand Flight TE901 departed Auckland Airport in Māngere on an 11-hour sightseeing journey to Antarctica. At 1:49 p.m., tragedy struck when the aircraft crashed into the lower slopes of Mt Erebus, claiming the lives of all 237 passengers and 20 crew. It remains the worst civil disaster in New Zealand’s history. In this program, we retrace the flight path of TE901 and explore the complex and compelling story behind the doomed journey. Along the way,...

The British philosopher Antony Flew was a powerful voice against the existence of God. He was a prominent atheist known for his work in the field of philosophy of religion and his arguments against the existence of God. For more than fifty years, he promoted his atheist agenda in the universities where he taught. However, later in his life, he rejected atheism and became a believer in God. What changed his mind?

Since its inception in the early 1880s, Broken Hill has been a thriving mining boomtown. Its prosperity attracted able-bodied workers from across the region, quickly transforming the town into a bustling hub of activity. As its success grew, Broken Hill also became a key trading centre. Camel trains regularly passed through, using the town as a base along major inland trade routes. At the height of the camel train era, Broken Hill was home to two of the largest cameleer camps in Australia. Am...

In the early 20th century, England and Australia produced some of the world’s greatest pioneering aviators. Among them were Amy Johnson, the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia, and C. W. A. Scott (Charles William Anderson Scott), a record-breaking pilot whose daring flights captured global attention. Their stories are marked by courage, determination, and astonishing leaps of faith. Nearly a century after Scott’s record flight, the very de Havilland Gipsy Moth he flew was pains...

In 2023 the oldest Hebrew Bible in the world sold at Sotheby’s New York for over $38 million USD, making it the most valuable manuscript sold at auction. It is called the Codex Sassoon and is thought to have been written about 1,100 years ago. It is the earliest surviving example of the Hebrew Bible. The Codex Sassoon Bible is a veritable treasure. However, there are older ancient Bibles, scrolls, and manuscripts that are even more valuable and involve amazing stories of discovery. Join us in...

In August 1864, three young children went missing in the bushland of Victoria’s Wimmera District. Isaac, Jane, and Frank Duff, aged between four and nine, had become lost in the rugged wilderness. Their father, John Duff, launched a desperate search that stretched over nine days and eight nights. Just before sunset on the ninth day, the children were found alive—exhausted, malnourished, but miraculously still clinging to life. Their survival captured the hearts and imagination of the entire c...

On Christmas Eve, 1953, New Zealand’s holiday celebrations were shattered by tragedy. The Wellington to Auckland night express, filled with passengers eager to be home for Christmas, was making its way north when disaster struck. A lahar (volcanic mudflow) had swept away the Tangiwai Rail Bridge, plunging the train into the raging Whangaehu River below. The result was catastrophic — lives were lost, and the nation was left in shock. It was one of the darkest moments in New Zealand’s history....

The value of the global trade of goods today is approximately 30 trillion US dollars. That’s 83 billion dollars per day of goods being transported all over the world across land, air, and sea. But trade is nothing new. In ancient times, trade began as a barter system in which people exchanged one object for another. People traded animal skins or services for food, weapons, clothing, and spices. Some primitive societies even used shells or pearls as currency, but during the 18th century, coins...

Virtually all ancient civilisations considered the celestial bodies and their movements of great importance, even incorporating astronomical events into the design of their sacred temples and monuments. The Egyptians, Babylonians, Mesopotamians, Chinese, Incas, Mayans and Aztecs worshipped the sun, moon, and stars. They built splendid sacred monuments that reflected astronomical events associated with the movement of the planets and stars. They were revered as gods to be worshipped and consid...

In 1932, Lennie Gwyther was nine years old when he and his horse Ginger Mick embarked on a 1000-kilometre journey to Sydney to see the newly constructed harbour bridge. At the time, Australia was in the throes of economic depression, and Lennie’s journey resonated with many Australians. At the end of his journey, Lennie was dubbed a legend and given a hero’s welcome in both Sydney and his native town of Leongatha. Join us as we follow in the footsteps of Lennie the Legend and his incredible j...

He is one of the most reviled and hated men in history. He was the king of the Holy Land during the time of Jesus and is best known for ordering the massacre in Bethlehem of all male children under 2 years old. His name? Herod the Great But Herod’s cruel reputation has always hidden another side of one of the Bible’s greatest villains. He was a prolific builder and architectural mastermind of breathtaking proportions. He built new cities, fortresses, palaces, harbours, aqueducts, theatres, a...

Operation Barbarossa and the area which fell under it became the site of some of the largest and most brutal battles, deadliest atrocities, terrible loss of life, and horrific conditions for Soviets and Germans alike – all of which influenced the course of World War 2. The defeat of Operation Barbarossa led to the end of that war and all the pain, suffering that accompanied it. In this program we investigate its connection with a young Australian engineer and consider the insights Opera...

In August 1925, two young adventurous missionaries set off from Perth, Western Australia, in their small Citroën with a plan to drive to Darwin, selling books and collecting donations along the way. If they made it that far, they would be the first motorists to complete that journey. But adventure took on a life of its own and, by the end of the year, Nevill Westwood and the little car 'Bubsie' had driven into the history books and completed the first journey around Australia.

Did you know that the foods we eat daily determine our brain's health and well-being? And here’s what’s important. There are superfoods and lifestyle choices that can heal our brains. It’s a question that lurks in our minds. Could the foods we eat really affect our ability to concentrate, focus, learn, and remember? Can the foods we eat really harm our brains? Every day, when we choose foods to eat, do we ask ourselves, "Is this food good for my brain, my body, and my well-being?" Well, nutr...

Born the son of a humble blacksmith in Yorkshire, England, Samuel Marsden rose to become one of the most prominent, influential — and at times controversial — figures in early colonial Australia. But who was this remarkably versatile man? A chaplain, magistrate, farmer, and a pioneer of the Australian wool industry, Marsden's legacy stretches far beyond the pulpit. His influence wasn't limited to Australia. In the early 1800s, at the invitation of a prominent Māori chief, Marsden sailed to N...