Heather Ewart reflects on the tough road to Back Roads success

Australia Broadcast Center

15 hours ago

Over the past 10 years, millions of Australians have explored communities at the furthest corners of the country alongside Heather Ewart.
The Back Roads host has been at the helm of the much-loved show since day one, but as her final season goes to air, she admits that getting the idea off the ground was no easy task.
"I was approached by the then-managing director and the board to come up with a show about the country," she recalled.
Not long before, Ewart had pulled together a highly successful documentary on the history of the National Party that was "based on people's farms and in their communities".
"That sort of struck a chord, I think, with city audiences," she said.
"So that's what made the management at the time … think, well, maybe there was an appetite for more of this. And, as it turned out, there really was."
But despite the initial excitement and interest in the idea, Ewart said it was harder in practice to get the show off the ground.
"It involved flights to Sydney and sitting down with management and trying to persuade them of a good time slot," she said.
Ewart said they were also operating on a small budget.
"It wasn't easy … and we were a small team at the time," she said.
But come the first episode and the results the next day, it was clear Ewart and the team had struck gold.
"I think the pressure felt like it was off, you know, we'd made it, we'd actually pulled this off.
"From that moment on, I knew that we had a show that would continue.
"It's hard not to take a certain satisfaction in the fact that you were right, but look, I think I knew from the very first night, it was a huge responsibility."
Ewart said even with the initial success, she didn't think then that the show would still be going a decade later.
"I guess deep inside I had this gut belief that, first and foremost, people in the country deserve to have their stories told and also that I could bring city viewers along with me," she said.
"But … I wouldn't have expected it to have done as well for so long. You don't know with television, it can be a fickle beast."
With close to 100 episodes under her belt, Ewart has seen and heard stories from all corners of the country.
And while there's many she remembers fondly, one in particular stands out.
"It was in the first series and we were in a place called Derby in Western Australia, right at the top, a couple of hours from Broome," she said.
Ewart said the community, which was almost 50 per cent Indigenous, had one of the highest rates of youth suicide in the country.
"That was really hard to wrap your head around," she said.
"The local Indigenous DJ was telling his story and in the course of that, broke down telling me about all the different family members and friends he'd had who died."
That DJ was Trent Ozies, the first man to win the Boab Quest charity contest in its history, who spoke to Back Roads about being a role model in the small WA town.
"It was so personal and raw and difficult to hear and difficult for him to tell the story," Ewart recalled.
"But we chose to put that to air and I'm really glad we did because I think it was a really poignant reminder to people that they're not just figures you read in the newspaper."
Ewart said while Back Roads had always looked to share good news stories from regional and rural areas, the team didn't shy away from tackling the difficult and sad stories too.
Many other adventures also stick out, for different reasons.
Ewart recalled some of the times she went "above and beyond the call of duty", like venturing into an underground cave in the Nullarbor, or going buffalo hunting near Adelaide River in the Northern Territory.
But it's the people of some of Australia's smallest communities that Heather holds closest, particularly those who sprang into action when their family and friends and other communities were impacted by deadly fires and floods.
"I'm grateful to those who so generously allowed us into their lives, in both good and bad times," she said in her final episode celebrating the show's 10th anniversary.
Ewart also acknowledged those working alongside her to bring to show to life.
"There have been so many laughs and [so much] fun along the way with the crew," she said.
"I've had the backing of such a talented team over the years."
While Ewart's time on Back Roads is wrapping up, there's no end in sight for the show with a new season airing tonight and more episodes planned for next year.
Former ABC News Breakfast host and Muster Dogs presenter Lisa Millar is stepping in as the new host, and will be joined by guest presenters.
While the last decade has been tied up with road trips to remote parts of Australia, Ewart's time at the ABC stretches more than 40 years.
She swapped her work as a political reporter, foreign correspondent and later chief political editor at 7.30 to tell stories from the bush.
But as her final few episodes go to air, Ewart said she was looking forward to pursuing other projects and travel plans that have had to take a back seat.
"The thing about Back Roads is it is a gruelling schedule," she said.
"It means there are lots of things that I've missed out on with the family, you know weddings, parties, all sorts of stuff.
"It also means I can never take really long holidays."
But if you thought Ewart would be steering clear of road trips, think again.
"I've made friends right around the country, so I intend to go and do quite a bit of visiting in the early stages to say hello and to thank them for letting us into their lives," she said.
Stream the new season of Back Roads free on ABC iview or watch Thursdays at 8pm on ABC TV.