Backyard Battlefields cover art

Backyard Battlefields

Backyard Battlefields

By: James De Leo
Listen for free

About this listen

Backyard Battlefields is a history podcast which explores historical sites throughout Australia and beyond. Presented by James De LeoCopyright James De Leo Social Sciences Travel Writing & Commentary World
Episodes
  • Operation Hurricane: Britain's First Atomic Test
    Nov 6 2025

    On October 3, 1952 Britain detonated an atomic bomb on the MonteBello Islands, 50 miles off Western Australia's Pilbara coast. The success of the top secret test made Britain the third atomic power after the United States and Soviet Union. Author Paul Grace, has written a dramatic account of the test, 'Operation Hurricane: The Story of Britain's First Atomic Test and the Legacy that Remains' His Grandfather, Flight Lt. Ron Grace was a Royal Australian Airforce pilot who flew security patrols before the test and 'coastal monitoring' sorties in the radioactive aftermath, searching for fallout on the Australian mainland. This episode is Paul's first hand account of the test, its politics, personalities and implications for Australia.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Land of the Eendracht: Dirk Hartog, 1616
    Jul 18 2025

    'Eendracht' means 'Concord' or 'Unity' and is taken from the motto of the Dutch republic 'Eendracht maakt macht' - 'Unity makes strength'. It was the name of a ship of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) captained by Dirk Hartog which made contact with Western Australia in 1616. The crew of the 'Eendracht' marked their visit with a pewter dish subsequently known as 'Hartog's Plate' which remains the oldest artefact of European exploration discovered in Australia.

    Show More Show Less
    12 mins
  • 'Emily Taylor' & Augusta, 1830
    Jul 2 2025

    Today 'Emily Taylor' is a bar in the fashionable port City of Fremantle, but first it was the name of a ship built in Bombay for the British East India Company and subsequently sold to a private concern. It was chartered by the Western Australian goverment to transport settler families to establish the colony's third settlement, the town of Augusta on Cape Leeuwin in 1830. Not long after 'Emily Taylor' would forever became part of the history of WA when it was blown ashore and wrecked on its return voyage to Fremantle.

    Show More Show Less
    9 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.