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Motherland Australia

Motherland Australia

By: Stephanie Trethewey
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Hosted by Stephanie Trethewey. Motherland shares real, raw, and unbelievable stories of motherhood told by women on the land. Each week, a rural mum from somewhere in Australia shares her motherhood journey. You'll hear stories of true grit, resilience, grief, and pure joy. Motherhood is the most life changing and transformative journey a woman can go through, and it's not always easy. No matter where you live or what you do, we're in this together and you're not alone.

© 2025 Motherland Australia
Parenting & Families Relationships
Episodes
  • Episode 279: From the Outback to Switzerland and Back - Megan Holzwart’s Story of Motherhood, Grit & Adventure
    Nov 2 2025

    From a childhood spent building fences and mustering cattle on her family’s remote Northern Territory station, to life in a Swiss city where she could see France from her balcony, Megan Holzwart’s story is one of grit, adventure, and deep reflection on motherhood. After years abroad, she’s now back in the bush, raising two young kids in Katherine and running KICS- the Katherine Isolated Children's Service, a remote, mobile playgroup for socially and geographically isolated children and families. Today, Megan shares her incredible journey - from the challenges of birthing a breech baby in a foreign country, to navigating postpartum anxiety alone during a European lockdown, to rediscovering her roots and redefining what motherhood means on her own terms. This is a story about choosing adventure over comfort and how one woman’s journey from the outback to overseas and back again is supporting the future of rural families in Australia.

    At KRB, boarding is about balance, excellence in learning, and care that supports every girl’s wellbeing. It’s where potential is realised every day, and where confidence grows. Learn more at www.krb.nsw.edu.au/boarding

    With 100% whole foods, no preservatives, no filler fruits, and nothing artificial, JUCA gives babies the chance to explore flavours beyond sweet, setting them up for a lifelong appreciation of healthy, delicious food. Shipping to the doorstops of families Australia-wide, visit juca.au.

    https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • 278: The Jungle Doctor: Chloe Buiting on Motherhood, Belonging, and a Life Between Continents
    Oct 26 2025

    Before she was known as The Jungle Doctor, travelling the world as a wildlife vet, dehorning rhinos in South Africa and fitting elephants with prosthetics, Dr Chloe Buiting was a barefoot kid in the bush on Lord Howe Island. That tiny island sparked her lifelong fascination with the natural world and taught her what it means to belong...to live close to nature and be shaped by it. Today, Chloe is a conservationist and mother of two on Kangaroo Island, splitting her year between global work with Fauna & Flora International and the Earthshot Prize, and hands-on fieldwork across Africa and Asia. She’s dined with David Attenborough, darted rhinos from helicopters, and is raising her children between continents.
    Behind the adventure is a story about belonging — building a home while constantly on the move, finding community across the world, and reconciling motherhood with a calling that takes her to the wildest corners of the planet.
    This is Dr Chloe Buiting’s remarkable story.

    Lifeline: 13 11 14 | PANDA support line: 1800 595 212 | Gidget Foundation

    From the bush to the bay, KRB Boarding offers girls the best of both worlds: a strong education, care for their wellbeing, and a place that feels like home by the harbour. That peace of mind is what families have trusted at KRB since 1882. Visit www.krb.nsw.edu.au/boarding

    JUCA is the Australian company redefining how we feed our little ones. Created by a Michelin-starred chef using premium local ingredients, JUCA offers 100% whole food baby meals with no preservatives or fillers. Delivered Australia-wide, they inspire flavourful, adventurous eating from the very first bite. Head to juca.au

    https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Father Land #8: AFL Legend Tom Hawkins on Grief, Footy, Farming and Fatherhood
    Oct 21 2025

    Once upon a time, in the small farming town of Finley in southern New South Wales, there was a boy who spent his afternoons chasing footies across dusty paddocks and helping his parents on the land. That boy grew up to be one of the greatest AFL forwards the game has ever seen. Today, I chat with three-time premiership player, father of three and Geelong legend, Tom Hawkins. As you’ll hear, for Tom, life was never just about football. It was about family. About home. About the kind of hard work that doesn’t end when the whistle blows. After 17 seasons, in 2024, Tom retired from professional AFL. He traded the stadium lights for sunrises over the paddocks - raising three kids with his wife Emma, catching calves instead of taking marks, and rediscovering what it means to be grounded. These days, he’s building a new chapter with Nutrien Ag Solutions, working closely with farmers across Victoria while running a small cattle property of his own.

    In this rare conversation, Tom opens up about it all. The highs and lows of his career, the grief of losing his mum too young, the guilt that comes with missing moments as a dad, and the quiet joy of finding purpose again…this time, on the land.

    As we wrap up this season of Father Land, thanks to our sponsor, Nutrien Ag Solutions, for backing the stories that matter. From field days to community grants, Nutrien proudly supports rural Australia. Drop into your local branch or visit nutrienagsolutions.com.au/find-a-branch to see what’s happening near you.

    https://www.instagram.com/motherlandaustralia

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    1 hr and 18 mins
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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.