Australian Story follows Katie Noonan’s Second Start on Monday – A new episode of Australian Story turns to singer-songwriter Katie Noonan and the music she made after the breakdown of her marriage. Titled Second Start, it airs Monday 12 October at 8pm on ABC TV, with ABC iview also named in the programme’s official promo.
The episode is less a career retrospective than a portrait of how an established artist responds when her private life changes. For viewers who know Noonan’s acclaimed recordings, the ABC’s preview places her new music in the context of the grief that produced it.
Why Katie Noonan turned to music again
In November 2024, Noonan’s marriage ended. From outside, her life on the Sunshine Coast with her husband and sons had seemed settled. She had a long independent career and 30 albums behind her. However, the strain of COVID-era restrictions on live performance had affected the relationship, according to the ABC’s episode preview.
Noonan responded in the way she had often responded to difficult experiences: she wrote music. She tells Australian Story that the album was one she never planned to make. Its songs emerged from sadness and uncertainty about who she was after the separation.
The connection with Trent Dalton
A chance meeting with writer Trent Dalton brought a different source of inspiration. Dalton shared passages from diaries he wrote in the early 2000s while falling in love with Fiona, who is now his wife. He describes the old entries as revealing and sometimes embarrassing, yet says their words became a small flame for Noonan.
The exchange helps frame Second Start as a story of loss and renewal. Rather than presenting music as a simple solution, the preview suggests it became a way for Noonan to work through what had happened and begin imagining another chapter.
Watch the Australian Story promo
ABC’s 30-second promo for the Katie Noonan episode can be played below.
Australian Story: Second Start airs Monday 12 October at 8pm on ABC TV. The official promo also directs viewers to ABC iview; check the service for streaming availability.
For more TV Central ABC coverage, head here, and visit the Australian Story page on ABC iview for programme information.
